Page 86 of Claiming His Lost Duchess

“Very well,” Joan said quietly, gesturing to an empty space on the blanket. “Please, sit. Say what you have come to say.”

Georgina's relief was visible, though she remained standing as though afraid to presume too much upon Joan's hospitality. “I know you have little reason to listen to me, or to believe anything I might tell you. My treatment of you when you returned to London society was cruel and inexcusable. I made things far more difficult than they needed to be, and I am deeply, profoundly ashamed of my actions.”

She paused, clearly struggling to find adequate words for her remorse. “I want you to know that I had no knowledge of my father's true nature when I behaved so abominably toward you. Or perhaps it would be more honest to say that I refused to acknowledge what I suspected, because doing so would have required me to confront uncomfortable truths about the man who raised me.”

Joan felt her throat tighten at the raw pain in Georgina's voice. Whatever else she might have done, the young woman wasclearly suffering deeply for her father's crimes and her own complicity in making Joan's life difficult.

“I know I have no right to the grace of forgiveness from you — but I had to tell you how deeply I regret my actions. You deserved far better treatment than I gave you, and I am ashamed that I couldn’t be family you deserved.”

She paused, then added with quiet dignity, “I will not trouble you again after today. I wanted only to speak these words aloud, to acknowledge my wrongdoing and express my sincere remorse. I wish you every happiness in your marriage and your life, Your Grace. You have earned it through your own grace and goodness.”

Georgina turned as though to leave, but Joan found herself speaking before conscious thought had time to intervene.

“Georgina.” The young woman stopped and looked back, hope and wariness warring in her expression. “I forgive you.”

The simple words seemed to hit Georgina like a physical blow. She staggered slightly, one hand pressed to her throat as though she could not quite breathe.

“You... what?”

“I forgive you,” Joan repeated, rising from her seat despite Graham's obvious disapproval. “What your father did was not your fault. You were as much his victim as Sophia and I were,in your own way. And while your treatment of me was hurtful, I understand now that it came from pain rather than true malice.”

Joan moved closer to the younger woman, ignoring the tension radiating from her husband and his family. “We all make mistakes when we are hurt and frightened, Georgina. The measure of our character lies not in our failures, but in our willingness to acknowledge them and make amends.”

Georgina's composure finally cracked completely at Joan's words. She buried her face in her hands and wept openly, her shoulders shaking with the force of emotions too long suppressed. Joan felt her own heart break a little at the sight of such raw anguish.

“Thank you,” Georgina managed through her tears. “You are far more gracious than I deserve. Far kinder than I ever was to you. I... I do not know how to repay such mercy.”

“You need not repay it,” Joan said firmly. “Simply live well, Georgina. Find a way to build a better life for yourself, one founded on kindness rather than bitterness. That will be repayment enough.”

Georgina nodded, wiping at her eyes with hands that trembled slightly. “I shall try. Thank you, cousin.”

She turned and walked away across the grass, her spine straight despite the obvious toll of the encounter. Joan watched her go, feeling oddly lighter, as though she had set down a burden she had not realized she was carrying.

“That was well done,” Graham said quietly, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder despite his obvious reservations about the encounter. “Though I confess I would have preferred to see her suffer rather more for the pain she caused you.”

Joan leaned back against his strength, drawing comfort from his solid presence. “She is suffering, Graham. Probably more than we can imagine. And harboring anger toward her would only poison my own happiness.”

“You are a better person than I am,” Graham murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “It is one of the many reasons I love you so desperately.”

Joan looked up at him, her heartbeat echoing in her ears as she felt love and adoration fill her veins.

“I love you too,” she told him, reassured once more, of what lay ahead of them.

A life filled with endless possibilities she could not wait to explore.

The End?