“Yes, Your Grace,” he said, nonetheless, because he was a butler, and that’s what butlers did.
Matthew nodded at him and followed Drake and Zachary out the door.Drake was waiting for him on the other side, though Zachary was already making his way down the street.
“How is married life?”Drake asked, falling into step beside him.
“Much nicer than I anticipated,” Matthew replied, eyeing his friend.Drake was the contemporary who intimidated him the most, if he was being honest.While all of them had been bonded together by the tragedy that had befallen them, sometimes, he felt like that was all he had in common with Drake.“You should try it soon.”
“I will.Soon enough.”Drake scowled, but not at Matthew.At a point in the street in front of him.Likely, he was also being hounded by his mother as well.One of the dangers of being betrothed to the daughter of her closest friend.Lady Astrid was no wilting flower either.
Personally, Matthew did not blame Drake for putting it off, now that he thought about it.He could not imagine Lady Astrid being nearly as nice or obliging as Johanna was.Lady Astrid was known to thetonas an Original; friendship with her was highly desired, but she was rather choosy with her friends, and no one knew exactly what her criteria was.After all, she’d invited Lady Johanna to her house party, and before that, Matthew had never even heard of the Ashmores.Trying to memorize Debrett’s book of Peerage had never been one of his aspirations.His grandmama handled the connections for him.
“Right, well.I suppose I would not be rushing toward it, either.”
Now Drake did frown at him, turning his head with a quizzical expression on his face and pinning Matthew with his dark eyes.
“Your marriage was the definition of rushed.”
“Ah… well.”He had meant that he would not rush to marry Lady Astrid, but despite the way he dragged his feet, Drake could become rather prickly over his betrothed.Matthew would prefer not to draw his ire if they were going to spend the day together.“That was really the coin, though.Not me.”
Drake’s expression softened, and he shook his head.
“You know, you do not have to do what the coin tells you to.You have a choice.”
“Of course I do.But why would I choose to do the opposite when it has never steered me wrong?”Matthew shrugged.“I am not one to fight the whims of fate.”
Which made Drake frown again, and Matthew realized that could apply to his situation, seeing as he was certainly fighting marrying the woman his parents had fated him for.So, Matthew had stuck his foot in it after all.Ah, well.It was not as though Drake was the most humorous fellow; it was hard to tell the difference between Drake in a good mood and Drake in a bad mood, anyway.
“Speaking of, where should we go first?”Matthew dug into his pocket for his coin.Beside him, Drake sighed, but obligingly slowed to wait and see what direction the coin would point them in.
Matthew appreciated that about him.
Johanna
Walking down the hallway alone, Johanna steeled herself.Hopefully, her mother was better this morning.Both in body and in mind.As much as part of her wanted Rose by her side, she was also relieved she would not have to explain anything to Rose if her mother said something shocking again.
When she reached the door, Johanna took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, lifting her chin.She was a grown woman, and she did not need her mother’s permission or blessing to marry.Especially when doing so had saved her mother’s life.
Opening the door, Johanna stepped inside.Her heart softened as soon as she saw her mother lying there in bed, pale as ever, head nestled against the pillow.Her mother’s eyes opened as Johanna approached.
“Good morning, Mother, how are you feeling today?”Johanna asked gently, stepping to the bedside and reaching out a hand to feel her mother’s forehead.
Damp, but cool.Johanna breathed a sigh of relief.The fever must have broken in the night, helped by the tea.
Her mother grabbed her by the wrist in a faster movement than Johanna would have thought she could manage, and it was all she could do not to jump back and pull away as her mother stared up at her with wide, violet eyes.
“Did you do it?”she asked, her voice a low hiss.
“Do what?”Johanna’s heart sank.Whatever madness had gripped her mother, she worried it had nothing to do with the fever.
“Did you marry him?The duke?I heard the maids talking.They said you married him yesterday.”
“I did.”Johanna said it as gently as she could.“But?—”
Before she could say anything else, her mother had released her wrist and was turning over.
“Then we are all doomed.”
Taking a deep breath, Johanna tried to gather her thoughts.She had no idea how to handle her mother when she was like this.The threat of doom was gone.Johanna had saved them from doom with her marriage to Matthew.She closed her eyes and felt her nails biting into the palms of her hands.
