However, it wasn’t entirely true. Not anymore. She’d begun to care for him more than she was comfortable admitting. Her thoughts wandered to him in the dark of night when she couldnot sleep. At times, she smiled to herself when thinking of him or laughed when she remembered their previous interactions.
No, she cared about him, that much was true. Was it more than that? What if they had gotten to know one another outside of their arrangement? What if she’d never witnessed his rude behavior toward Jenkins but had met him at a function?
Could she have liked him? Could he have liked her?
She shook her head, chasing away these thoughts. Besides, it was foolish to even consider these things. Even if there was more between them than just an agreement, the way he’d acted tonight was decidedly ungentlemanly.
To leave her sitting alone with his mother was unspeakably rude. To shout at his mother, in her former home, was likewise unimaginable in polite society.
And now here she was, wandering the hallways in search of him. Who had ever heard of such behavior?
Irritated, she walked down the hallways, aware of the servants silently watching her as she passed them. They had to be wondering what she was doing. Joanna considered asking them if they’d seen Kenneth but decided against it. If they hadn’t heard about the confrontation at dinner, they would soon enough. No need to add fuel to the fire of gossip that would spread through these halls soon.
She suddenly paused in front of the door to a grand music room.
Rich wood paneling and intricate tapestries adorned the walls, and the soft glow of flickering candles cast a warm ambiance. A pianoforte sat in the corner, covered with a white sheet, a silent witness to the instrument’s obvious disuse.
However, it wasn’t the pianoforte or the harp—which was also covered with a white sheet—that drew her attention. It was the large portrait above the fireplace—the place of pride in many homes.
She tilted her head to the side. The dim candles lit the space only enough to make out two boys in the portrait. She recognized one of the boys as a much younger version of Kenneth. He had the same dimple on his chin and sparkling eyes. The portrait depicted him beside another boy, much older.
Was this his brother? Or perhaps some cousin?
She pushed aside her curiosity and exited the room. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t her concern who was in this portrait, who had covered up the instruments, or anything else. What mattered was what she was going to do now—roam the halls of an unfamiliar house in hopes of finding Kenneth.
If she did, she risked running into the Dowager Duchess, and she wasn’t looking forward to another interrogation that would surely follow if the woman recovered her wits.
The Dowager Duchess seemed the sort who prodded and probed until she got the answers she sought. However, if Joanna was right, the older woman already had all the answers she needed when it came to Joanna.
The Dowager Duchess was clearly unimpressed by her lack of musical skill or her favorite pastimes. It was fortunate that their courtship was fake because if Kenneth was truly courting Joanna, his mother would have been a problem.
No, what Joanna had to do right now was go home. The evening was surely over.
She retraced her steps and located the butler.“Would you please have my carriage brought around?” she requested.
The butler nodded at once. “Of course, My Lady.”
But before he could scurry away, she raised a hand to stop him.
“And please let His Grace know that I am departing. Thank him and Her Grace for their hospitality.”
Joanna didn’t want Kenneth to be concerned. Though, would he be? He’d abandoned her, after all…
Ignoring the scrutinizing gazes of the servants, she exited the grand residence, the heavy oak door creaking shut behind her. The cool night air enveloped her as she stepped into the moonlitcourtyard. It seeped into her attire, sending a shiver down her spine as she waited for her carriage.
The difficult turn of events left her with lingering doubts, a disconcerting feeling that gnawed at the edges of her composure. Would their illusion fall apart now? After all, part of Kenneth’s reason for carrying out this ruse was to fool his mother. He’d no longer need Joanna if they had a permanent falling out.
Finally, the carriage rolled to a stop in front of the entrance, and as she went down the front steps, the weight of the evening’s events pressed down on her shoulders.
What a disaster. Was this all a mistake?
“Joanna, wait.”
The voice sounded suddenly in the darkness. She turned around just as Kenneth emerged from the garden, his countenance full of regret and embarrassment.
“Kenneth? I was looking for you. Your mother burst into tears and left me in the dining room all alone,” she said, letting her irritation show.
“I know. I’m so sorry for how the evening unfolded. I know my mother was unkind to you and judged you, and I did not make things better by voicing my grievances to her,” he admitted and pressed his lips into a thin line.