Penelope’s carriage came around the corner just then and stopped in front of them. The two women were quick to get inside, where the young lady was eagerly waiting.
“How did it go?” Penelope asked. “Was he properly disgusted?”
“Not in the slightest,” Joanna said.
She groaned. “What are you talking about, Joanna? Oh, I should have known you could not pretend to be wicked even if you tried. I would have been better off going on the date myself. I know how to act horribly much better than you, after all.”
“Iwaswicked!” Joanna exclaimed. “I spilled tea on him and talked about Mary Wollstonecraft. I talked with my mouth full and did everything I could to insult him, including telling him that he looks like a hawk!”
“Does he?” Penelope asked.
“Oh yes,” Joanna said, remembering the way the duke looked at her. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she remembered his icy gaze boring into her. “Indeed, he does.”
The young lady looked at Lydia. “Was she truly awful?”
The older woman nodded. “If this date wasn’t a charade, I would have scolded her myself for her behavior. However, His Grace was amused by her. He wishes to see her—well, you—next week.”
Penelope looked intrigued. “He was amused? I didn’t think a man like him could be amused by anything.”
“He isn’t exactly what the scandal sheets say he is,” Joanna said. “The former Baron of Boxton slapped his stableboy and that baker attacked one of his maids. That’s why he ruined them.”
Penelope sniffed. “If you can believe him.”
Joanna did believe him. It was probably the one sincere moment they shared for the entire date. “Of course, he is still quite frightening. I made him angry very effectively, but I never phased him.” She couldn’t help but smile about how quickly hestarted spouting off nonsense to match her own. “He says he kicks puppies and kills flowers in his free time.”
Penelope looked at Lydia with a quizzical expression on her face.
The maid covered her mouth and chuckled. “The conversation did get quite fantastical. If it’s not too bold of me to say, the duke is a formidable man to be sure. But I do not think he was angry as much as bewildered and amused.”
“He looked quite angry to me,” Joanna said. “He scowled the entire time and he threatened me at the end. That’s when I knew to fall silent. I wouldn’t want him to cause trouble for you, after all.” There were moments where she almost saw his lips twitch into a smile, but she must have imagined it. “However, perhaps he prefers being angry to being bored. I should have bored him instead of provoked him. Then he wouldn’t have asked to see you again.”
Penelope groaned and covered her face with her hands. “This will not do. If he sends a note to the house, then my parents will simply accept on my behalf no matter how much I plead for mercy. If another date is arranged, you must see him again.”
The thought filled Joanna with a spark of excitement. As frightening as the duke was, conversing with him was thrilling. Perhaps it was because she no longer spoke to many people who she was not related to, or maybe it was because for once she could say what she pleased and she didn’t have her father’s reputation hanging over her head. But despite the trouble it would bring, she secretly hoped he did call again so she couldgo on another date. She certainly couldn’t say that out loud to Penelope, who would have to endure the consequences of whatever Joanna did during her time with the duke. “Perhaps he will come to his senses,” Joanna said. “The gossip columns declare him cold, but not irrational. There is no rational reason why he would want to see me again after today. I am sure, despite what he said after tea, that we have seen the last of him.”
CHAPTER 5
Evan stormed into Blackwell Manor and found Peter in the library, reviewing financial records. His brother looked up as soon as he entered. “I assume the date did not go as well as grandmother hoped,” he said. “I do hope you didn’t make the young lady cry.”
“On the contrary, she was the one who aimed to insult. Not I.” In his irritation, his voice came out in a low growl as he paced around the library.
Peter raised his eyebrows and leaned back in his chair, giving his brother his full attention. “It appears she was successful, then. I admit I am intrigued. I have never seen someone agitate you like this.”
“I amnotagitated.” He snapped.
Peter merely smiled. “Of course, Your Grace. It was so silly of me to suggest such a thing.”
Evan rolled his eyes. When they were alone, his brother only used formalities to mock him. “She said I looked like a hawk,” he muttered.
Peter laughed. “Indeed?”
“It’s not funny! She had the audacity to insult me to my face.”
“Well, I must admit, it’s an astute observation,” he said. “I can see some bird-like tendencies with you. However, I would say you look more like a pigeon.”
“Now you are just trying to get a rise out of me, just like her.”
“Yes, indeed.” He chuckled. “Was that all she did?”
