AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 15
Jo rushed to the retiring room. She walked up to the basin and splashed some water on her face. She felt hot, and her pulse was drumming in her ears. She needed a moment of peace.
Why had Richard asked her to dance? Why torture her with his closeness when he didn’t want her in his life?
“Blast!” she muttered in frustration. The urge to hit something or throw something was overwhelming.
“Um… are you not feeling well?” asked a timid voice from somewhere behind her.
Jo froze in place before turning around slowly as she tried to fix a smile on her face. There, on one of the plush seats, hiding in the corner, sat a bespectacled young lady. The one who had arrived late to the house party. As a result, Jo didn’t even know her name.
“Apologies,” Jo said with a soft laugh. “It’s just… too hot in there. I am afraid I got a bit frustrated. I didn’t know anyone was in here.”
“Events like this can get quite overwhelming,” the lady said. “Although, I would never guess that about you. I mean, I saw you earlier. You always seem so sure of yourself. Like nothing can rattle you.”
Jo let out a chuckle. “I am an actress. Most of it is just an act.”
The lady snorted a laugh, then quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief. “Apologies. Rather unladylike of me.”
Jo shrugged. “Well, then you’re in luck. Because I am not a lady.” She bobbed a curtsy. “Josephine Claremont. But you can call me Jo.”
The lady giggled. “Oh, I know who you are. I haven’t been to any of your plays, but I’d have to be blind and deaf to not know you. I am Beatrice.”
Jo’s lips spread in a smile. She was certain the lady had a title. She seemed like a lady, or maybe part of the local gentry. But in either case, the fact that she introduced herself just with her Christian name was rather endearing.
“I usually make it my mission to learn everybody’s names at the party. But you arrived rather late…”
“Oh, yes,” Beatrice answered shyly. “We were quite late. Our carriage broke down on the way… It’s… rather old. I was afraid we wouldn’t be able to make it on time at all. Can’t imagine missing my own betrothal announcement.” She played with her skirt as she spoke, but at the last sentence, she looked up at Jo and giggled.
“You’re getting betrothed? Congratulations!” Jo smiled earnestly.
“Thank you! I am beside myself with glee. I have no dowry, you see. I was afraid my only prospect would be Lord Lansdowne, who has been pursuing me relentlessly.”
Jo grimaced. “That old lecherous frog?”
Beatrice clapped a hand over her mouth and snorted. “Oh, pardon me for being indelicate.”
Jo waved it away. “Please. I am the one being indelicate here. But truly, I think Lansdowne should resign himself to an heirless fate! He has been widowed twice, which is quite a shock because I think he is over one hundred years old.”
Beatrice chuckled. “Actually, he is almost seventy. And well, I am four and twenty. I might be too young for Lansdowne but too old for the marriage mart. Without a dowry, looks, or refinement, he is the only prospect I imagined—or rather feared. I could never have imagined snagging a viscount! A young and virile one to boot!”
A viscount?Jo’s heart started drumming loudly in her chest.
“Oh, look at me blabbing it all in the retiring room. You must think I have no manners at all. Which is one of the reasons I am still unmarried, I suppose. And I am taking your time…”
Jo licked her dry lips, ignoring the woman’s tirade. “A viscount?” she echoed faintly.
Beatrice nodded eagerly. “Yes. Viscount Gage. I am not looking for a love match. But at least with him, life won’t be so dreadful, will it?”
Jo blanched, a high-pitched noise piercing her ears. “Viscount Gage is your fiancé?”
Beatrice’s smile dimmed. “Yes. Are you feeling faint? You look… unwell.”
Jo tried for a smile. “No, I… just remembered something.” She turned away from Beatrice, her hands gripping the wash basin.
He is betrothed.
“I shall leave you to it then,” Beatrice’s voice sounded as if from far away. “Unless you want me to stay. Or should I call someone?”
