Joanna sat down on the opposite settee, while Phoebe stayed on her feet. If Daniel minded, he did not say so, his attention suddenly fixed on Joanna.
This is it.He is going to forgo the courtship and propose marriage instead. There will be a wedding, I will leave, and… that will be that.
“Miss Joanna,” Daniel began evenly. “I apologize if this comes as a surprise, for the day has already been filled with countless surprises, but it is my wish to end our courtship. I realize we never truly made our courtship official, but, nevertheless, it will not continue beyond this visit to your residence.”
Phoebe blinked, her gaze snapping toward Joanna.
What was Daniel doing? Had she really not made it clear enough that she accepted his union with her sister? Had he realized that it might truly be too cruel? She could not muster a single question, though hundreds spiraled through her mind.
All of a sudden, Joanna burst out laughing. “Oh, thank goodness for that! I thought I was going to have to be the one to end our ‘courtship.’ Truly, I am grateful you have done it for me. I was so nervous!”
“What?” Phoebe gasped.
Daniel appeared similarly confused. “You… wished to end our courtship, too?”
“I mean no offense, My Lord, but the only reason I entertained a courtship with you was…” Joanna hesitated, casting a sheepish glance at Phoebe. “… to distract my older sister. I needed her attention to be on me instead of Ellen.”
Phoebe’s heart dropped, her eyes wide with shock. “I beg your pardon?”
“To my shame,” Joanna continued quietly, “I wanted to help Ellen spend time with the Baron of Harburgh. She asked me to, in truth, though we are equally to blame. The only way to ensure that my sister was not disturbed was to… play along. Ellen and the Baron met many times because of this plan, though I dearly wish I had not caused a diversion now.”
A rush of heat coursed through Phoebe’s body as she let her sister’s words sink in. An anger only marginally less ferocious than the fury she had felt at the White Hart Inn.
“You told me Ellen did not care for him anymore, you told me that I had nothing to fear when Ellen went missing the night of the ball, you told me you were determined to learn to love Daniel and that he was a ‘nice man,’ and now you sit here and laugh as if you have performed some great feat of comedy?” Phoebe blurted out, so incensed that the anger throbbed into dizziness.
You made me tear my heart in two, made me choose to give you what you wanted instead of heeding my own wants…
Phoebe had been so worried that Joanna was going to hate her, and now that it was obvious that Joanna would not, she did not know which way to steer her emotions. They twisted violently through a carousel of anger, relief, frustration, heartache, gratitude—among a thousand others.
Joanna folded her hands into her lap, staring down at them. “I am sorry, Phoebe. I cannot be sorrier than I am right now. I am sorry for fooling you, I am sorry for lying, I am sorry that I almost ruined my sister’s life, I am sorry that… I have betrayed your trust. I do not find it amusing, I promise, but I laugh when I am nervous. You know this.”
“I cannot believe that you would do this to me!” Phoebe shouted, trembling. “I cannot believe that you—”
Joanna stood up. “I think I should leave you two alone. Indeed, I shall send myself to my chambers.” She made her way to the door, pausing to say, “I am so very sorry,” one last time before slipping out into the hallway.
“If you will excuse me,” Phoebe said, moving to pursue her.
But Daniel jumped up, blocking her path. His hands reached for hers, holding them tightly, as he said, “Do not follow her. She has said her piece, and now it is time for me to say mine.”
“I told you, there is nothing more to be said between us,” Phoebe insisted, glancing down at his hands holding hers as if they belonged to a stranger.
He took a half step closer. “Nevertheless, I will say what I must. I cannot leave until I do. I… cannot have that regret haunting me.”
“Regret?” Phoebe met his gaze, her heart lurching in her throat.
He nodded, taking a deep breath.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE
“Ihave been an arrogant fool,” Daniel admitted, his heart racing wildly. “I have been selfish, and I know that you told Olivia that you could never allow your sister to marry a man who could toy with a woman’s heart so casually. Phoebe, you do not know how those words have haunted me.”
Phoebe seemed confused, her eyes squinting at him. “What does that have to do with me?”
“I believe it was your heart that you were referring to, not Joanna’s,” he replied hesitantly, wondering for a moment if he had gotten everything catastrophically wrong. After all,shehad never made a confession—partial or otherwise—to him. This was all feeling and hope.
Phoebe scoffed, pulling her hands back. “Do not trouble yourself with the trials and tribulations ofmyheart, Daniel. You made it very clear that it was none of your concern, and though there may now be no wedding, I still intend to get as far away from you as possible. That is how I shall contend with my heart, thank you very much.”
He took hold of her hands again, his breath caught in his throat. She might not have realized it, but that sounded rather like a veiled confession to him. A flickering flame of hope that he would not allow to sputter out.
