Joanna nodded in agreement. “A classic choice. Mine isThe Castle of Wolfenbachby Eliza Parsons.”
She waited for him tocomment onher unusual choice,and to her surprise, he let out a whistle.“A dark and daring choice. Does your father approve of you reading such fare?”
“My father does not approve of much of what I do, say, or think. But he would not like it if he knew that I read the novel three times, deeming it improper for a lady—not as improper as my second favorite.”
Kenneth sucked in air through his nose and paused. “Shall I brace myself?”
“You might wish to. It isClermontby Regina Maria Roche.”
At this, he frowned. “I am not familiar with the story.”
“It’s the story of a young woman who lives in seclusion with her father, whose past is shrouded in mystery. One night, a stranger appears, and she takes Madeline—that’s the heroine’s name—away with her to receive an education, but they are soon attacked, and another stranger demands to marry Madeline, orhe will reveal her father’s dark past to the world. Of course, there is romance in it as well.”
“Of course,” Kenneth said, though not without sarcasm. “You have a rather unique taste in books, Joanna. I am impressed.”
As the conversation flowed, they delved further into their preferences, exchanging stories, and the more they spoke, the better Joanna felt about their arrangement.
Yes, she could manage a fake courtship with this man. It wasn’t that she liked him or even wanted to be near him, but he was pleasant. More pleasant than she’d imagined. Then, there was the fact that he was very handsome. And the whole affair saved her from having to marry a man she didn’t want…
When they’d toured the garden twice, Kenneth stopped. “Joanna, I think we are doing the right thing, exchanging tales, but we must set other rules to our arrangement.”
Joanna, curious, leaned in. “Rules? What do you have in mind?”
Kenneth began listing the rules, a wry smile on his lips. “Firstly, we must have a story that cannot be questioned. We must tell the same story wherever we are asked how we met.”
Joanna nodded in agreement. “We will say what we said at dinner. You arrived here, we did not like one another, but upon meeting a second time, that all changed, and we saw something in one another.”
As she spoke, she realized this wasn’t entirely a lie. There was more to Kenneth than she’d initially thought. At dinner, she’d noticed a depth to him, especially when his brother was mentioned. Still, this wasn’t the time to discuss this matter.
Then, a thought came to her. “We also need to plan this out better. We need to choose places where we can be seen together—perhaps go to the Royal Menagerie or the theater. We cannot just tell people we are courting, they must see it.”
“Of course, we must. I say we meet at least twice per week. In fact, I am supposed to go to the opera in two days. Would you care to accompany me?”
Joanna tilted her head to the side. She did not care for the opera at all, but she knew that they had to be seen together, and there were few places where the ton congregated as much as at the opera. Thus, she nodded.
“I will arrange for a chaperone, to make everything look more credible. Then, perhaps we could attend a ball? There are balls almost every day this time of year. We could even go to Almack’s. Do you have a voucher?”
Kenneth cringed but nodded. “My mother insisted, though I haven’t used it this year.”
“Good, we agree, then. Pray, are there any more rules?”
Kenneth’s gaze grew more serious as he thought about the most crucial rule. “One last rule, and it is perhaps the most important one. Neither of us should ever fall in love with the other. This is a partnership, but it cannot turn into something more.”
Joanna felt her eyes grow wide, for this was a ridiculous rule. The audacity of this man to think she might fall in love with him. Who did he think he was? Adonis or some other irresistible Greek God?
She was about to put him in his place when she realized she had to be civil toward him. This was, after all, not real. Thus, she took a breath and nodded.
“I shall do my very best to not fall for your charms, Your Grace,” she said, unable to keep a little curtness out of her voice.
Kenneth watched her, as if he wasn’t sure if he should respond to her or not. However, he simply extended his hand to her. She took it after a moment’s hesitation, but when his hands curled around hers, an odd tingle shot through her. Alarmed, she took a step back.
Why was her body reacting in such a way?
What in the world was that? Do I actually… care for him? No. I do not even like him. I must remember that. This is business, that’s all.
“Anyhow,” Kenneth continued as he shuffled his feet on the sandy path, “we ought to return to the manor. Maybe we can try to stir the conversation to things like the opera? Or the theater? Things we can agree on.”
Joanna nodded. “Let us discuss a few topics and stick to them,” she agreed.
