Page 96 of The English Duke
“But he isn’t a naval officer, is he? He’s a duke. He’s my duke. Just remember it.”
“You would do anything to become a duchess, wouldn’t you?”
Josephine’s smile was unnerving, the expression of a woman much older than she was, someone skilled in manipulation and deceit.
“Yes, Martha, I would do anything. I’d be a fool not to.”
“What did you tell Gran to make her believe it was you?” A question she’d never asked of her sister but one she considered every single day.
“I just confessed to being in the duke’s bed.”
She could just imagine the scene. Josephine weeping with remorse, her grandmother aghast yet pragmatic.
“You weren’t.”
“You and I know what happened, Martha, but no one else does. You should thank me. Because of me, your reputation remains unsullied. You can go on to become a spinster and no one will know the duke took your virginity.
“Leave him alone,” Josephine continued. “I don’t even want you in the same room with him. In a matter of days I’m going to be the Duchess of Roth and you’re not going to ruin it.”
Martha stared at her sister as she left the room. She shouldn’t have kissed Jordan, but she couldn’t summon any regret. Not when it would be the last time.
Was this how it felt when your heart broke?
“No doubt Marie is finding some excuse not to attend the wedding,” Mrs. York said, frowning at the envelope before giving it to Amy to take to Josephine. “She is probably overjoyed that her daughter is marrying a duke, but envious at the same time. Marie does not handle envy well.”
Amy didn’t say anything, but then she normally remained silent. Mrs. York didn’t require agreement with her comments, only discretion. However, in this instance, she thought the older woman was right.
Marie York was not the right example for any young girl. The woman disregarded propriety, acted on impulse, and did what she wished most of the time.
Unfortunately, Josephine was taking after her mother. Look how she’d caught a duke for herself by acting in a shocking manner.
Taking the letter, she went in search of Josephine, only to see her marching back to Sedgebrook after her sister, an expression on her face that warned Amy now might not be the best time to encounter the girl. Perhaps she’d just leave the letter in Josephine’s room.
A task she had every intention of fulfilling except for the sound of raised voices coming from Martha’s room.
Amy listened, torn between her better nature decreeing such a thing was wrong and an overriding curiosity. What she heard both horrified her and explained so many things. Why Martha’s demeanor had changed since their visit at Sedgebrook. Why the girl was quiet all the time and looked to be miserable, especially when the upcoming marriage was mentioned.
Josephine loved being the center of attention, so the ceremony was always the prevailing topic of conversation.
What she didn’t understand was how the duke had been fooled.
She opened the door to Josephine’s room, dropped the letter on the bureau, and was leaving when Josephine stormed across the hall.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’ve left a letter from your mother,” Amy said, pointing to the bureau.
Josephine didn’t say a word, just slammed the door in her face.
Amy headed for the Summer Parlor and Mrs. York.
Susan York stared at her maid, words failing her.
“Tell me what you heard again,” she said, her fingers massaging her throat, the better to urge the words up from the block of ice that had become her chest.
Amy repeated everything. Nothing sounded better the second time.
“Oh dear.”
