He’d saved his bride from a terrible fate and now would save her family as well.She would work hard to become a good duchess in gratitude.Considering how beautiful she was, conceiving an heir would be a pleasure, not a chore.Now that he had a bride—and presumably that would lead to an heir—taken care of, he could focus on helping his friends uncover who murdered their fathers.
And solve the mystery of what Drake was up to.
Feeling rather pleased with himself for a good day’s work, Matthew took himself to bed.Tomorrow, he’d ensure Lady Johanna was well taken care of with his grandmother, then he would pay Drake a visit.
ChapterFour
Johanna
A knock on her door made Johanna jerk awake, and disorientation swirled around her.She had been sleeping so soundly, far more soundly than she could remember sleeping.For a moment, she thought she was still in the boarding house, but the bed was too big and comfortable, and the room far too large and well furnished.
Last night, she had not truly looked at it.
The door opened, and a maid poked her head in, smiling and bobbing a curtsy as she came through the door once she saw that Johanna was sitting up in bed.Dark hair and dark-eyed, she was slightly plump with apple-blossom cheeks and a wide smile that Johanna immediately envied.Draped over her arm was a length of lavender fabric.
“Good morning, my lady.My name is Nettie.Lady Stark sent me to take care of you.”She bustled over to the drapes as she spoke, opening them and letting in the sunlight.It poured over the room, bathing it in soft light, revealing a feminine oasis of delicately carved furniture, an ornate carpet in lilac, cream, and grey lying across the floor.The bed she was in boasted a periwinkle coverlet and canopy, though the curtains were open as it was too warm to need them closed overnight.
Johanna did not know what to say as Nettie turned and looked at her expectantly.She’d never had her own maid, as she had not been old enough for one before they’d had to start letting the staff go.
“Good morning,” she echoed after a moment since it was polite to do so.But she did not know what she could ask Nettie to take care of for her.She cast her gaze about.“Um, do you know where my dress is?”
The night rail she was wearing was one that Lady Stark had produced last night.Johanna had reassured the lady that she had no need of a dresser, and the lady had nodded her head and allowed Johanna to ready herself for bed.But at some point, her dress had disappeared, as it was no longer lying at the foot of the bed where she’d left it.
“Oh, yes, Mrs.Syme, the housekeeper, sent someone in this morning to get it.”Nettie smiled sympathetically.“Rosa said you did not stir.You must have been exhausted.”
“Yes.”Exhausted and slightly disturbed now that she knew someone had been in the room with her, and she’d slept through it.That was certainly a measure of how tired she’d been, though.Normally, she awoke at any small sound in the middle of the night, always alert for bad news or for Charlotte crawling into bed with her.
She must have been more wrung out than she’d realized.
“Well, you’re up now, and Lady Stark sent this day gown for you to wear today.She says that once you have broken your fast, you’ll be going out to Bruton Street to visit her modiste.”Nettie smiled through this whole recitation.
“Oh… I do not…” Johanna’s voice trailed off.She did not have any money, but the Duke of St.Albans certainly did, and he would have a certain standard of dress for his wife, she was sure.
What was he getting out of this arrangement?
A wife, but he could have any woman of theton, surely.Why her?Rather than bringing him a dowry, he had to spend money outfitting her.And he’d sent for her family.
What was he going to expect in return?
Last night, the choice had seemed simple.Now, she could not help but wonder if she was out of the pan and into the fire.
Lady Astrid had him as a guest.And the Duke of Montagu.
His grandmother had also seemed no-nonsense and entirely aware of the proprieties.She had not even let him escort Johanna to this room.Johanna blew out a long breath.
Whatever it was he wanted from her, if it saved her family, she would do it.
Nettie was still standing there, smiling and waiting patiently, holding up the lavender gown.Giving herself a small shake, Johanna got up and allowed Nettie to dress her, which was an entirely odd experience.
The maid not only had the gown, she also had undergarments for Johanna.Everything was too big for her, but it was better than nothing, and it was all far cleaner and newer than what she had been wearing.The lavender color made her eyes seem a bit paler than usual, as though they were shifting shades to match, but her skin and hair looked a bit brighter.
Nettie frowned over the lack of curls—it had taken Rose hours to craft an acceptable coiffure at Blackstone Manor—but skillfully braided the long, silky strands into an acceptable style.Johanna stared at herself in the mirror.She was as thin as ever, gaunt even, but somehow, she looked different.
“There we go,” Nettie said triumphantly.“Would you like a touch of color for your cheeks, my lady?Nothing gaudy, of course, but I think it might brighten you a bit.”
Because she had trusted Nettie thus far, she allowed the maid to put a bit of rouge on her cheeks, and she had to admit, she rather liked the effect.She looked healthier with a bit of color, more like she had as a child, though she’d never felt farther away from her childhood than she did at this moment.
“Let me show you to the dining room, my lady.”
