Page 46 of A Maid's Fateful Courtship
Ethan did not like the direction this skirmish was going in. For a moment he played with the idea of telling his father the truth about why had asked to meet with him. His brush with Lady Matilda had ruined everything and mentioning Josephine now would only make matters worse.
“I can confirm that you have my blessing, son," Lord Marcus announced. "But do put things right with your brother-in-law to be. Oh, and congratulations my boy, your aunt will be thrilled to hear the good news.”
With that, Ethan heard his father chuckle. It was clear that his father believed an entirely different story from the truth. Even clearer was the fact that he could do nothing to turn the event around. Remaining leaning on the large stone mantle, he heard his father leave. Even worse, he was humming a tune to himself in his merriment as walked down the hallway.
Ethan turned and went to sit on the sofa once again. Now alone with his thoughts, his stomach churned, and his mouth tasted bitter. How had it come to this? He could not risk tainting his or Lady Matilda’s family name, so it seemed marriage was the only solution.
He leaned forward and rubbed his face with both hands as if that might wash away the entire mess before him.
Only a short time ago, he had allowed himself to believe that at long last he would take Josephine as his wife. They would stand side by side for the rest of their lives. And now—
“What will become of you, my love?” he spoke out loud as his beautiful Josephine filled his mind.
I am to marry a woman I do not love, and you, my darling Josephine …you and I will never be together.
Chapter 37
Over the last few days, Josephine had thrown herself into physical work to help keep her mind busy. She had ordered all the drapes to come down in Sarandale Manor for cleaning and participated in helping to achieve it. It was the perfect time of year for this task. The heavier curtains would dry quickly in the sun’s heat, ready to hang back up again within a day or two.
Today, she was making her way to one of the last rooms on the ground floor to carry out the task. They had worked their way through the downstairs in a methodical manner. Soon, they would be upstairs, changing all curtains in the bedroom chambers.
As she walked down the main hallway, she was alerted to the sound a familiar voice through an open doorway. It was coming from the main drawing rooms. The sound of Cedric’s voice always caused her stomach to twist with dread.
He had appeared to dislike her even more as an adult than he had when they were children. She had never understood why, but it had never been her place to question his opinion of her.
Slowing down her pace so that she would not disturb the occupants of the drawing-room, she overhead Cedric’s words. What she heard caused a tingling on the back of her neck and her skin went cold.
“We must put the incident behind us. Ethan and Matilda are a perfect match so we must not jeopardise that,” Cedric was saying to the other person in the room. “I am sure that they will be quite content once they are married.”
Josephine involuntarily let out a gasp and quickly placed a hand over her mouth to muffle it. She stopped still in her tracks, squeezing her eyes shut to keep the tears back that kept insisting on bursting forth. When she opened her eyes, her vision was blurred by the tears she had tried to stop.
A shadowy figure appeared to be approaching her. For a moment, Josephine held her breath expecting that she had been caught by one of the lords. As she focused, she let out a sigh of relief upon seeing that it was a friend and not a foe. It was Lettie who was coming her way. As she neared Josephine, she said nothing and took Josephine by the elbow to lead her away from the door and out of the hallway.
“What is it, Josephine, that has upset you so?" Lettie asked upon finding the housekeeper looking so shocked. "Is it the shock of what has happened in the household?”
“What?” Josephine found her voice. “I am not aware of anything happening. What is it?”
Lettie put her finger to her lips to hush her. “Come with me, we cannot talk here,” she said, guiding Josephine towards the servants’ entrance to the kitchen.
Once safely in the stark corridor that led into the servants’ working areas, Lettie stopped.
“I will tell you here, where we have a little more privacy,” Lettie said. “But be warned that the whole kitchen is abuzz with gossip.”
“Gossip? Why?” Josephine asked, looking puzzled and feeling very unnerved. She knew that it must be something to do with Ethan after the words she had heard Cedric speak, it had to be. A part of her did not want to hear, but she knew that she could not hide from whatever had come about.
“I am sorry to be the one to have to tell you this, Josephine,” Lettie began, a look of despair on her face. “Lord Ethan has been caught in an uncompromising situation with Lady Matilda.”
“No!” Josephine did not mean to call out her distress, but it sounded so wrong. Ethan would never behave in such a way.
Lettie nodded her head to drive the facts of the matter home to her friend. “I am afraid it is true, Josephine. It happened in the library.”
Josephine leaned back on the wall for support for her legs felt so weak. As a child, the library had been one of her favourite places. It was filled with storybooks that she and Ethan would often read to one another.
“One of the stewards heard tell that Lord Ethan has no choice but to ask for Lady Matilda's hand in marriage. They were found alone together, and he must protect her honour. Her brother has been in a rage because he was the one to find them both alone in the library.”
Josephine was shaking her head in denial, burying her face in her hands to hide it all away.
“Calm yourself, Josephine, for I am afraid it is the truth and there is nothing to be done to change it,” Lettie said. "I knew that you would suffer once you heard the news. I am only too glad that it be me telling you, and not one of the other servants who would have no idea how you feel".
