Joanna raised a gloved hand in surrender. “Very well, I suppose I should rest my feet,” she said.
Sally leaned in. “You need to before you dance again. I’m sure His Grace will ask you to dance a few more times tonight, no? To sell the illusion?”
Joanna bit her lip and shrugged. “I think not.”
Immediately, her sister’s smile dropped, and she sat upright. “Joanna, dear, you seem a bit troubled. Is everything all right? I did not mean to upset you.”
Joanna attempted to brush off her sister’s concern, forcing a smile. “Oh, it’s nothing, Sally. Let’s not dwell on it.”
Sally, however, was not one to be easily dismissed. “Joanna, you can tell me. We’ve always shared our thoughts and feelings. What’s bothering you? Is something wrong between the two of you? You seemed eager to dance with him.”
Joanna hesitated for a moment before finally admitting, “It’s Kenneth. He was acting strangely during the dance—distant and aloof. It’s just so unlike him.”
Sally’s brows furrowed. “But, Joanna, this is all an act, isn’t it? It’s not real. Or has that changed? I did notice you appeared less sullen as of late, but I assumed it was because you no longer had to worry about having to marry the Marquess.”
Joanna sighed, her eyes betraying her feelings. “That’s just it, Sally. I thought he and I had an understanding, that we…” She paused, not wanting to tell her sister too much yet. After all, she wasn’t quite sure how she felt either. “I thought… never mind.” She dropped her shoulders, her eyes trained on the silk tablecloth as all around them, chatter and laughter filled the air. “We made a pact not to fall in love with each other, and I thought it silly because why would I? I didn’t even like him, as you pointed out. But now? Now, I do. And I foolishly implied so, only to have him reject me. It hurts, Sally.”
“Oh, Jo, this is what I was afraid of. That you’d get hurt. Matters of the heart are never simple. But you must remember that this entire courtship is a charade. Even if he rejects you, in the end, you still get what you want—your freedom. Time to decide what you truly wish to do with your life, yes? Don’t let it affect you so deeply.”
“I did not say that I am hurt. Only that I thought he and I were… I do know what this is all about, make no mistake, Sister. My freedom means everything to me. It is just that he can be vexing, that is all,” Joanna huffed.
What she really wanted to say was that it wasn’t so simple.
Wasn’t it? They’d made an agreement, and all Kenneth was doing now was sticking to it. They were pretending to be actors in a theater. He’d proposed these rules for a reason—to prevent them fromactuallycourting and, eventually, marrying one another.
Joanna realized that she had nobody to blame but herself. She had broken the rules, and now her heart was paying the price.
However, before she could put these thoughts in order, she saw Sally’s countenance change. Her eyes narrowed, and then her lips pressed together into a thin line, and then her head tilted to the side, and then her eyes grew wide.
Sally grabbed Joanna’s arm. “Perdition, Joanna,” she hissed, taking her sister by surprise, as she had never used such language. “It’s Judith! Heading right toward us.”
Joanna’s heart sank. Judith Birks. Lord Worcester’s daughter. The one who—until a few weeks ago—was meant to be Joanna’s stepdaughter. What was she doing here? Joanna hadn’t thought Judith was a regular at Almack’s—she’d never seen her here.
Her head snapped around just in time to see the young woman approaching them with a confident stride.
Judith exuded elegance and grace as she made her way to them, her Pomona green gown complementing her chestnut-colored hair and heart-shaped face. Her skin was shimmering from crushed pearl powder, a hint of lip pomade gave her lips a sheen, and charcoal had been applied to her eyes in the most fashionable of manners.
She was smiling, but was it genuine? Was she coming over to ring a fine peal over Joanna’s head for rejecting her father? Joanna had no idea what Judith even thought of the proposal. Once, long ago, they’d been friendly with one another, but they hadn’t conversed in so long that Joanna had no idea what Judith was like these days.
However, she was about to find out, for the young woman had stopped at their table.
“Lady Joanna, Lady Sally, what a delightful evening, isn’t it? And even better now that I’ve spotted the two of you,” Judith greeted in a voice that was as sweet and cheerful as a sparrow’s song.
“Indeed, it is, Lady Judith. It has been so long. I…. I am…” Joanna stammered, as she had no idea what to say.
Fortunately, Sally was quicker on her feet. “How are you, Lady Judith? Are you enjoying the ball?” she asked quickly.
Judith’s eyes gleamed as she responded, “Oh, the ball is splendid, but one cannot help but be drawn to the intriguing conversations that unfold off the dancefloor. I must say that you and the Duke of Wells have caused quite a stir, Lady Joanna.”
And there it was, the opening shot.
“I assure you that was not our intention,” Joanna said quietly, forcing herself to look the woman in the eye.
As she saw her reflection in Judith’s eyes, she wondered what the young woman saw as she looked at her. A frail bird who charmed gentlemen and then broke their hearts? A vindictive woman who looked out for her interests? Or a young woman in love with a duke and put in an impossible situation?
“You need not defend yourself. Whenever a duke courts a lady, it is always the talk of town. The ton loves nothing more than a love story involving those ranked highest in our society. Especially when there is such a scandalous story behind it all.”
“Scandalous?” Sally frowned. “I do not know what you mean.”
