“And don’t ever do something as stupid as crawling through the roses,” Howard added.
Isabel squared her shoulders and straightened her shirt, “I don’t think it was stupid.”
“You don’t think it was stupid to cut yourself up?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “I think it made sense.”
“It made sense to hurt yourself?” he asked, his voice incredulous.
“They’re just scratches,” she said with a shrug. “Besides, I believe in doing things for myself. I could have asked a gardener to go get the ring but it wouldn’t have meant the same thing.”
His face paled and he opened his mouth and then shut it again. She watched him carefully, trying to gauge his mood. He looked furious but she couldn’t understand why. He leaned toward her his eyes flashing with anger.
“And what will p
