Page 14 of Married to the Duke By Midnight

“But now Robert does,” Maggie countered and made a flick of her hand with the silver fork.

“Maggie,” Helena said gently, which only earned her a glare from her eldest daughter.

Jo opened her mouth to speak, not certain how to answer this without offending Robert or his family. Truth be told, she would rather not have married at all, but she could hardly say so in front of them.

“The lesser of two evils,” Robert joked and winked at her.

“Definitely,” she agreed and smiled in relief.

She was not certain how to interpret this more playful and open persona he presented in front of friends and family. But she was not his friend and could hardly count as his family after less than four and twenty hours of marriage. They would find a way to act naturally around each other in time, she supposed.

“Robert will be a kind husband to you. You have nothing to fear,” Helena assured her gently, which put Jo more at ease.

She smiled because she did not know what to say.

“I suppose you could have done far worse,” Maggie sniffed.

“Where will you go for your honeymoon?” Philomena asked.

Jo sensed that she might be used to diffusing the tension between her older siblings.

“There is no reason for that,” Jo stated at the same time as Robert said:

“We have not decided yet.”

They looked at each other for a beat. Jo felt her cheeks heat at the thought of a honeymoon with Robert. It indicated that it would be when they… slept together for the first time. But if they left soon, as was customary, it would not align with her plan. And he had agreed to honor it.

“How about your seaside cottage, Duchess?” Xavier asked quietly.

His blue gaze met hers, and Jo felt as if he could see straight into her soul and did not like what he was seeing.

She averted her gaze to her plate as she thought of his suggestion. Seaglass Cottage would be an ideal place for a honeymoon, and she missed being there already. But it felt too intimate to spend a prolonged period of time there with Robert. It did have three bedrooms, so they would not have to share, but it was not as grand as Robert’s townhouse. They would be running into each other constantly.

“I think perhaps neutral ground would be best for the honeymoon. Perhaps something not too far from Riddlesmarsh Hall. I should like to show it to you afterwards,” Robert suggested and looked at her.

Jo nodded encouragingly as she met his eyes. It sounded better than going to the cottage now and she would like to see his estate as well.

“Why don’t I plan it for you? As a wedding gift. Now that you will obviously not need my help in planning your wedding,” Helena said and sent her son a pointed look.

Robert looked properly chastised, as he muttered: “Sorry, Mother,” then perked up and said: “But at least you have four other children, whose weddings you can plan.” He pointed to his siblings in turn with his fork.

Jo did not miss how Xavier glared, the corner of Maggie’s mouth turned down, and Philomena looked in pain at the mention of marriage. Judging from their expressions, it would be a long while before Helena would be planning a wedding for any of them.

Robert caught it as well and grinned as he said:

“Well, at least there is Rafe.”

Philomena giggled, Helena smiled, Maggie rolled her eyes, and Xavier’s frown loosened a little at his words.

“Have you heard he wants to leave school and join the military?” Philomena asked Robert. Her voice was sweet and she spoke more quietly than Helena and Maggie.

Robert shook his head. With his attention on his sister, Jo was able to study his profile. The bright morning light in the room seemed to illuminate his many freckles. She had the odd idea of tracing them with a finger from the one in the corner of his eye to the one below his bottom lip. She hastily turned her attention to the two rolls, three fried eggs, five strips of bacon and the lone kippers on her plate. She had taken far too much but everything looked so delicious.

“He wants to join the army. To help fight Napoleon,” Philomena explained.

“Well, he is a good shot,” Robert stated, then turned to Xavier to ask: “Will you allow it?”

“Not at the moment. Helena and I have discussed that it will be best for him if he finishes Eton and then goes on to university before he makes such a decision.”