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He was grinning ear to ear, literally beaming. There was a lightness to his step she had never seen before, and he bounced as he walked. When she looked back at Elijah and Adam, to see their reactions to Joseph’s unusual exultation, they appeared as flummoxed as she was.
“Good morning!” Joseph sang out, his voice ringing with happiness. “Congratulate me! Miss Bliss and I are to be married!”
Josie had already started to turn back to look at him again when he made his announcement. She froze in her motion, the expression on her face freezing as well, and it was suddenly very hard to breathe.
She had known it was coming. They all had known it must be coming. That was why Elijah had stepped in to marry her rather than Joseph. Yet hearing it made her feel… made her feel…
Bloody hell, she did not know how she felt. This was hardly shocking news, yet it still felt as if someone had elbowed her in the gut. Then guilt swamped her because she was married to someone else—who happened to be sitting across the table from her—and she should be completely loyal to him. The last feeling was a surge of relief and happiness for Joseph.
The happiness she understood—she wanted him to be happy—but why the relief?
“Congratulations!” Adam bellowed, jumping up to hug his brother. Elijah was only a step or two behind him, just as enthusiastic if not as loud.
Josie pushed her lips into a smile. She really was truly happy for Joseph. If Miss Bliss was the kind of wife he wanted, he would have never been happy with her, anyway. Though she had told herself that before, this time, it really struck home. She was finally coming to realize Joseph was not the kind of husband she wanted.
He was not part of the Society. He did not have Elijah’s presence or his commanding demeanor. In fact, she would have been able to push Joseph around in whatever direction she wished, as she always had. After several days of being married to Elijah, that did not seem as appealing as it once had.
Getting to her feet, she could not help but laugh when Joseph hugged her enthusiastically in his joy, any awkwardness between them forgotten when he was so overcome with emotion.
“Congratulations,” she said, meaning it completely. Maybe her heart was easily changeable, or perhaps she should accept t her feelings for him had not been as deep as she had thought. That was why she was relieved. It did not hurt as she had thought. She had truly let go of him, which meant she could focus on the Stuart brother she had married.
Elijah
Hurt and jealousy ripped through Elijah’s chest as he watched Joseph wrap Josie in his arms, and she went oh-so-willingly. Logically, he knew his reaction was unwarranted. Joseph was happily celebrating that he would soon be married to the woman he loved… but the truth was, how Joseph felt did not matter to Elijah. How Josie felt did.
He had seen her face when Joseph made his announcement, the way she had frozen, hiding her emotions, but he could not tell what she was feeling now. Was she enjoying Joseph’s embrace? Savoring it as something she desired but could not have?
When they stepped away from each other, he could see the smile on Josie’s face, and it cracked something inside his chest, sending a brutal ache through him. Rubbing his hand over the spot, Elijah took an instinctive step back, moving away from what was causing the pain—his wife and his brother.
Unfortunately, the movement attracted attention, and the other three turned to look at him.
Forcing his smile back onto his lips, Elijah dropped his hand to his side, focused on making sure it was relaxed and not clenched in a fist. It still felt as though his chest was too tight, making it hard to breathe, but he did not let his internal conflict show through.
“I am very happy for you,” he said, and it must have sounded genuine because none of them looked at him askance. “I wish I could stay and talk, but I have much to do today.”
“I understand,” Joseph replied, still grinning from ear to ear.
Elijah was happy for his brother, even as he was frustrated with the chaos his own life had become. This was why he had married Josie—so Joseph could have this. He had not expected it to be so hard, though.
Directing a small bow to Josie, Elijah turned on his heel and left the room. Had she appeared disappointed he was leaving or was that his imagination? His overly hopeful imagination?
That was the crux of his problem, he finally realized. He had known his feelings for Josie had changed, but he had not truly understood how much until now. The most startling revelation since their marriage—he wanted her to love him because somehow, he had already fallen in love with her.
And he did not know what to do about it.
So, he retreated to work on something he could handle—his mission to find the traitor.
Chapter 20
Josie
“Men are boors.” Josie flopped down on Mary’s couch, ignoring the glance Mary and Lily exchanged before sitting down on the chairs across from her, leaving the table with tea and cakes between them. Crossing her arms over her chest, Josie pouted. Really, it felt good to be able to say exactly what she thought and act how she felt instead of having to put on a happy face.
At home, she had to put a smile on her face, lest anyone think she was upset because of Joseph’s engagement when it was actually Elijah causing her turmoil. She did not know how to explain that to the Stuarts.
Her mother had been no help. After three days of being ignored by Elijah, everywhere except the bedroom, she had ventured to her mother’s house to ask for womanly advice. Why she had sought out her mother before her friends, she was not sure, except she was a bit embarrassed after waxing eloquent about her feelings for Joseph all these years, only to have to admit it was now Elijah causing her heartache and frustration.
Mother had told her Elijah was surely busy with his duties, and she should be happy their nights were pleasurable.
