Part of her knew she didn’t need to impress him, but after having a lovely dinner with her parents and his mother at Blackmore House, she did feel she should try to be as proper as—
A knock at her door had her looking away and the door opened. “Joanna. I didn’t know you were calling.”
Her younger sister, dressed in a purple day dress, strode in. When Joanna walked like that, it always meant she had something on her mind. “I’m not calling. I’m here to talk to you specifically.”
Before she could offer her sister a seat, she sat in the wingback chair near the window.
Obviously, Marcus would have to wait. Pulling the chair from her dressing table, she sat. “What would you like to discuss?”
“I have a number of questions for you pertaining to your marriage.”
She could always expect Joanna to come to the point. Maybe Marcus wouldn’t have to wait after all. “I’m happy to answer what I can.”
Joanna rose and walked to the fireplace. “It has come to my attention recently that Lord Blackmore has returned from the continent changed.”
“Yes, that’s true.” She thought only she had noticed, but Joanna must have been watching them very closely.
Joanna paced back toward the chair, her skirts swishing with her quick steps. “Do you find the change acceptable?”
She wanted to grin, but could tell that Joanna was truly concerned for her. “I do.”
“You do.” Joanna faced her. “Is there anything about the lord that concerns you?”
Confused, she frowned. “No. He’s been very attentive.”
Joanna paced back to the fireplace. “And have your feelings for him waned, grown, or changed?”
Again, she bit back a smile. “Actually, they have grown much stronger. We are both older and much wiser.”
Again, Joanna faced her. “So you do still love him?”
“I do. And before you ask, he loves me. He’s not only shown his love but told me multiple times.” She was quite proud that her betrothed willingly told her how he felt about her.
Joanna paced back to the chair and slumped into it.
She smiled, unable to hold it back any longer. “Joanna, what is it? Can you not believe that after all these years we are still in love?”
Her sister seemed stymied as if she didn’t know how to tell her something.
“Come, tell me what’s on your mind so I may put it to rest.”
“He hasn’t signed the Marriage Settlement and the banns have already been read.” Joanna leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, her chin in her hands. “I’m worried he will beg off.”
At first it gave her pause. Why would Marcus have not signed the settlement? “Did he agree to the revisions Father told me about?”
“He didn’t not agree.” She looked uncomfortable. No doubt because of how she and Father had presented it.
Not above punishing her sister a bit for how she’d handled the settlement, she smiled brightly as if still ignorant of what occurred in the library between them. “I will be happy to mention the subject when I see him today. It may be that it slipped his mind. He’s been quite busy. He has some business he wishes to complete before we wed.”
Her sister nodded absently, obviously still not satisfied. “I just don’t want to see you hurt again. If he postpones the wedding again, I will be on his doorstep in a thrice.”
“Again?” At her sister’s assumption, she finally put the pieces together. “Why do you sayagain?”
Her sister sat up. “Because he didn’t marry you before he left for the war. And now….”
“Joanna, Marcus did not postpone the wedding before he fulfilled his commission, I did.”
“You?” Her sister’s shock was almost humorous.
