“Perfect!”
The Duke let out a sigh of relief as he watched her retreating figure look for his mother. He knew that it was not the most tactful thing to do, but he figured that his mother would likely understand and keep Joanna busy for the rest of the night.
Now finally having a moment to himself, the Duke realized that he could do well with a drink. He grabbed a glass of champagne from one of the trays the waiters were carrying and made his way to a quiet corner of the ballroom.
He had never really given much thought to courtship as a concept. He somehow believed that when the time came to marry, the right woman would just appear, and their connection would be effortless. But now that he had interacted with Joanna, he found himself questioning whether this was the right idea.
She was a stranger, and it was clear that chemistry between them felt lacking. He chalked it up to an initial nervousness and told himself that things might improve as time went by.
Taking a sip of his champagne, his gaze floated around the dance floor once again as the quartet prepared to play another song and the couples lined themselves in position. Inadvertently, his gaze fell on Deborah once again. But this time, she was being guided to the dance floor by another gentleman.
An unfamiliar emotion surged through him, and he tightened his fingers around his glass. Deborah seemed to be in high spirits, as usual, as she laughed at something the man had said to her.
The Duke’s mind was suddenly racing. He had not expected to see Deborah dance together with someone else, but more so, he had not expected to have this reaction. He looked down at his glass, surprised to see his knuckles had turned white by how tightly he was gripping the stem.
“It is none of my business who she dances with,” he muttered to himself, reminding himself that the only woman he should be focused on was Joanna.
But despite knowing better, he found himself in the clutches of a morbid curiosity, and once again looked up from his glass to observe the dancing duo.
He had no claim over Deborah, nor did he want to. After all, she was the exact opposite of the woman he desired for himself. Joanna fit the mold perfectly. She was demure, elegant, and did not cause any trouble.
It suddenly dawned on him that all those characteristics that he thought he wanted in a woman were exactly why he felt so hard to talk to Joanna. His eyes widened in horror at the realization, and he chugged the rest of his champagne down quickly.
“My dear brother.” Emma’s voice jolted him out of his thoughts. “I did not expect to find you here alone tonight.”
Her brown eyes glimmered with curiosity as she observed him closely.
“I just needed a moment to myself,” the Duke replied, feeling relieved that he had a distraction from watching Deborah dance with another man, a sight that was truly torturous to witness.
It ignited a feeling that he had scarcely ever experienced before. But it reminded him of what it felt like when someone else won a prize in a competition that he felt he deserved.
It was more than just annoyance, and he realized, much to his dismay, that the feeling had a name. It was jealousy.
“How are things progressing with Lady Joanna?” Emma asked. “She is absolutely breathtaking.”
“It is moving slowly.” The Duke frowned. “We danced together tonight.”
“Yes, I saw,” Emma replied. “Which is why I was confused to see you here on your own.”
The Duke felt himself at a crossroads. He didn’t think he would ever find himself seeking advice from his younger sister, but he couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Admittedly, this is all very new to me,” he said earnestly. “I suppose it would be good if I were to gain the perspective of a woman on how it feels to be courted.”
“Courtship is like a journey of discovery,” Emma explained, “you cannot control it so strictly, and you have to let your heart follow its own path. With the right person, it comes to you naturally, and there is no instruction manual that you need to follow.”
The Duke listened intently. “Was that how things were with you and Peter when you first got acquainted with one another?”
“When I first met Peter, it felt like a gentle breeze had stirred my soul. In our very first interaction, I was captivated by his genuine nature.”
The Duke had a moment of realization. Perhaps that was the issue. Joanna appeared to him as a stranger, and he did not know enough about her to ignite any feelings of passion within him.
“Do you feel that way with Lady Joanna?” Emma asked.
“I am still trying to figure that out.” He frowned.
“Oh, you do not have to try so hard. Let it come to you naturally,” Emma advised. “Love has a way of making itself known, my dear brother. You will know when it happens.”
Deborah’s face flashed in front of his eyes as he listened to his sister speak. But before he could analyze what that meant, they were interrupted by their mother, who suddenly appeared behind them with her arms crossed out in front of her and a reproachful expression on her face.
