Page 23 of Desire and Discipline
Josie rolled her eyes at him, increasing his consternation. She’d never acted like that around him before. If anything, she’d always been very agreeable with him. Marrying his brother had wrought a change in her that Joseph did not like. Thank goodness Elijah had stepped in to marry her and save her reputation, so Joseph could marry Priscilla instead. He could not imagine being married to Josie if this was what she was like as a wife.
“Oh, yes, as women, we have no idea what it’s like to be judged by our gender and society’s expectations. That is certainly something we are not at all familiar with. Yet, somehow, we have not let any of that stop us.” She raised her eyebrows at him.
“Because you never cared what society thinks of you, you were content to live out in the country,” he retorted.
“And you care too much… especially when broader society would never know.” Evie’s disdain dripped from her words as she set down her teacup, her voice rising along with his.
“I could not know how Priscilla would react!”
“So, it was better to not allow her to react at all? To lie to her?”
He was opening his mouth to respond when his father’s voice cut him off.
“Joseph, I need to speak with you.”
Turning, he looked down the hall to where the Marquess of Camden, his father, Oliver Stuart, was standing, leaning slightly on his cane. He looked just like Joseph imagined Elijah eventually would, still strong and tall, with wings of grey at his temples contrasting against his black hair. Dressed for the day in a grey coat and green vest that brought out the green in his eyes, he cut a striking figure. The cane did nothing to diminish his stature. He wielded it like an accessory, not a necessity.
In truth, Joseph had long suspected that his father did not need the cane anymore, but continued to use it as an excuse to keep Diana employed as his nurse and in their household.
He glanced at Josie and Evie, who were now sipping tea as if they had not just been near shouting at him. Josie picked up a cookie.
Rather than getting their attention again, he stalked away to see what his father wanted.
Priscilla
“Mrs. Joseph Stuart to see Lady Cross,” she said, handing her card to the stern butler guarding the door. Like Joseph’s family, Lady Cross lived in the heart of Mayfair, though her house was smaller than the Marquess’.
“Lady Cross is expecting you,” the butler said, moving aside to allow her entrance.
Bracing her courage, Priscilla stepped inside. She brushed her hands over her skirts, removing imaginary dirt. Though she’d chosen her favorite day gown of blue and cream, she still felt as unsure as a green girl at her first introduction to theton.As much as she did not want it to matter what Catherine thought of her, it did.
“This way, please.” The butler led her through the hall to a sitting room at the back of the house. The home might be smaller than the Marquess’, but it was no less lavish and tastefully decorated with a true designer’s eye. She wondered if Catherine had done it all herself.
Entering the sitting room, she could not help but feel pleased when she realized she inadvertently complemented the colors within. Decorated in navy, ivory, and pale yellow, the room was warm and welcoming, and set off her lighter blue and cream dress almost as if it was designed to do so. Seated on a couch with a book in her hand, Catherine was wearing a striped grey and yellow dress that also complemented the colors in the room without matching it.
“Good morning, Priscilla. Please, come and sit down.” Catherine smiled warmly, glancing over Priscilla’s shoulder. “Laurens, bring us some tea, please.”
“Yes, my Lady.” The butler disappeared as Priscilla made her way to the chair Catherine had gestured to as the lady put her book aside.
“Good morning,” Priscilla said as she sat down, smoothing her hands across her skirts to make sure they lay perfectly. “I hope I am not calling too early.”
“No, no.” Catherine waved her hand airily. “Truthfully, I would have been disappointed had you not shown up so quickly. And now that you are here, Laurens knows I am not at-home to anyone else, so our discussion will remain private.”
“Thank you. I must admit, I have many questions, none of which feel comfortable being spoken aloud.” Priscilla started to frown before smoothing out her expression. She did not want Catherine to think she was being unfriendly, but the older woman appeared unbothered.
“As you get older, you will find that it becomes easier to speak of whatever you wish.” Catherine chuckled. “Though we must always have a care to toe the line of propriety, you will find that the line is much farther out there than you think it is, especially with a woman of your connections. Beauty, money, and power always create more tolerance. Trust me, you will grow into your confidence.”
Priscilla certainly hoped so. She could not help but regard the other woman with more than a bit of envy for her easy self-assurance.
They both fell silent as a knock at the door announced the arrival of the tea tray. It was not Laurens but a maid who brought it in, and they reverted to meaningless social chatter as she laid out the tray for them, waiting until she was gone to speak of anything indiscreet.
Priscilla was relieved to see that Catherine was circumspect in front of her maids. Even before she’d married the son of the Crown’s spymaster, she’d noticed how many of her set spoke in front of their servants as if they were not people and did not have ears. The gossip below stairs was often ahead of and more complete than that above.
Something that became even more starkly clear after marrying Joseph and seeing his family gather information.
While Joseph was not particularly interested in being a spy, he did still help, especially as his father worked on passing the reins to Evie and her husband, Anthony. Priscilla had become one of Evie’s informants as well, as she overheard a good deal of gossip while making the social rounds. So far, there had been no nefarious plots uncovered, but Priscilla did enjoy feeling useful.
Once the maid was gone and the tea poured, Catherine smiled at Priscilla.
