Seeming eager to show off her work, Nettie escorted Johanna through the halls.She chattered the whole time about the various portraits and artwork they passed, pointing in different directions to where Johanna would find rooms that might interest her.The house was massive, and Johanna just hoped she would be able to find her way to and from the dining room on her own, much less seeking out the study, the solarium, or the music room.
Though her own home was huge, so many of the rooms had been closed off over the years that she did not remember where most of them were.Some of them, her younger siblings had never seen before.Navigating through a large house was not something she had much experience with anymore.Blackstone Manor had been larger, but she’d had Rose with her, and it had made everything far less intimidating.
Now she was alone.
Thankfully, it did seem as though the way to the dining room was fairly straightforward.She thought she would be able to find her way back on her own.
As she came through the door with Nettie, the Duke of St.Albans and his grandmother abruptly cut off their conversation.He jumped to his feet when Johanna entered the room, staring at her.He was just as handsome in the daylight as he had been the night before, though he looked more at home in this elegant dining room than the shabby backstage of Mr.O’Connell’s.
“Lady Johanna, Your Grace, my lady.”Nettie sounded triumphant, very pleased with herself.Johanna was amused that she had not been far off the mark in thinking Nettie wanted to show off her work.She had to admit she would not look nearly so nice if Nettie had not been there to help her.Especially her hair.
“Your Grace, my lady,” Johanna echoed, and curtsied, ducking her head to avoid the duke’s intense scrutiny.
Was he regretting his decision?Was he pleased?She could not tell.
“Very nice, Nettie, thank you.”Lady Stark smiled, and Nettie exited the room, appearing pleased.“Come, Johanna, sit and have something to eat.What would you like?Eggs?Sausage?Kippers?”
A sudden lump found its way into Johanna’s throat as she sank down into her chair.Her mouth watered at the smells, but her stomach tightened at the thought of eating a single bite.
The same guilt had battered her at Blackstone Manor, but that had been before she knew her mother was starving herself.Now… she’d struggled to eat the food the boarding house had provided.The duke’s food was too much.The quality so much higher.The options so much larger.
How was she supposed to eat eggs, sausage, and kippers when she knew her family had no such sustenance?
A tear rolled down her face, no matter that she tried to swallow back her sob, then another and another.Head bowed and hands clasped tight in her lap, she did her best to hide her reaction, but she could not look at either the duke or his grandmother because she could not control herself at all.
Matthew
What was she doing?Why was she crying?
Panic gripped Matthew as he stared at his bride.She looked lovely in her gown, though it did not fit her very well, and she had seemed happy enough until she’d been offered food.Shouldn’t she want to eat?She’d said her family was starving.And she’d looked very thin herself, even before putting on a gown that was too big for her, which made her appear even less well fed.
He looked to his grandmother, who was sitting stiffly upright with an expression on her face that he’d never seen before.On someone else, he might have called it sympathy.
Then his grandmother looked back at him, and her expression changed, shooting him a look.
Help her, she mouthed.
Right.
How?
What did people do to help a crying woman?He’d never been in this situation before.
Matthew quickly took out his coin, but he did not know what to ask it.
His grandmother’s face was slowly getting redder, and she looked like her head was about to explode.
Hug her.
Oh.That made sense.But he did flip the coin just in case, then hurried to get up and put his arm around Lady Johanna when it confirmed that was the right thing to do.The maneuver had the added benefit of putting the table between him and his grandmother.Just in case she decided to do something with her hands other than gripping the arms of her chair.
It was awkward crouching down to get in the right position, and Johanna felt incredibly frail under his arm.Even more so than she had last night.The sensation stirring in his breast felt… protective.
“Is there something else you would like?”he asked softly.“We can get you whatever you want.”
Lady Johanna turned her head into his shoulder, which was nice, but she also started crying even harder, which was not.His grandmother dropped her head into her hands and took a deep breath.Matthew knew from experience that meant she thought he was mucking things up.
But it was not as though he had any experience in this sort of thing.He was doing his best.
