Page 18 of Denying a Rakish Duke
“This is the sort of evening that would be much better spent indoors …” Joseph lamented, just loud enough for his grandmother to hear it, “perhaps trapped beneath the warm, soft body of a beautiful woman. That would be ideal … or even perhaps out of doors, nude in the gardens. Those are two options that would be much preferable to spending the evening inside making nice.”
“You have not and never will manage to fool a single soul into thinking that you are nice, my boy,” the Duchess said plainly to her grandson, not even bothering to turn and acknowledge his words with a glower. Joseph sighed, and one of the servants behind them quickly repressed a laugh at the Duke’s expense.
“I disagree; a great many women have said that I am most kind, and they even go as far as to say that I am generous,” Joseph replied with a grin. Then he quickly dodged the Dowager’s cane so that she could not knock him in the shins for being too cheeky.
“You must understand that Lady Amanda is not going to be so simple to win over as the other women that you have known. Your good looks will only get you so far. In order to get her to marry you or even consent to formally consider you, you will have to develop a pleasant personality and quickly. No matter how sweet the girl seems, she will grow bored of your antics unless you can also be charming. You have high competition, title or no title.” The Dowager shook her head. “You will have to actually put in some effort.”
“Unlikely, her mother is half in love with me already. Besides, everybody knows that their uncle, the Earl, will throwhimselfat me if there is money involved. As it is unlikely that Lady Vanessa will take a husband, they will be begging me to marry Lady Amanda to give them the best marriage track record in theton.”
The Dowager glanced sideways at her grandson.
“What?” Joseph asked.
“That is the seventh time that you have brought up Lady Vanessa to me today.”
Joseph paused, wanting to deny that but unsure whether or not it was true. “I have not.”
“You have. Is there a particular reason that you continue to bring her up, Boy?”
Joseph shook his head. “I have never seen a family so obnoxiously close as that one.”
“Not all families grew up as you did. I did not raise your father to be the way that he was to you. Despite how it seems now and my bubbly countenance, your father was raised with love and affection.”
Joseph disagreed. “Ah, so then perhaps it was just me that he did not care for.”
The Dowager sighed. “I cannot pretend to know just where it was that my son went wrong; I do not know what exact moment it was that shifted his personality— whether it was between wives one and two, or two and three. I wish that I could pinpoint the precise moment in his life when he went from being my son, the man that I loved and raised … to being the distant Duke of Willow that you knew. Not all men are strong enough to carry the burden of extra responsibility, I suppose.”
“Mother always said it was his obsession with an heir,” Joseph continued casually as if the subject matter were unimportant to him. “She said that he was like a dog chasing its own tail. Around and around he would go, chasing after his tail as if it were the only goal in the world that mattered, but once he had the thing clamped between his teeth— he no longer knew what to do with it.”
The Dowager’s lip tilted upward. “Perhaps that is true.”
“I suppose that will be one positive thing to come out of this terrible arrangement that you have forced me into,” Joseph mused.
“What is that?” the Dowager inquired.
“At the very least, once Lady Amanda has consented to marry me, we can start having children right away. Fill the Estate with their tiny feet and little voices laughing so that perhaps I can help to correct the stain of misery that my father has placed on this family.”
They stepped out into the cool evening air. Joseph could picture an Estate full of children; he just had never taken the time to actually cause his dream to become a reality. His father had injured him so many times over the years until his death, and no matter what Joseph had ever done to try to impress the man, it had never worked. Good or bad, chaste or rakish, Joseph had been a disappointment to his father until the day his father died. Joseph had come to the conclusion a very long time ago that nothing would have ever appeased the man, and he had wasted far too many years of his life attempting an impossible goal.
Most of the time, Joseph attempted to pretend that he never had parents. The Dowager was the closest thing to an affectionate mother figure that he had ever had. Whenever they spoke at length about his parents or the miserable experience that he had with them during his formative years, the Dowager would tend to get a very specific look in her eye. Joseph was fairly certain it was guilt.
“I must confess something to you,” the Dowager started, her cane placed directly in front of her as she watched the carriage be prepared for their evening.
“I presume that even if I were to protest you sharing your information with me, you shall desire to tell me nonetheless,” Joseph said with an affectionate smile.
The Dowager gave her grandson a sideways look that silenced him effectively before she continued speaking. “I must confess, in light of everything else, that I am not certain this is the best idea.”
“You asked me to find a wife, and I have done that. I have selected the most coveted lady in thetonfor myself, and I know for a fact that her mother supports this union. She is beautiful, of good breeding, and has perfect manners; what else could you possibly want for me?” Joseph adjusted the fit of his cuff and the sleeves of his shirt while they waited.
“Tell me again how all of this came about? I want to be prepared for whatever you are forcing me to walk into. I understand the transgression, but I do not understand their need to havemeinvited to the dinner.”
“I could not understand it either; you are so unpleasant to be around,” Joseph teased with a grin before continuing. “I told you, they are half in love with me already, and I am certain that they wish to make sure that the obvious upcoming union is suitable to all parties. Besides, I thought that you said you were fond of Lady Farbridge?”
“Being fond of the mother does not guarantee that I shall be fond of her brood, my boy, so I should like to know what they have done, and exactly what this apology is for. Just because I have not previously mentioned it to you, do not think that I have not read in great detail about your eventful little ride in every gossip paper this morning! Care to enlighten me as to what that might have been all about?”
Joseph chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment and shook his head. “No, it is none of your business,” the Dowager harrumphed, the silence growing between them until Joseph could take it no more.
“Fine, cease with your antics. The elder sister, Vanessa, finds me to be unsuitable.”
