Page 11 of The Duke’s Goddess (Duke Dare #2)

“Bravery without forethought, causes a man to fight blindly and desperately like a mad bull. Such an opponent, must not be encountered with brute force, but may be lured into an ambush and slain.”

—Sun Tzu

THE EVENING COULDN’T COME fast enough, but before evening could come, afternoon tea had to take place. Joan almost skipped it, heading straight to her room, but she didn’t want to appear an ungrateful guest. So she reminded herself that all she had to do was make polite conversation for a short while, and then she could go rest. Rest held a flexible definition for her, seeing how eager she was for this evening. She was bubbling with anticipation to trigger her and James's plan into action. It took everything in her to sit still and drink tea. But if anything could calm her nerves, tea should do the trick. And what was an hour or two of polite conversation? Nothing she couldn’t do in her sleep. She was trained to be a lady.

Despite her invigorating pep talk, she was still feeling a bit anxious as she sipped at her tea while Countess Linsgate chatted with her.

At first the conversation touched only on safe topics. Weather. Current needlepoint projects. Favorite tea. Nothing to bat an eye at. All conversations she had actually had in her sleep. Though maybe more accurate to say, all conversations that could put her to sleep.

But then the countess asked coyly, “How was it out on the pond this afternoon?”

Joan wasn’t sure which rumors had already been disseminated, and she certainly didn’t want to add to them. Best to keep the events close to her chest. “It was a lovely afternoon. Though I do wonder what the weather is like in Copenhagen at this time of the year.”

Countess Linsgate looked suitably stunned. “Copenhagen? I’m sure I don’t know what it’s like there right now.”

The statement had meant to ruffle her feathers enough to distract her, but more importantly, the code word Copenhagen had been used as a signal to her sisters.

“Have you been? To erm—Copenhagen?” the countess asked as if she were grasping at a question in the air around her.

“Copenhagen?” Joan repeated loudly, looking around trying to catch her sisters’ eyes. “I’ve never been to Copenhagen .” Emphasizing the word again finally caught Nobi’s attention. Joan watched as Nobi eyed Mimi and mouthed Copenhagen to her. Then she sat back and waited for a moment.

Nobi approached with a smile—fake, but only Joan could tell that. Using the most mellifluous tones, her elder sister asked, “I beg your pardon, Countess, but may we borrow Joan? We need her to settle a dispute for us?”

“Of course,” the countess nodded her head. Likely only too grateful to not have to continue the discourse on Copenhagen.

Mimi took Joan’s hand and the sisters sat at the perimeter of the group, not easily overheard by others.

“Copenhagen?” Mimi asked with a lifted brow and a slight smile playing on her face. “We haven’t had to use that code word in a while.”

Joan exhaled in relief. She could always count on her sisters. “I thought I could manage the small talk, but I needed a break.”

“Happens to the best of us,” Mimi said. “A woman can only endure so many conversations about fashion and food.”

Nobi chuckled. “I happen to like those discussions.”

“Do you? Or do you just play along to get along?” Mimi challenged lightly.

“It’s a moot point. Joan needs us. What’s going on?” Nobi turned to Joan, laying a hand on her forearm. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Now that she had her sisters’ attention, she wasn’t sure how much she wanted to disclose.

“Well, you must be feeling good about yourself?” Mimi asked Joan after taking a sip of tea.

“Why do you say that?”

Mimi tilted her head at Sally who was staring off at a wall with a family portrait, the dreamy eyes clearly not intaking the familial features of their host.

“She looks like she's in love,” Nobi said quietly.

And if anyone would know, it was Nobi. She had been pining after Chris since forever. But Joan asked anyway, “Do you really think so?”

Nobi nodded. “She has definitely changed since the ball when all the talk started.”

Joan was feeling giddy at the success of her recent efforts. “She just needs one more small nudge.”

“I don’t think so. She looks like she’s fallen—oomph.” Nobi rubbed her upper arm and glared at Mimi. “What—”

“Yes,” Mimi interrupted her sister. “What makes you think she needs another push?”

“James and I agreed that with one more little nudge, the fate of those two will be sealed.”

Nobi opened her mouth but no words came out. Instead, words from Mimi filled the silence. “We couldn’t agree more, could we Nobi?”

Nobi massaged her upper arm again. “Right,” she murmured. “I just hope you two know what you’re doing,” she added as she reached for a tea biscuit.

“Of course we do. We have a plan.”

“Ooooh,” Mimi sing-songed. “What’s the plan?”

Joan paused. She didn’t really want to tell her sisters about the tryst they had planned for Jacob and Sally. It felt like a breach of trust to share the secret plan with her sisters. Then again, her sisters were her closest allies. She should trust them above anyone else. So…why didn’t she want to in this instance?

“Come on, Joan. Tell us,” Nobi pried.

Joan inched forward on her seat. Leaning forward, she poured herself another cup of tea while the ladies of the house party chatted around them, oblivious to the benevolent plans being shared in their midst.

“Well,” she hesitated, and her sisters inched closer. “I’ll tell you this.” Her eyes darted back and forth between her sisters. “We have plans for them to seal their courtship with a kiss out in the gardens tonight.”

Joan watched as Mimi’s eyes widened in delight in direct correlation to the narrowing of Nobi’s eyes.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Nobi asked cautiously.

“It’s a marvelous idea,” Mimi spoke over her sister in glee. “How can we help?”

“Now that you mention it, we don’t want them to be caught. We just want them to have a moment alone together.”

“We?”

“James and I,” Joan gave Mimi a curious look. It should have been obvious who she was referring to. She had just told her sisters that James and her were planning it.

“We?” Mimi mimicked in subdued tones to Nobi.

Nobi ignored her. “Do you think it’s wise?”

“It’s the perfect plan. James will get Jacob to the garden, and I’ll direct Sally to the garden. Then the two of them can share a kiss.”

“Or more.” Mimi smiled.

“Mimi!”

“No need to scold me, Nobi.”

“Someone has to if Boudicca is away.” Nobi looked flushed, and a bit frumpled. But whether that was at the comment about more than kissing or having to chastise Mimi, Joan wasn’t certain.

“They won’t do more than kiss,” Joan reassured them both. “Sally is too shy for that. Far too conservative to do more than a little kiss.”

“Love makes people do crazy things,” Nobi sighed.

“Not in this case,” Joan said.

“How can you be sure?” Nobi asked.

“I know Sally.”

“Would you have ever predicted that she would be so forward with James?”

“Well…” Joan would have never predicted that Sally would have acted that way. “But that was different.”

Mimi only raised her eyebrows in question.

“That was not scandalous. At least, not so scandalous. This is different. She won’t do anything more than kiss. Even a kiss might be a long shot.”

Mimi and Nobi both offered a noncommittal, “Hmm…” in reply.

And really, that should have been a warning flag to Joan. But it wasn’t.

***

HOURS LATER, THAT EVENING, Joan stood in the garden waiting for Sally to show up. She was hiding, backed up close to the roses where she could smell their delicate fragrance. The plan had been to tell Sally to meet Joan there, while James told Jacob to meet him there. In reality, neither Joan nor James would show their faces. The two starry eyed lovers would meet and share a kiss, sealing their fate.

James would arrive any second so that they could be sure Jacob and Sally met up as planned. Joan’s heart was racing. Her palms were clammy, and she could feel a bead of sweat dripping down the small of her back. In a few minutes, she and James would witness the final results of all of their efforts, and she felt as though she were floating on air. Bouncing from cloud to cloud, able to reach out and touch the stars.

From her side, a rustle sounded and then a voice whispered, “Are they here yet?” The gentle puff from his lips was close to her ear, and tickled her skin. A shiver danced down her spine like a ballerina.

She couldn’t turn to look at him. “Not yet. They should arrive any minute now. What took you so long?”

“I couldn’t get away. Were you waiting long?” It was a simple, innocent question, yet it sounded teasing.

“Not too long,” she whispered. But another chill caused her body to tremble.

“Here, take my coat. You’re cold.” His large, warm hands ran up and down her upper arms before he slid out of his coat and wrapped it around her again. Did the man only wear a coat to offer it to others? It smelled divine, his heavy cologne enveloping her. At one time she had thought the cologne too strong, now it was heady. Protective.

He stood beside her. “Won’t they be able to see us from here?”

“Won’t the shadows hide us?”

“I don’t think so. Let’s not take that chance. We don’t want them too angry with us. Come on.” He entwined his fingers with hers and tugged her behind the roses. There was just enough space for two bodies to hide between the roses and the wall behind them. James leaned against the wall and pulled Joan’s back to his chest.

“Shhh…” he hissed, latching his arm around her waist. Even though she hadn’t been speaking, Joan clamped her mouth shut. They could hear footsteps.

But then she couldn’t help herself, she turned her head back slightly and whispered, “I’m quite excited.” And she was. Her heart was almost hammering outside of her chest. She wanted all the happiness, security, and good reputation for her friend as possible. This was the moment that could seal everything.

“As am I,” came an altogether too close whisper. “But we must be quiet now.” One of James's hands ribboned up her front and then his index finger touched her lips.

And that’s when the red flag waved. It waved blindingly right in front of her face. The largest flag she had ever borne witness to.

Her body stiffened.

She was alone with a man—a rake. She was pressed against his body—in the dark. In a garden. Alone. His finger had just brushed her lips. And her lips burned from his soft touch. What the deuce was she doing here? This was a terrible idea. She could have sent Sally out to the garden and left it at that. Why did she need to be there to witness it? If Sally was going to kiss Jacob, why did she need to witness that?

God, why had none of these questions surfaced earlier? How had her sisters let her go through with this asinine plan?

Before Joan could even begin to defend herself to logic, the voices started. And her plans went from terrible to mortifying.

Joan couldn’t make out everything that Jacob and Sally were saying, thankfully they were speaking in hushed tones and they were just far enough away from them. But—

Oh God, what was that sound? A moan.

Followed by a groan.

A mewl.

And then an, “Oh God, Jacob.”

Oh God, Joan! Joan. The Cautious one. The one with a level head. The one who made calculated decisions based on reason and common sense. And don’t forget etiquette. What the deuce had happened? She had met a rake and let him influence her. That’s what had happened. And now she stood here, eyes squeezed shut, wishing there was a way to squeeze her ears shut as well.

And how could she turn off her nipples? They were hard as pebbles. And tensing. And that spot between her legs. How could she turn down the throbbing there?

She felt James's body harden behind her.

She squeaked, and a large, warm hand flew to her mouth.

“Shhh…” James hissed. And she could hear the tension in his voice.

And all Joan could think was, what does James think about all of this right now? He can’t surely be as calm as he feels.