The duchess sat and lifted her teacup, a wide smile teasing her lips.
“Ah, so you must not have the temper that I inherited with my hair,” Elizabeth said, then belatedly hoped she’d not spoken out of turn.
The duchess laughed, unapologetically vibrant. “Ah, well, we don’t mention the lesser qualities, my dear.” She added, “And I prefer to think intense, not quick-tempered.”
“I’ll remember that,” Elizabeth replied.
“But you never answered my question,” Joan reminded her.
Elizabeth scrunched her nose. “Well, it’s a bit of a story.”
“We have time.”
“It’s likely not what you’re expecting.”
“Even better.” The duchess was leaning forward with an expectant look on her face.
Elizabeth took a sip of tea, building up her courage. “Well, I’m not certain how much your brother has said concerning how we first…interacted with each other.” She winced. “Honestly, not much has changed on that front, but I like to think I’m less likely to jump to conclusions about him than I did originally.”
“You’ve certainly piqued my curiosity,” Joan stated, offering a good-natured smile. “He hasn’t said much, only that you and I have some similar character traits. He was disappointingly vague.” She flicked her fingers. “Men and their lack of detail.”
“Well, I must admit that our first interactions were not pleasant. I believe I insulted him fully, andhe returned the favor.” Elizabeth bit her lip.
“I’m sure he deserved it. What was the argument about, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Which time?” Elizabeth replied with a grin.
“I think I understand why my brother couldn’t resist you.” Joan returned the smile.
“I, for my part, did try to be quite resistible, prickly, in fact.”
“Yet he won your heart…” Joan let the question linger, as if wanting Elizabeth to confirm it.
“Yes, against my will, and I rather like that. It wasn’t something I forced; rather I resisted. He…” She paused. “I can be rather unconventional, and rather than wish that to be something he can change, he appreciates that, encourages it. I never thought I’d find that.” Elizabeth hitched a shoulder.
Joan sighed softly. “You have no idea how happy I was when he wrote of you. He’d been going through a bit of a rough patch of late.” She frowned slightly. “I’ve been concerned, but there was little I could do other than badger him relentlessly.”
At this, Elizabeth chuckled.
“I did—badger him, that is. But it wasn’t enough, and when he left for Cambridge, I wasn’t sure whether it was the best idea or the worst. There was little for him here in London, besides me and Rowles, and of course our dear friends Catherine and Quin. You’ll meet them later,” she interjected. “He was quite lost and needed a purpose.”
“Well, he did make some progress related to the reason he came to Cambridge, a little too much progress in my opinion. Regardless, it’s unfortunate that I can’t do anything about it.”
Elizabeth nodded. “The waiting is the hardest.”
“It is.”
“He’s quite capable. He’s been trained well, but I’ll admit that I don’t like the idea of him being alone there.”
“He has Mr. Finch,” Elizabeth told her. “So at least he won’t be attempting anything alone.”
“Ah, is that the gentleman who was referred to him by the shire office? He mentioned that in his last letter, the one informing us of your arrival.”
“Yes, his sister is one of my greatest friends.” Elizabeth offered a gentle grin. “She compared the interaction between your brother and me to the fireworks at Vauxhall Gardens.”
Joan regarded her, blinked, then started to giggle. “Oh, I wish I could see it.”
“You will. We still have, er, heated discussions.”
