In any case, her mother’s absence from this dinner might not be the worst thing, even though Johanna did not wish her ill health.
“Do you think she will be able to attend the wedding tomorrow?”Johanna whispered as they neared the staircase.She could already hear her brother’s and sisters’ voices echoing in the foyer.
“I do not know.We will have to see how she is doing tomorrow.I will ensure she has some willow bark tea tonight.”
“Thank you.”Johanna could almost taste the flavor of the tea herself the moment Rose mentioned it—it was what her mother always gave them for a fever, and Johanna had never liked it.
They reached the top of the stairs, and she looked down at her family and could not help her smile.Micah was so handsome, standing stiffly beside the duke, in a coat that was actually fitted to him.When had he grown into a young man?Bridget and Charlotte were still in short skirts, of course, but they both somehow looked older than they had before, now that they were properly clothed.
Johanna’s heart ached inside her chest, and she reached up to touch her fingertips to her breast to try to relieve the pressure.
Her siblings were growing up and leaving childhood behind, and she was so relieved to have them here in the duke’s London home rather than at their crumbling estate.Which was an awful feeling to have because that had been their home for their whole lives, but for the first time in a long time, she was truly able to feel real hope for the future.
That things would be different.
That they would have enough to eat.That Micah could get the education he deserved.That Bridget and Charlotte would get the lessons they needed and the futures they were born for.The weight, which had felt so heavy on her shoulders for so many years, had lessened overnight when the duke had purchased her.
He was an honorable man.A good man.
Johanna finally let her gaze rest on him and felt her breath catch in her throat, her heart no longer tight in her chest but racing within it.The dark grey of his jacket was set off by a plum-and-silver waistcoat and a matching plum cravat tied around his neck, only a couple shades off from the color of her own gown.They were not matching, but they would appear coordinated beside each other—and she knew exactly who had done the coordinating.Lady Stark appeared particularly smug in her place beside the duke.
The stiff points of his starched white collar framed his jawline.A silver cravat pin with an amethyst topper was just beneath his chin, holding the complicated knot in place.His dark hair waved back from his face, so that his burning gaze was completely unobscured as he drank in the sight of her coming down the stairs.
“He is looking at you as though you are a pudding and he wants to devour you,” Rose murmured beneath her breath.
Yes, he was.
And Johanna realized she was all too happy to be devoured.
The two men moved to the bottom of the stairs as she and Rose descended, the duke’s gaze never leaving Johanna’s as he took his place.Micah moved into position on Rose’s side, watching the duke for cues.He really had grown so much, but Johanna could not focus on him when the duke held all her attention at that moment.
Her skin tingled, her stomach swooping as she released her arm from Rose’s and took his hand.
“My lady.”He bowed over her hand, turning it so that when he pressed his lips against her skin, it was against the inside of her wrist.
Butterflies exploded in her stomach as her breathing stopped for a moment, her heart pounding so hard in her chest that it felt impossible that no one could hear it.No one else seemed to notice anything amiss, though.
“Johanna, look at me!”Bridget spun in place, arms out around her, skirt billowing.She was beaming as she came to a halt.
“You look beautiful,” Johanna said honestly as the duke pulled her hand onto his arm, so they were standing side by side, her fingers now resting on his wrist with his hand over hers.His very nearness made her feel breathless, but she did her best to hide her reaction to him.
She doubted duchesses were overwhelmed by the mere presence of their husbands.
Perhaps she would be able to watch the others tonight to see how they behaved.When Lady Stark had suggested the dinner, Johanna had been anxious until she’d realized the guest list was all the duke’s friends and their families, which meant Lady Astrid and her friends.Now, Johanna’s friends or at least women she was hoping would be her friends.
They had seemed to accept her as one of their own, and she’d already told them her biggest secret.
As if her thoughts summoned them, there was a knock at the front door.Johanna squared her shoulders to meet their guests as the butler moved to answer it.Beside her, the duke smiled in anticipation, which helped her to relax.He did not seem nervous at all.
Matthew
Having a table full of dinner guests was more enjoyable than Matthew had anticipated.He was sorry his bride’s mother could not join them, but he knew she had been doing poorly before she arrived in London.The travel must not have agreed with her.
Beside him, Johanna was resplendent in her new gown, with violet jewels at her throat and ears.When she’d first come down the stairs, Matthew had had a burning desire to see her in nothing but those jewels.It was all he could do not to stare at her throughout the meal, imagining peeling her clothing from her body one piece at a time to reveal what was underneath until she was completely bare before him, clad in nothing but the amethysts.
A fantasy he’d forced himself to abandon because it made for uncomfortable sitting when they were surrounded by company.
At one end of the table were the younger crew.Nathanial had brought his sisters, as promised, to meet Bridget and Charlotte.They seemed to be getting along splendidly.Beside them were Micah, Ashwin Little, and Rupert Blackstone.The latter two had formed a fast friendship already but were very welcoming to Micah.
