Mother seemed to wilt. “Dearest,” she began. “My darling girl. I’ve always wanted you to be happy, with a family of your own and a husband who respects and adores you. Lord Burke ...” She shook her head helplessly.
“He hasn’t given any sign he doesn’t intend to propose, either,” Joan pointed out.
“Well, that’s a little harder to judge, isn’t it?” Mother asked dryly. “I don’t want you to be swayed by a handsome face and rakish air. I know how alluring a dangerous man can seem. You wouldn’t be the first to be foolish over a man, but I want—desperately—to spare you an unhappy end. Many a woman has thought herself in love, only to discover she was the only party who felt so deeply. I don’t want to see you led down the path to heartbreak or ruin.”
She gaped at her mother. “Not the first—? You don’t meanyou—?”
“She means me,” said Evangeline quietly. “And if anyone wants to spare you that unhappiness more than your mother does, I do.”
Joan snapped her mouth closed.
“You asked me once if I loved my husbands, and the truth is, I was miserable in both my marriages.” Evangeline was pale but her voice was even. “I first married when I was young—barely more than a girl, really—to Lord Cunningham. He was old enough to be my father; in fact, he had been at university with my father. I was impulsive, even headstrong as a girl, and my father believed I needed a firm hand. Needless to say, the marriage was a dismal failure, and the best that could be said was that it was mercifully short. Cunningham had a weak heart, and the strain of reining me in must have been too much for him.”
“I’d no idea,” said Joan softly.
Her aunt’s smile was forced. “It’s not something I remember fondly. But there I was, a young widow, determined to enjoy my life a little at last. I embarked on an affair with the Earl of Courtenay within weeks of Cunningham’s death. I felt I deserved a little pleasure, and ...” Her voice faltered. “I was reckless and indiscreet. My father discovered us and demanded a marriage. I tried to argue that I was a widow and had the freedom to do as I chose, but my father was an old-fashioned man, and he cared nothing for my opinion. He challenged Courtenay to a duel if there were no wedding, and so we were wed within a fortnight. I persuaded myself it meant Courtenay loved me, but I soon realized it meant he didn’t want to face my father. Courtenay had a fondness for young women, and having a wife didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for seducing them. He lingered too long in the bed of a pretty young bride a few years after we married, and her husband shot him on the spot.” She sighed. “So you see, it’s really dismal luck for me to marry.”
“Courtenay was a snake,” said Mother with fervor. “He was handsome and charming but full of ill intent. He deserved to be shot, in my opinion, and you were well rid of him.”
Evangeline turned to her gratefully. “Thank you, Marion. I ought to have listened to your advice about him.” The two women shared a glance before turning back to Joan.
“I don’t want to frighten you, dear, but I—we”—Mother corrected herself with a nod at Evangeline—“want you to understand how a woman can be lured into wickedness and not realize what she’s fallen into until it’s too late.”
It took her a moment to reply. Her heart ached for Evangeline. No wonder she held Sir Richard at bay. Of course, Joan didn’t think Sir Richard was like either of Evangeline’s first two husbands, but what a terrible blow ... “I don’t believe Lord Burke is a hard-hearted rake,” she said. “He’s not the most respectable person, but Papa was also once a rake, and he changed. Evangeline told me he did, Mother—for you.”
“Your father was never as scandalous as Lord Burke,” Mother replied. “He kept some bad company, but he was decent at heart. He never would have trifled with me. His father was strict and raised him to be an honorable man. Lord Burke, on the other hand, has run wild his whole life, unmoderated by any family influence.”
“But his parents died when he was only a small child!”
Lady Bennet held up her hands calmingly at Joan’s protest. “I don’t blame him for it, my dear. I am only stating a fact: Lord Burke has been allowed to do whatever he wished since he was a boy, and it’s apparent in his behavior today.”
“He was allowed to run wild because he was all alone,” Joan said. “With no one to comfort him or guide him. Who would not run wild, if forced to live with his dour aunt, Lady Burke? Yes, she disowned him, although she did manage to live in his house, on his charity, for almost ten years. And that meant Tris—Lord Burke has had to be responsible for himself from a young age. He had no father to control his spending, no mother to gentle his manners. I think he’s turned out at least as well as Douglas, who had every advantage you named.”
Mother’s lips tightened at the mention of Douglas. “I shall never forgive him if he’s blinded you to his true nature.”
Joan looked at her aunt. “I don’t believe he has.” Silently she begged her aunt to agree with her.
“I do believe the young man is honorable, Marion,” said Evangeline. “I never would have received him if I’d had the slightest uncertainty.”
Mother sighed. “If he shows signs of becoming more respectable, I shall give him the benefit of the doubt. Your father made a great many changes to his behaviorbeforeI received him,” she admonished Joan. “If Lord Burke can do the same, I will be very pleased to see it.”
A servant came in with a tray of letters. Evangeline got to her feet as Mother sorted through the post. “I must begin packing.”
“You’re leaving?” Joan followed her aunt toward the door.
“Yes!” Evangeline smiled and clasped her hand. “I miss my Louis, and now that your parents are home, you’ve no more need of me.”
Of course she’d known her aunt would leave when Mother and Papa returned home, but Joan was more dismayed than she’d expected to be. She had come to like Evangeline a great deal in the last month. “I’ll miss you,” she said, sounding a little forlorn even to her own ears.
“I’m not saying farewell forever! I regret not having made a greater effort to know you and your brother, and I want to remedy that.”
Joan pressed her hands. “Please do come to call. I will always be glad to see you.”
Evangeline smiled—gratefully, Joan thought—and embraced her. “Gladly! Thank you, my dear. You are welcome to visit me at any time. Louis would be wild with joy to see you again. He never forgets a kind person with bacon.”
“I must remember to bring bacon with me, to shamelessly win his heart.” She grinned.
“You have already won his eternal devotion,” replied her aunt dryly. “All it takes is a single rasher. Dogs’ affections are so easily won.”
