Page 71 of Her Mysterious Duke


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A heavy silence fell over them as Lady Carlisle absorbed the question. Joanna’s words hung in the air, bitterness tainting the atmosphere. Her mother, with a heavy heart, moved to the window, gazing out at the night sky. Her hands pressed against the windowsill, and Joanna saw her knuckles whiten with the force. She was holding on for dear life, wasn’t she?

Panic replaced Joanna’s anger, as she feared her mother had perhaps not known after all. However, her mother looked up andglanced at her. “I… I knew,” she admitted, her voice tinged with sadness.

Joanna, surprised by her mother’s confession, demanded, “You knew? How long?”

Her mother turned to face her, her shoulders slumping. “For a while now. He told me when I asked him why Miss Hastings was sent away. I had suspected it before then, of course. But what about you? I had no idea you knew. I thought I had protected you—Faith! Do Rosy and Sally know?”

Joanna shook her head. “They don’t. They think Father is the best man in all of England,” she said, her bitterness resurfacing.“As to how I knew, I saw them together—Father and Miss Hastings.”

Her mother closed her eyes and shook her head. “I see. I can only tell you that I regret you found out at all. But, my dear, I understand why your relationship with your father deteriorated.”

Emotions churned within Joanna—betrayal, anger, and a profound sense of disillusionment. Her mother had known for certain and still thought it was right to push her into marrying a man she didn’t want.

“How could you promote the idea of marriage to your daughters, knowing what your husband was like? We are all doomed, all of us women! There isn’t a man out the who won’t act like this!” Joanna snapped, her hands curled into fists.

“Do not say that, Joanna. That is not true. Not every man is the same, just as not every lady is the same. You must be able to understand that, and forgive a mistake when warranted,” her mother replied calmly.

“Don’t speak as if this is just a mistake, Mother,” Joanna retorted, her voice carrying a sharp edge. “He betrayed us. How can you forgive him so easily?”

Her mother sighed, choosing her words carefully. “Marriages are not perfect, my dear. People make mistakes, and sometimes they can find redemption. Your father has been remorseful and has changed his ways. We’ve grown closer through this struggle.”

Joanna could not believe what she was hearing. Suddenly, she doubted every decision her mother had made. If she could forgive a cheater, surely her other decisions were not sound either.

“But you allowed me to court Kenneth. Maybe I could have avoided such heartache if I had married Lord Worcester. A man like him might have been not just older, but also wiser, and perhaps more faithful.”

Her mother shook her head, exasperation spreading across her handsome features. “Not all men are unfaithful, Joanna. Your father, Lord Worcester, and the Duke… each has his own virtues and flaws. Age does not guarantee fidelity. It’s about the individual, not the years.”

Joanna shook her head, suddenly unable to think of anything else. She should never have insisted on courting Kenneth, she understood that now. And her mother should not have supported her.

“You should have insisted on Lord Worcester. Maybe then I wouldn’t have had to face the pain of seeing Kenneth with someone else.”

“Joanna, do you truly believe that, or is it the pain of witnessing Kenneth’s actions clouding your judgment?” her mother probed.

Suddenly, Joanna felt as though she were deflating, as if she were shrinking inside her dress, for her mother was, of course, right. “I don’t know, Mother. Everything feels overwhelming right now. Please, all I want is to be alone.”

Her mother, sensing her need for solitude, allowed her to retreat to her room. Disappointment and betrayal lingered in the air as Joanna grappled with her emotions, seeking solace within the confines of her chamber. Suddenly, as she closed the heavy door behind her, she understood Kenneth and his desire to hide from the world following the fire.

Yet, that realization made her more miserable than anything else, for the last thing she wanted right now was to understand Kenneth, even if it seemed to make all the sense in the world.

CHAPTER 29

Kenneth’s heart was racing as he sprinted after Joanna, desperate to catch her before she disappeared. Alas, he was too late. By the time he got to the ballroom, she’d had vanished into thin air, leaving him feeling defeated and alone.

How had this happened? How had he ended up in so compromising a situation with Judith? Had she planned it?

He turned around and walked back to where Judith was waiting for him, her eyes wide as if she, too, had been surprised by this. He felt a wave of anger wash over him. He wanted to confront her about kissing him, to demand an explanation for her actions.

Was she genuine in her confession of admiration, or had this been a ploy? And if it had been by design, what did this mean for her revelations about Lord Carlisle?

“Lady Judith! I—” He paused when he heard a door creak down the hallway. Pushing Judith aside, he craned his neck, and his nostrils flared.

Lord Carlisle.

Kenneth’s jaw clenched as he watched the Earl approach. The man hadn’t noticed him yet, and his eyes had a certain faraway look to them, as if he were lost in thought.

“Lord Carlisle,” Kenneth said, jolting the Earl out of his thoughts.

“Your Grace, goodness, I almost ran into you. I?—”