Realizing she could not get anywhere with him, she turned to her mother. “Mama, please, you must see that this is cruel and unimaginable.”
Lady Carlisle, silent until now, finally spoke. “Joanna, we are only trying to do what’s best for you and our family. The Marquess is a good man. Give him a chance.”
Disappointment inher beloved mother burst into her chest. “No!”Joanna’s voice rang with defiance. “I will not be shackled to a man out of some twisted sense of obligation. I deserve more than that, Mama. I deserve to choose my own path. And I will!”
Joanna stormed out of the study, ignoring her parents’ calls to return. With every step she took, the anger burned hotter in her chest, and the farther she got from her parents, the more she knew that she could not allow this to stand. It could not. She would not allow it.
Some way or other, she had to find a way out of this trap her father had set for her, or she would risk not only her independence but her happiness. Forever.
CHAPTER TWO
Joanna stepped out into the hall and rushed into the drawing room, the weight of her father’s decision heavy on her shoulders. It took all her strength not to burst into tears as she ran, but she did not wish to alarm the maids all around her, who would surely have discussed matters at once below stairs.
Thus, she held herself together until she made it to the drawing room, where she collapsed on the chaise. From the corner of her eye, she saw Rosy and Sally by the window, exchanging worried glances before rushing to her side.
Sally sat on her right and wrapped her arm around her. “Jo, what happened in there? We heard shouting. You look so distraught.”
Joanna’s breaths grew ragged as she attempted to calm herself.She felt Rosy’s soft, gloved hand wrapping around her own, and her nostrils filled with her sisters’ floral perfumes. The sweet scents stood in stark contrast to the bitterness of the moment.
Joanna took a deep breath and looked from one to the other. “Father has arranged for me to marry the Marquess of Worcester. A man more than twice my age, a widower with two children. Can you imagine it?”
Sally gasped, her eyes widening. “Marriage? Is that why he was here?”
“Yes! Father said that it was the Marquess’ idea, that he values my uniqueness and intellect. Balderdash!” Joanna stomped one foot on the marble floor, her lips quivering with rage.
“He cannot mean this. I can’t imagine it. Did you perhaps misunderstand?” Rosy asked, as always, believing the very best of their father.
Joanna had to remind herself that her youngest sister did not know their father’s darkest secrets the way she did. If she didn’t know everything she did, she might also have considered the possibility that she’d misunderstood her father’s words.
Of course, that was not the case. Joanna had understood very well—and yet it was beyond comprehension.
“No, I assure you that there was nothing left for interpretation,” she scoffed, disgusted by the very words. “Can you believe it? I am to marry a man who has a daughter my own age! I am to be Judith’s stepmother.” She shook her head, bitterness filling her heart.
“Joanna, this doesn’t seem fair. You should have a say in your own future,” Rosy said, her face now pale as if she too could not understand what their father had done.
Joanna nodded, fresh tears welling up in her eyes, though this time, they were tears of rage. “I know it. I argued with Father, but he’s adamant. He says it is for our security and to ensure my future.”
“Security? But are we not one of the wealthiest families in the realm?” Sally mused.
“We are. I asked if he lost our fortune, at which he became enraged and warned me that it was not my place to question him. I am to marry, and that is that. What I want does not matter. Even Mama sided with him. It’s as if my life is no longer my own.”
Joanna saw her life slip away before her as she spoke. She saw herself at the altar with a man she did not love, trapped into a life she didn’t want. Her future, which had been open and full of promise, was now nothing but a black hole she was desperate not to fall into.
Sally placed a comforting hand on Joanna’s shoulder and said, “We won’t let this happen, Joanna. We’ll find a way to change his mind. I will talk to Father. Or maybe you can talk to the Marquess yourself? Explain? He will not want to marry a woman who does not want him.”
Joanna shook her head, the reality of the situation settling in. “It will do no good. Father is determined, and if I speak to the Marquess and I am still forced into the marriage, it will be all the more horrible, as he will know how much I despise the idea of being married to him.”
Sally shook her head and dropped her hand. “Joanna, we’ll face this together. We’re your sisters, and we won’t let you go through this alone.”
“Maybe we can reason with Father, make him see that this isn’t the right path for you,” Rosy added.
“We will wait until he is in a better mood and talk to him. I can tell him how very angry I am that, as the eldest daughter, I was passed over. It should be me who is wed first,” Sally scoffed.
Joanna knew that it was unlikely their father would change his mind, yet she appreciated their support. She managed a weaksmile. “Thank you, both of you. I simply want to make my own decisions in life—choose my own destiny. I know I cannot become the Queen of England or join the House of Lords, but at least I want to choose the man I want to marry, the life I want to live. It seems only right that I?—”
“… demand to see him at once!”
A loud voice interrupted her, and she looked back toward the door from where the sound had come.
