Page 46 of Claiming His Lost Duchess (The Dukes of Sin #8)
“Love has a way of bringing out the best in people,” Mary observed sagely. “Though I suspect you always possessed the qualities Graham recognized and fell in love with. He simply helped you see them in yourself.”
Before Joan could respond to this astute observation, they were interrupted by excited shouts from the children's direction.
Looking over, Joan saw that a rather elaborate disagreement had broken out regarding the rules of their current game, with voices rising in the particular indignant tones that children employed when they felt justice had been denied.
“I suppose we should intervene before someone ends up in tears,” Joan said with a sigh, beginning to rise from her comfortable position.
“Allow me,” Graham said, already moving toward the fracas with the confident authority of a man accustomed to resolving disputes. “Children, what seems to be the difficulty here?”
Joan watched with admiration as her husband calmly mediated between the various factions, listening to each child's complaint with the same serious attention he might give to a tenant dispute or parliamentary matter.
Within minutes, he had negotiated a solution that left everyone satisfied and the game resuming with renewed enthusiasm.
“He really is an excellent father. I believe he would do even better if you chose to have more children,” Margaret said quietly, appearing beside Joan with her own cup of tea and an expression of deep satisfaction.
Joan had to agree, seeing as they had already discussed the matter and had already begun trying for another child. Joan knew her days were about to be consumed by even more days like these and she was eager for it all, ready to embrace whatever came next.
“We plan on having several more,” she told Margaret in a secretive whisper.
Margaret studied her for a moment and smiled a little, the corners laced with mystery. “They might already be on their way.”
It was nearly an hour later when the gentlemen rejoined them, having concluded their own conversations about politics and business matters. Graham immediately sought Joan's gaze, making his way over to stand by her side as though he couldn’t fathom being apart from her for another moment.
His face lit up with delight as he settled beside his wife, his hand moving possessively to her waist.
“I swear you look more in love each time I see you both.” Lysander mock complained, before turning to Joan to say, “If he ever misbehaves, feel free to file a complaint with me. I will straighten him out.”
Joan laughed, patting Graham’s chest fondly.
“Do not worry,” she assured. “I am sure he will be on his best behavior, henceforth.”
The afternoon progressed with more games and spirited conversations, only to come to a head with the arrival of an unexpected guest.
Joan looked up from her conversation with Catherine who was advising her to begin nursery arrangements to see a young woman approaching hesitantly across the grass.
The figure was familiar, though it took Joan a moment to place her — and when recognition dawned, she felt her breath catch in her throat.
Georgina walked toward them with obvious reluctance, her head held high despite the nervous tension visible in every line of her body. She looked pale and drawn, her clothing fine but not quite fashionable, as though she had fallen upon difficult times since her father's arrest and trial.
Graham was on his feet immediately, his entire demeanor shifting from relaxed to alert protector in the space of a heartbeat. His expression had gone hard, and Joan could practically feel the waves of hostility radiating from him as he positioned himself slightly in front of her chair.
“Miss Brooks,” he said, his voice carrying the kind of cold authority that had probably sent lesser men fleeing for their lives. “What brings you to disturb our family gathering?”
“Your Grace,” Georgina replied, offering a curtsy that was perfect despite her obvious trembling.
Her gaze flickered briefly to Joan before returning to Graham's forbidding countenance.
“I... I have come to speak with your wife, if she will permit it. I know I have no right to request such a thing, given my past behavior, but I hoped... I prayed that she might grant me just a few moments of her time.”
Joan felt every member of Graham's family tense around her. They had not forgotten how she had behaved during their last meeting and as such, the young woman standing before them had every reason to expect a cold reception at best.
Yet something in Georgina's bearing — a quality of desperate sincerity mixed with genuine remorse — gave Joan pause.
This was not the haughty, contemptuous creature who insulted her new family months ago.
This was a broken young woman who looked as though she had been through her own particular form of hell.
“What do you wish to say to me?” Joan asked quietly, ignoring Graham's sharp look of disapproval.
Georgina's composure wavered visibly at the gentle tone of Joan's voice, as though she had expected hostility and been undone by kindness instead.
“I wish to apologize,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “To beg your forgiveness for my unconscionable behavior, though I know I have no right to expect such mercy from you.”
The words hung in the air between them, and Joan felt Graham's tension like a physical force beside her.
She could refuse this olive branch — could turn away and leave Georgina to face the consequences of her actions alone.
Many would say such treatment was exactly what the young woman deserved after the pain she had caused.
But Joan found herself remembering her own desperate need for forgiveness, her own gratitude when Graham had chosen understanding over condemnation. Perhaps mercy was a gift that grew when shared, rather than diminished.
“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 was clearly 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?