AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jo’s heart squeezed, and tears burned at the back of her eyes. Even in death, her poor mother couldn’t gain peace. And now it would spill out into a major scandal.
Because the only thing worse than marrying an actress was marrying a harlot’s daughter.
* * *
Jo had been silent the rest of the trip. She didn’t insist on any more clarifications. She didn’t ask anything else about the column, she just sat there with a shocked expression on her face, occasionally shaking her head as if trying to rid it of unwanted thoughts.
They made it home a few moments later, and Richard helped Jo out of the carriage. Her hands were cold, her gaze still glassy.
He should have broken it to her gentler, should have eased into it. But he was still in shock himself. He didn’t want to tell her in the carriage at all. He wanted to sit her down next to the fire with a cup of chocolate or perhaps a tumbler of whisky and hand her the paper.
He wasn’t certain it would have been better. Perhaps if he was holding her in his arms as she read?
Hell, Richard had no idea how to make it easier on his gentle bride.
They had been married for just two days!
Couldn’t the vile person who’d sent this notice to the papers wait until after a month? Couldn’t they have let Jo enjoy being a part of society as a viscountess just a little longer?
No. Whoever did this had done it right after their marriage on purpose.
Richard escorted Jo into her room, but she paused before the threshold. “Where’s the paper?” It was the first thing she’d said since the carriage.
“In my room.”
“Then I want to go there. I want to read it now.”
“Of course.” Richard closed the door and led her into his room.
Jo instantly went to the bedside table and picked up the paper. She scanned it quickly until her gaze stopped and she slowly read the article, her lips moving, tears shining in her eyes.
When she was done, she didn’t hurl it away as he’d expected her to do. She didn’t rage or scream at the injustice of it, she just placed it back on the bedside table with a shaking hand. “What do we do now?”
Richard took a step toward her but she stepped back. “Nothing. We let it blow over. I don’t think you should go to the theater as that is where I expect the most backlash—”
“Why?” She looked up at him, but it was as if she didn’t see him.
“Because people can be vicious for no reason. Aristocrats… as uncivilized as we truly can be, the most they will do is cut us. And that I can live with. But if someone hurts you—” His fingers curled into fists, his anger rising just at the thought of that happening.
Jo shook her head. “I am not afraid.”
“Well, perhaps you should be.”
“People at the theater are just like me. Even if there is backlash in my place of work, it won’t be from the common people. It will be from people who think I do not deserve the title of viscountess. And they would be right.”
“Nonsense!” Richard stepped closer to her once again. “Let me deal with those people. In fact, I say we still go to Lady Supe’s ball tonight.”
She chuckled bitterly. “You must be jesting.”
“I am not.”
“You should not be attending balls right now, Richard. You should be planning an annulment.”
Richard frowned. “Why in the world would I be doing that?”
“Didn’t that thought cross your mind?” Jo asked, her gaze vulnerable.
“Never. And why would it?”
