Page 25 of Claiming His Lost Duchess
The kind man assured them that Sophia had likely caught a cold from playing in the cold for too long, and then he prescribed some medicine for her.
“Keep her warm and feed her as many liquids as you can; juices and soups. The fever should break by sunrise, but if it doesn't, please summon me once again,” he told the Duke and Joan.
Joan let out a breath of relief, startled when she realized that she had been holding onto Graham’s hand the whole time. Even more surprising was the fact that he had not brushed her off or pulled her away.
It was strange how comfortable he made her feel, how easily he reassured her with just a few words, and how kind he had been since her arrival. He did not blame her for Sophia's illness or call her an unfit mother.
He had worked to remedy the situation as quickly as possible.
She did not understand why he had done so much for them, why he had been so willing to comfort her as well.
Joan was still quite wary about him, but more than that, she believed that Graham might be the safest choice for Sophia’s well-being.
“How are you feeling? I understand that this must have been quite a scare,” Graham asked once the doctor had left and Sophia had fallen asleep.
“Tired,” Joan admitted quietly. “But grateful. I do not know what I would have done if you hadn’t helped?—”
“There is never going to be an instance where I wouldn’t want to help you, Joan. Especially when our child is involved,” Graham cut her off gently.
It was strange and startling, to hear someone else refer to her daughter as theirs, not just singularly, but as part of a shared custody with her. For all of Sophia’s life, all she’d had was her mother. Joan had given her life to raise her daughter and was willing to give much more if need be.
But none of that could compare to what the duke could provide, which would grant him an upper hand. She was terrified of sharing Sophia with him, scared that he would take advantage of them. She did not want her daughter hurt and she did not want to lose her child.
Joan did not understand why he was so intent on being with her – with them – and she realized she was afraid to ask as well.
Graham reached for her, then he seemed to reconsider, and then he pointed at the door instead.
“A room was prepared for you, but I suspect you might want to stay with Sophia here instead, and that is fine. But you should get some rest soon,” he urged softly. “We'll talk some more in the morning. Good night.”
He turned around to leave, and Joan blurted out the decision she had made a few minutes ago.
“I’ll do it. I’ll marry you.”
Graham stopped in his tracks. Slowly, he turned back to her and asked,
“Are you sure? Did you really change your mind or did the situation push you into making a decision you were not ready to undertake?”
Joan nodded, nervously toying with her fingers.
“Perhaps it is both. Sophia has needs that I can't meet. I work as a tutor, but I was still unable to get her the help she needed today. If you will care for her as much as I do, then that is all I ask.”
Graham looked bewildered, and he stepped forward, holding onto her hands once he was close enough.
“I will care for you both. That is all I ask. You will not have to work anymore once we are married. I will not allow it. You and Sophia… you both will have all you need and everything you desire. I swear it.”
Joan’s worries were still present, but the warmth of his hands around her made her wish to believe that it would all be all right.
“All right. I’ll be your wife.”
CHAPTER NINE
“This is unacceptable. You must reconsider, before it’s too late.”
Joan sighed quietly, hoping that Georgina would relent soon, a little unsure if it was wise to harbor such wishes. After all, the other lady had remained steadfast in her attempts to dissuade Joan from her decision to marry the Duke of Rutledge for nearly half an hour.
There couldn’t have been a worse time and place to do this, because Joan was only moments away from getting married to said Duke.
“Joan —”
