Page 53 of A Troublesome Circumstance

“I did, Father,” he said. Then without waiting for a reply, he ascended the rest of the stairs.

Dressed in a silver gown with a delicate net overlay embroidered in pale pink blossoms, Josephine descended the grand staircase. The candlelight from the chandelier above caught the beadwork on her bodice, casting little sparks of light along the walls.

Her mother and brother waited in the entry hall. The moment her slipper touched the marble floor, her mother clasped her hands together and gasped.

“Oh! You look lovely, my dear. Doesn’t she, Alexander?”

Alexander barely spared her a glance. “I suppose she will do.”

Josephine arched a brow. Well, that was generous for him.

“She will more than do,” her mother corrected, moving forward to assess Josephine from shoes to coiffure. “That dress is exquisite on her. She will be the belle of the ball. Perhaps the queen will name her the diamond of the Season now.”

Josephine winced at the very idea, but Alexander muttered under his breath, “I doubt it.”

Their mother’s frown deepened. “Alexander, say something nice to your sister.”

“What would you have me say?”

“Tell her that she looks beautiful.”

He smirked, folding his arms. “I wouldn’t want to lie to her.”

Their mother wasn’t amused. “I wish you would be kinder to your sister.”

Josephine lifted a hand in dismissal. “Do not bother on my account. I would prefer the truth rather than false flattery.”

“Exactly.” Alexander shrugged. “Besides, Josephine isn’t entirely misfortunate-looking. I am sure a blind man would find her very appealing.”

“You are impossible!” Josephine said.

“You asked for the truth, did you not?”

“I would prefer you said nothing at all,” she retorted, placing a hand on her hip, “considering you aren’t married either.”

“Yes, but I am working on that,” Alexander said proudly. “I am pursuing the lovely Lady Gwendolyn Rollins.”

Her lips parted in horror. “Why would you ever pursue her? She is awful. Just awful.”

“She is beautiful.”

“Is that all you care about in a wife?”

“What else matters?”

“A great deal!” Josephine insisted. “Kindness? Good sense? The ability to speak without insulting everyone in the room?”

Alexander waved this away. “You exaggerate.”

“You are going to marry her and be utterly miserable,” Josephine warned. “And I shall stand by and laugh.”

“At least our children will be smart and beautiful.”

She laughed. “Not with you as a father.”

Their mother stepped firmly between them. “Both of you are behaving like children. Why can’t you act your age?”

“Josephine started it,” Alexander said with a smug tilt of his head.