Page 43 of A Duke to Undo her
Josephine had initially welcomed talk of Cassius but had not expected to be so overwhelmed. Still, the gold-and-silver hairedwoman before her remained calm and kindly in her demeanor, making no judgement of Josephine’s reaction.
“Of course, Lady Josephine. Why don’t you rest in your room until luncheon? I will speak to your sister and keep your book safe for you.”
Giving her thanks and a small curtsy, Josephine sped away.
Outside the door, she caught sight of her face in a looking glass and paused in thought. Her polite flight in the face of suddenly surging but hidden emotions mirrored that of Cassius the previous evening. Had some unexpected feeling come over him even more strongly than it had come over Josephine? If so, what?
“Riding alone, little brother? I thought you’d be riding out with Lady Josephine again.”
The Duke of Ashbourne slid down from his own gray stallion in the stable yard and handed the animal off to a groom. Benedict Emerton was just preparing to mount his own horse but paused and smiled, coming over to speak to his brother.
“Lady Josephine is somewhat indisposed today. Likely, she is genuinely unwell, unlike some people whom I suspect of being merely anti-social.”
“She is ill? What is wrong?” Cassius asked far too quickly, although Benedict seemed to sense nothing odd in his questions and shrugged without any great concern.
“She says she slept badly. Lady Elmridge suspects a head cold and mother has dosed Lady Josephine with lemon and ginger at both breakfast and luncheon. I hope a day of rest, a peaceful night’s sleep and the thought of the ball tomorrow will be enough to revive her. Life can be very dull without Lady Josephine’s company.”
The duke nodded, somewhat pained and guilty in knowing that he was likely to blame for at least part of Lady Josephine’s indisposition today. Yet, if he had not stopped himself and left her, how much worse could matters have been? He must not let himself regret it.
“I’m sorry to hear that she is unwell,” he said mildly. “You will take good care of her, won’t you?”
Benedict frowned and then laughed.
“So, you have finally fallen under Lady Josephine’s spell, have you Cassius?”
“I have no idea what you mean,” Cassius retorted stiffly.
“Oh, everyone with any sense comes to appreciate Lady Josephine in the end, Cassius. Isn’t she the most marvelous fun? I’m sure you must see it by now too. I can tell that mother does.”
The dark-haired man relaxed and made himself smile.
“Yes, Lady Josephine is a remarkable young lady and I concede that I was too judgmental in the earliest days of our acquaintance. In fact…”
Here, Cassius had to stop and fortify himself in order to continue. The words must be said, however hard he found it to speak them.
“…in fact, I wanted to speak to you about Lady Josephine, Benedict. I wanted you to know that you have my blessing to court her.”
Benedict laughed incredulously and scratched his head.
“Brother, you are entirely quixotic this week! I do not know what to expect from you from one moment to the next.”
“When you marry, you shall have the London house for your own. I will remain at Ashbourne Castle and never bother you both…”
“Cassius, stop,” Benedict now insisted, holding up a hand playfully, but with a note of seriousness in his voice. “It is far too early for these conversations. You are the only one thinking of marriage.”
The duke sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, happy enough to let the discussion end for now. Talking of Josephine was just as painful as looking at her.
“As you wish, but don’t leave matters too long, Benedict. Life is short.”
Cassius stalked away back towards the house, unfastening his already untidy stock as he went. One more dinner tonight, the ball tomorrow and then perhaps he need never see Lady Josephine again at close quarters, except at her wedding to Benedict.
Chapter Twenty
“You look ravishing, Josephine!” Lady Rose trilled as Betsy and Vera fixed the circlet of emeralds in Josephine’s artfully pinned hair of brown, red and gold.
“You do look very well,” Madeline agreed.
Rose and Madeline were both in white tonight, Rose’s gown in silk with a pink sash and embroidered flowers, and Madeline’s a fine muslin trimmed with blue, the simple lines flattering her more stately form.
