“No! I can pay?—”
“Don’t make me laugh.” The seamstress scoffed. “You are the daughter of a ruined viscount. I would trust your maid to pay for a ball gown before I would trust you.”
Joanna’s cheeks were burning. She wanted to feel angry. She wished she could think of a mean retort that could put the woman in her place, but nothing came to mind. All she felt was overwhelming sadness and the urge to run away and never come back.
She was a fool for thinking she could do this. Did she really think she stopped being a Thorne just because a duke thought she was amusing?
A deep voice cut through her thoughts. “Perhaps you have more faith in my ability to pay than the lady’s.”
She turned to see Evan standing in the entrance of the modiste. He was glaring at the seamstress with a look of cold fury.
CHAPTER 15
Evan had caught only the last few seconds of the seamstress insulting Joanna, but that was more than enough for him.
He should have known better than to leave her alone in this shop by herself. He knew how everyone viewed her father, how they regarded her family. But she should have received respect anyway. He strode into the modiste. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Joanna on the verge of tears, with her head bowed, and it just increased his fury.
The seamstress curtsied for him, her face pale. “Y-your Grace. How can I help you?”
“I am not the one you are supposed to be helping,” he growled. “I am disgusted with the way you treated Miss Thorne, and I can assure you that my family and I will not be shopping here again. Apologize to her right this instant.”
“I didn’t know?—”
“Apologize.” He kept his voice at a low volume, but it was threatening all the same. The shopkeeper was practically trembling in front of him.
She turned to Joanna. “I am terribly sorry, miss. I hope you can forgive me.”
Joanna nodded stiffly, but she did not say anything.
Evan was still angry, however. He rarely got angry, but when he did, it was difficult for him to control it. “You would be lucky if I didn’t ruin your little shop forever, madam. You know I am capable of it.”
The woman was a stuttering mess now. Joanna stepped forward and placed herself in front of him. “Please, that’s enough, Your Grace. I believe you’ve made your point.” Her words were quiet but firm.
He nodded, taking a deep breath. “Let’s go. There are other modistes on this street. They offer better quality, too.”
They walked out, with Joanna’s chaperone trailing behind them.
“Did you have to humiliate the poor woman?” Joanna asked after they were out the door. “You certainly didn’t need to threaten her like that.”
“The way she treated you was unacceptable,” he said. “She should have been respectful of you without me standing behind you.”
“Perhaps, but that isn’t a reasonable expectation given my circumstances, is it?” Her mouth twisted into a bitter smile. “I believe my family name shows up in the scandal sheets enough as it is. I certainly don’t need to give thetonmore gossip about me. So I implore you to not cause a scene at the next modiste we visit.”
“Very well,” he said. He could not bring himself to regret how he acted in the last modiste, but he could agree to try to be civil in the next one.
By the time they had walked down the street together, he had calmed down. Joanna seemed to be in slightly better spirits, but she still looked disheartened. He would do anything to take that miserable look off her face.
As they entered the next modiste, the shopkeeper smiled at them. “Welcome in, my lady. Your Grace.” She curtsied to both of them. “Is there anything I can help you with today?”
“Yes,” Evan said. “The lady would like a ball gown for the ball next week. She will also need some new afternoon dresses and evening dresses. Perhaps five of each. To start with.”
Joanna flashed him a wide-eyed look, and he felt the corners of his lips turn up. It felt good to surprise her now and then. Hewould only be able to spoil her for one Season, so he planned to do it right.
The modiste smiled. “Of course. Come right over here, my lady, and I will take your measurements before we discuss details for the dresses.”
Evan hung back near the entrance, as Joanna was measured behind a privacy screen. After her measurements were taken, they discussed dress styles while looking at the fabrics. He watched from a distance as the modiste slowly set Joanna at ease.
“You would look beautiful in dark blue, my lady,” the woman said. “We just got this new silk in that would be the perfect shade for you. It’s just over here.” She directed Joanna to the fabric sample.
