Page 94 of A Troublesome Circumstance

She held up her hand, silencing him without harshness. “You don’t have to say anything. I truly appreciate your offer. But we both deserve better.”

He let out a frustrated breath. “What will I tell your uncle?”

“The truth,” she said. “That I turned down your offer.”

Jude dragged a hand through his hair, wishing he could shake sense into himself—or into her. “I could make you a duchess.”

“I never cared for such things.”

“I know,” he replied. “That’s why you’re special. You wouldn’t marry me for a title. You’d marry me for me.”

She slipped her hand from his. “One day, you will find someone you can’t live without,” she said. “Now, we must be on our best behavior. We’ve arrived at Hyde Park.”

He glanced out. Indeed, they were rolling down Rotten Row, their carriage drawing far more attention than he liked. Heads turned. Parasols shifted. Fans fluttered. He had known bringing her here would spark gossip… but for the first time in his life, he didn’t care one whit about the ton.

He just wanted Josephine.

She reached into her reticule and withdrew a small handkerchief, dabbing at her eyes. “Do I look as if I’ve been crying?”

He noticed the faint redness, the shimmer of leftover tears. But lying felt kinder. “No, you cannot tell.”

She gave a watery laugh. “You are a terrible liar.”

“You could tell?”

“Of course.” She sniffed delicately. “I have noticed many things about you. Far more than I should.”

He couldn’t stop the smile tugging at his mouth. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should,” she said, tilting her head towards the bustling row. “There are many people here today, are there not?”

“Yes,” he answered dryly. “And I suspect we’ll be in the Society page tomorrow.”

Her eyes brightened with girlish excitement. “How thrilling. I’ve never been mentioned in the Society page before.”

“It is not as exciting as you think,” he muttered. “Being the subject of gossip is tedious.”

“Perhaps we could write our own Society page. We could call it Jude’s Tattler.”

He barked a laugh. “That is an awful name.”

Josephine continued unperturbed. “We would fill it with the most mundane anecdotes and tattle on everyone who vexes us.”

“No one would read it.”

She grinned. “Do not be a naysayer. Your sister-in-law writes for the newssheets, and the ton praises her immensely.”

“Yes, but those are serious articles.”

“We could write serious articles, too,” Josephine insisted. “We could compare the flavors of ice at Gunter’s. It would be quite the exposé.”

“That is hardly an exposé.”

Before she could respond, a smooth voice cut in.

“Fine day we are having.”

Jude turned. And his entire body went cold.