Page 7 of Claiming His Lost Duchess (The Dukes of Sin #8)

CHAPTER SIX

J oan adjusted the sleeves of her dress again as she stared at her reflection.

Despite the event being a simple meal, she knew it was going to be a long evening somehow. No matter how much she tried to see her cousin's intentions as well-meaning, there was a wave of irritation that was curling beneath her skin.

She did not want to do this — appeal to a man desperately, to be granted the great honor of being tied to him forever. Joan had never imagined that she would want to get married, and even though the plot had been conjured for the sake of her daughter, she could only bend her will so far.

There was a knock at the door, and when Joan went to open it, she found a maid toying with her apron nervously.

“Miss Georgina requested that you join her in the dining hall. The guest is to arrive any moment,” she said, lowering her gaze.

“All right, thank you. I’ll be there in a moment,” Joan replied.

The words were scarcely past her lips before the maid scurried away, clearly deeming her work done. With a tired sigh, Joan gave her reflection one last glance, ignoring the dissatisfaction she felt at the sight of herself, willing strength to flow through her.

She had thought of stopping by the nursery to see how Sophia was fairing, but the child had been put down for a nap an hour ago, and Joan did not want to risk waking her. So instead, she walked to the dining room.

“Finally! I thought I would need to send another servant to retrieve you!” Georgina exclaimed, taking her by the hand and leading her back out of the dining room to the foyer.

“I-I'm sorry. I wanted to ensure that I looked acceptable enough… given the nature of this meeting,” Joan lied, knowing she had tried to stall for as long as possible, to avoid this whole fiasco completely.

“Do not worry. You look fine, and our guest isn't a man if… high tastes. You'll do well enough to attract his attention at least,” Georgina said, her face lighting up as she heard the sound of a carriage roll towards the house.

Joan felt her nerves grow and threaten to consume her as Georgina opened the door to welcome their guest, and she wondered what would be said of her if she ran away.

She did not get to consider the proper, because soon, a man was sauntering into the house. His expression was critical as he looked around the foyer, and when his gaze fell on Joan, he seemed to be appraising her.

Joan felt humiliated, as though she had been made into a spectacle like livestock in a market, and just as she had begun to wonder if, perhaps, she should feel, the man stepped forward and her cousin introduced him.

“Joan, this is Adam Caddy, Baron of Highcastle. Lord Highcastle, this is my cousin, Miss Joan Brooks.”

Joan forced herself into a curtsey as she said,

“It is a pleasure to meet you, my lord.”

The man grunted, still looking at Joan as though he had not yet settled on an estimation of her worth.

“Of course. I should certainly hope so, Miss Brooks, with how highly your cousin has spoken of you,” Lord Highcastle replied, glancing at Georgina.

“Right this way, Lord Highcastle. Our cook had prepared the finest meals his skills would allow, and I hope you enjoy them,” Georgina spoke as she led him to the dining hall.

Joan learned rather quickly that Lord Highcastle was the sort of man who boasted about his many friends, but in reality, he was likely an isolated embarrassment.

That much was clear by the way he spoke, his tone condescending and filled with disdain, as though he were the King himself. Joan had tried her best to focus on her meal, but the man was rather intent on knowing more about her. At least for the sake of judging her unworthy of him.

“Your cousin tells me you work as a tutor.”

Joan tightened her grip on her utensils as she wondered exactly what her cousin had been feeding this man. He regarded her as though he had received a glowing recommendation about her, only to arrive and meet a disappointing view.

“That is correct, my lord. I have always valued propriety, and so I felt greatly inspired to instill such a virtue in other young ladies. It isn’t in any case a spectacular job, but I enjoy it,” she told him with a little smile.

Highcastle shook his head in disapproval.

“You sound so proud of yourself for having the independence you do. That is quite unattractive, Miss Brooks. Well-bred ladies are to be the very picture of grace and etiquette, not daydreamers who fantasize of a life filled with work and strife. You are the sort that a husband cannot trust to remain in the home to manage the household. The very sort who whine about the prevalence of injustice in marriages, when the woman’s job is to submit to her husband at all costs,” he responded, downing his glass of wine and beckoning the servant to pour another.

Georgina nodded, “That is true, my lord. But Joan doesn’t plan to continue working after marriage. Right, Cousin?”

“Certainly not! What sort of wife tends to other affairs outside the home she has? How is the household expected to run without her supervision? Good help is so hard to find these days, so does she mean to leave it up to the servants entirely? What about his care and well-being?” the Baron cut in without giving Joan a chance to speak.

She could only stare at them, wondering if Georgina could hear the same things she did. But when her cousin turned to her and stated,

“You must leave your work behind once your wedding starts to approach. You must prove that you can be a reliable wife who will place her husband above all else. No man would want a wife who has other businesses outside their home.”

It was easier to let them reach whatever conclusion they desired, Joan realized. Because with the way things were progressing, she was growing livid and might say something she would regret.

She had hoped that her work would be the worst of it, but it seemed Lord Highcastle was intent on critiquing every aspect of her life.

“You have not been a part of society for quite a while, Miss Joan. Where did you go?” he inquired, cutting into his stake with unnecessary pressure.

“I… my aunt — a distant relative of my mother — was ill. And since she lived alone, it was decided that I would join her for a while, during her recovery. She lived in the countryside, and that is where I have been,” Joan said carefully.

“Even so, could you not visit London often? You abandoned your cousin and uncle for years — up until his passing. This is the problem with women like you who view life as a choice and hardly ever a sacrifice,” Highcastle remarked unkindly.

Joan turned to her cousin, knowing that her eyes were wide with disbelief, but not caring anyway. However, Georgina only shrugged lightly, nodding.

“It would have been nice to see you more during that time. Father was gone most of the time, and it was only me here. We couldn't live good lives together during that time,” she said.

Joan couldn't believe what she was hearing. Georgina had never implied that she resented Joan for leaving, but the way she conceded to the opinions of this narrow-minded man made her want to scream.

“Somehow, I doubt they could have been as ‘good’ as you wish to believe,” Joan pointed out through gritted teeth.

She'd just about had enough of this ridiculous charade. She wouldn't want to marry this ridiculous excuse of a man, even if he was the very last breathing man on earth —

“I heard you are a widow. My condolences. Might I ask how your husband died? Was it from neglect, perhaps? Poison? A knife wound?”

Joan nearly spat out her wine.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I mean — the fault is likely yours for settling for someone from those parts, despite your high birth. This is why women cannot be trusted to handle their affairs. Your kind is quick to err, to ruin not just their lives but also those of their families. It would have been better if you had allowed your uncle to secure you a match or if you had stayed in London to be courted properly. Who knows if that marriage is truly blessed by the Lord?”

Joan wanted to laugh at how passionate he was about scolding her over a husband who did not exist. She had long since lost her appetite, but pushing food around her plate gave her hands something to do while the Baron went on and on.

She was glad to know that her instincts had not been wrong about this silly man and had kept her expectations low for this evening.

What had disappointed her more than anything else had been Georgina's steady agreement with the man, her eyes shining eagerly as though she patiently awaited his approval.

It did not come as a surprise that Georgina was not as alarmed as Joan was by all that she had heard, given that it seemed they were on different sides from the start.

Still, it was startling how willing her cousin was to stand by while she was made into a laughing stock by a man who Joan could bet had poor luck in finding a wife thus far.

“It doesn't matter now, Lord Highcastle. Her husband has passed, and she is ready to start a new life here, with the right man,” Georgina assured the Baron.

The balding nuisance snorted, dabbing a napkin to the corner of his lips before he spat,

“It is hardly a new life when she bears burdens from the one before. It is already a shame that she is saddled with that mistake of a child from her late husband, as she will remain a stain on whatever new path you try to make.”

Joan refused to believe she had heard that correctly. First, she looked to Georgina, and when her cousin deliberately refused to meet her eyes, she knew she had not imagined the despicable nonsense this vile man had spat.

And now, she was done tolerating him.

“How hypocritical of you, Lord Highcastle.

You seem rather pleased to note out other people's faults and flaws, yet you do not realize that you are quite poorly behaved yourself.

You grace the home of another, and all you have are complaints and cruel remarks about their relative?

And you believe that what — your title gives you the right to act so rudely?

I am quite disappointed. Even my daughter, as young as she is, knows better than to be a nuisance in someone else's home,” Joan snapped, rising to her feet.

Highcastle sputtered angrily, clearly shocked and appalled that someone would have the gall to speak to him that way.

“How dare you raise your voice at me? I did not permit you to speak — much less in such a disgraceful manner! No wonder you are struggling to find a husband. Any man with half a brain would know better than to even so much as be betrothed to you,” he shouted, wagging a finger at her.

Georgina tried to apologize, but once the Baron had said his piece, he turned around and left the dining hall. Joan watched her cousin scurry after him, exhaling deeply once she was left alone with her thoughts.

Men had always been difficult creatures to relate to for her. And it seemed that things still hadn’t changed on that front.

Suddenly, she recalled the man with auburn hair who made her laugh, who treated her as though she were a porcelain doll, whose touch burned and comforted her at once.

She had tried to forget him, tried not to think about him, especially now that he was so close and could take away the only person Joan lived for, but she couldn't help but… miss him.

A silly emotion that wasn’t meant to be given to someone she did not know.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Georgina asked in outrage as she returned to the room.

“I assume you’ll tell me,” Joan grumbled tiredly. “Just as you joined him to tell me how I should have lived my life all evening.”

“That was only some friendly advice! And he did have a good point.

If you hadn't been so… careless, you wouldn't have gone ahead to be saddled with something as important as a child. You have done your best caring for her until now, but you can only do so much by yourself, the older she gets. You need help, and you have insulted the one person who was interested in offering his assistance without looking too closely at your past.” Georgina said with an exasperated sigh.

“He was practically interrogating me during our meal! And you think he wasn’t trying to pry? I do not like him. Such a man shouldn’t be near other people, much less other children. What sort of will I be setting to Sophia if I let such a man into her life?” Joan fumed, suddenly feeling even worse.

Moments later, she might've thrown her half-full glass of wine in that man's face.

“You are worrying too much, and about the wrong things.

I do not know why you are so against getting married, but you do not have a lot of time.

In the eyes of the ton , you are a widow with a child.

Any man who might want your hand in marriage would have to consider whether or not they wouldn't mind your daughter accompanying you into the marriage. If you want to stay together, then you need a man who will be merciful enough to let that happen. You cannot afford to be picky, Joan. You cannot afford much, really. So think long and hard about what your priorities are and make up your mind to do the right thing for your daughter and yourself.”

Joan tried to protest, but Georgina shook her head quickly.

“What happened tonight cannot repeat itself.

Lord Highcastle is an important member of the ton, and we need to be in his good graces, no matter what.

If you had your emotions under control, you wouldn't have reacted so strongly to his remarks. And you must make it up to him. He will be present at a ball we are to attend in a few days, and you will apologize to him then. Do you understand?”

Joan did not want to. Apologizing meant letting him believe he was right, and she abhorred such an idea with everything in her.

But Georgina was leaving no room for negotiation or complaints. With how much her cousin was doing to support her, Joan did not want to cross her or seem ungrateful.

And so, against her better judgment, she nodded slowly.

“Fine. I will do as you asked.”