Which was why Christian, Drake, and Matthew had been in the Warrens the night Matthew rescued Johanna.They’d all said they were headed home after not finding Cornwall, but Drake had not gone in the correct direction, and Christian and Matthew had followed him.Which meant that they still needed to track down the earl, but without further information from him, they had very little to go on.
So, by the time Grandmama and Lady Johanna arrived, they were a welcome respite from talking in circles about the mystery.
“Well, now,” Zachary murmured, reaching up to pet Monkey Sinclair as he and Matthew strolled into the foyer.“They have been busy.”
Very.
Lady Johanna looked even paler than she had this morning and like she was holding herself up through pure willpower, but she was also smiling at his grandmama, so he took that as a good sign.She looked… better.Even though she appeared exhausted.There was something about her that was different, although he could not quite place his finger on it.
Perhaps just that she’d had the benefit of a shopping excursion.
Women did like shopping, so he understood.Which he appreciated; without his mother’s and then his grandmother’s prodding, he would likely have ended up naked with an empty house and no idea why.Matthew was good at making impulse purchases, not so good at ensuring the things he needed on a day-to-day basis were at hand.That was left up to the ladies of the household, and men were not allowed to stick their noses into the ladies’ arena.He shuddered to imagine how his grandmother would react if he even made the attempt.
It looked as though his grandmother was jumping right into teaching Lady Johanna everything she needed to know.
“Did you get everything you needed?”he asked, approaching his grandmother and dropping a kiss on her cheek.
“For now.”She beamed up at him.“It was a lovely day.Johanna did very well.”
“I am glad to hear that.”He turned to where Zachary was making his bow to Lady Johanna, which she returned with a very deep curtsy.Once she was married to him, she would not need to curtsy so deeply, and he was rather looking forward to that.There was something very pleasurable about sharing his power and position with a woman who had been through so much.
“Lady Johanna, a pleasure to meet you,” Zachary said, bowing over her hand.“And might I add, you look positively stunning.That shade of purple ribbon is inspired next to your eyes, like a field of violets on a warm summer afternoon.”
“You see?”Grandmama said, giving Lady Johanna a significant nod.“Poetry.”
“I… ah… thank you.”Lady Johanna’s violet eyes were very wide.They really were unusual.The way she smiled at Zachary made something twinge in Matthew’s chest.“That is very kind of you to say, Your Grace.”
“It is very easy to speak the truth, my lady.And please, call me Zachary as you are to be Matthew’s wife, and we will be friends.”
“Then you must call me Johanna.I must admit, I am not used to such formalities.”
Her guileless response made Zachary laugh.
“The formalities are something you will certainly have to get used to once you are a duchess,” he told her.“Everyone will insist on it.Though we can be less formal among close friends, of course.”
Some of the rakishness Zachary was known for—well, had been known for before Delilah—seemed to be coming through in his smile, and Matthew scowled.His chest did that same clenching thing it had when she’d smiled at Christian.Zachary was already engaged to one woman and in love with another, so he did not need to make up to Lady Johanna.
No, not lady, justJohanna.
Because if Zachary could call her Johanna, then Matthew certainly could.He was the one who was going to marry her after all.
Which was why he quickly claimed her hand from Zachary and put it on his arm.Zachary smirked at him for some reason.
“The ribbon does bring out your eyes very nicely,” Matthew said.If there was one thing he was good at, it was colors.He might not like to shop, but he did enjoy quality clothing and fashion, even if he found the process of purchasing it to be tedious.“I’m sure it is not just the ribbon that you got.”
“I think we got everything,” she replied with a quiet smile that did something quite odd to Matthew’s chest when she directed it at him.“In every shade of violet, except the royal purple.”
“No one will complain when they see her eyes,” Grandmama said, sounding almost maliciously triumphant.“Not many ladies could do so, but she will be a duchess and her sons in line for the crown, even if they are very far down the line.”
Because he was standing right beside her, looking into said eyes as his grandmother spoke, Matthew saw the startled shock that filled them at her words.He was so used to knowing his place in line to the throne that he did not think of it, but obviously, Johanna had not considered that her sons would be as well.
Which made him feel even better about his coin choosing her for his bride.Though she’d been at Blackstone Manor for the house party, to which Lady Astrid had exclusively invited dukes of the unwed variety, Johanna had not been duke hunting for dynasty reasons.He fully believed it was the financial straits that had her searching for a husband, and the rank of a duke had not been a necessity.
Thatpart he put up to Lady Astrid’s machinations.Because if she could enhance a friend’s future, she would.So, why not a duke?
It had not worked out precisely the way Lady Astrid had intended, but he was sure that she would be pleased with the end result.
“If anyone complains, send them to me,” he said gallantly.After all, it was his duty to protect his wife.And the idea of someone being anything but kind to Johanna, after all she’d been through… well.He would take much pleasure in playing the knight errant for her again.
