Page 43 of One Night of Scandal
As he approached the town house, he took a deep breath. His thoughts might not be entirely calm, but he was no longer angry with Viola. He understood what she’d been trying to do. And he was deeply grateful.
He was also incredibly surprised.
She’d jumped to his defense with breathtaking speed and a total lack of forethought—both for himself and for her. He knew she thought this wasn’t something to get upset about, that she’d weathered scandal before. But this was different. He wasn’t the Earl of Ledbury, and she wasn’t going to abandon him at the altar.
He was getting married. To Viola.
It wasn’t that he was opposed—he just needed time to adjust. This was not how he would have preferred the most important decision of his life to occur.
He walked up to the door, but before he could knock, it opened and the butler invited him inside. “You are Mr. Barrett, I presume?”
Of course, he’d been expected. “Yes.” Jack immediately noticed the impressive art gracing nearly every inch of the entrance hall and refused to be intimidated by the dowager’s wealth and status.
“This way.” The butler led him to the right into a grand library with bookshelves along every wall, a large table situated near the front window overlooking the square, and a seating arrangement nestled in front of the fireplace. The dowager sat in a wingback chair closest to the hearth, while Viola sat at one end of a settee that faced toward the window. Both women sat ramrod straight, and while the dowager’s expression was coolly expectant, Viola’s was serene and yet a bit…vacant. He noted, however, that her hands were clasped firmly in her lap.
Jack bowed deeply to the dowager and then to Viola. “Good evening.”
“Sit,” the dowager said.
Should he take the other chair near the hearth or sit beside Viola? The politician in him said to sit nearer the dowager, but he was drawn to Viola.
He sat next to her on the settee. Close, but not too close.
The dowager speared him with an intent stare. “Viola has explained everything to me, and while I understand you weren’t actually together last night, it doesn’t matter. The damage to your reputations is done, and the only way to mitigate it, at least partially, is to wed with haste.”
Jack was surprised that Viola had explained “everything” and was eager to know what “everything” entailed. He glanced over at her, but her face was still impassive. “I agree.”
“Good. You have never struck me as a fool.”
Did that mean she’d been aware of him before today? He found that hard to believe. “Thank you.” He didn’t know what else to say.
“Can you afford to purchase a license?” the dowager asked.
“Yes.”
“Good. The banns will take too long. You need to wed as soon as possible. I propose you wed in one week at St. George’s.”
“Since you’re only proposing, does that mean we get to choose?” Viola asked with more than a touch of sarcasm. It was the first inkling he had as to her thoughts… She was not pleased with this turn of events.
“The date, but not whether you will marry.” The dowager glowered at her granddaughter. “Do not prattle on again about not needing to wed. That question has been settled, and Mr. Barrett agrees with me.”
Viola glanced at him, then looked down at her lap. He could practically hear her mind turning as if it were a machine.
The dowager returned her attention to Jack. “Mr. Barrett, I should like to host a dinner for our families. Let us plan for the twentieth. I will send a formal invitation to your father.”
Jack inclined his head. His father… He was going to be astounded. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
The dowager surprised him by rising. He jumped to his feet. “I have high expectations, Mr. Barrett, and you will not disappoint me, I am sure. You are a bright young man with a promising future. This will elevate your status, and I am confident you will bring honor and prestige to our family.” She looked at Viola then, and her gaze softened the slightest bit. “I also expect you will make my granddaughter happy. She deserves nothing less.”
Viola’s head snapped up. She gazed at her grandmother with surprise—and love.
The dowager’s momentary tenderness evaporated, and she was the regal autocrat once more. “Now then, I shall leave the two of you alone to discuss your future. Do not be too long.” She gave Jack a pointed look, but he wasn’t at all sure what she was trying to convey.
Then she departed the library, closing the door behind her.
Closingthe door. What the hell did that mean in this context? Jack had never quite understood the aristocracy, and now that he was about to marry into that class, he was even less sure about them.
“I’m so sorry, Jack.”
