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“Hush,” he said, glancing down at her. She gripped the jacket more firmly around her, keeping her gaze stubbornly averted. If she were his… The thought of spanking Josie into good behavior was not a new one, but given the circumstances and his glimpse of her nudity, it had taken on a very different, a very distracting one, and distractions were the last thing he needed.
“She is right.” A shrill voice behind them, one which Elijah recognized, made him blink. What the hell? The Countess of Hachet—a waspish viper who had terrified the marriage mart as Miss Winifred Bellmont before her marriage earlier this year—shouldered her way through the small crowd with a sneer. While she was a beauty in face and figure, her personality was poisonous. She held up a small slip of paper as she took center stage. “His brother is the one who summoned her here. He must be covering for him.”
“What?” Lady Carmichael gasped, echoing Elijah’s thoughts before snatching the paper from the countess’ fingers, causing Lady Perth to look disgruntled for a moment before she smoothed her skirts and threw her shoulders back haughtily.
“My letter!” Josie surged forward, forcing Elijah to catch her about the waist as her hand came up, spreading open the jacket she was holding closed about her. Several gasps from the little group that had found them let him know he was not entirely successful in preserving her modesty.
“What letter?” he growled in her ear, taking advantage of the momentary distraction while the others gathered around Lady Carmichael to see it.
“The one your brother sent me,” she whispered. “Did you really think I came out for no reason?”
“No, I thought you might be meeting Evie. Why on earth would my brother send you a letter?”
“Maybe because he finally realized he is about to make the biggest mistake of his life,” Josie shot back, jerking away from him and tightening his jacket around herself. She averted her gaze again, and he could not tell if it was because she was ashamed to look at him, angry with him, or hiding tears. Out of the three, he thought he might prefer the anger.
Jaw clenched against snapping back at her, he had an inkling of what she was talking about. He stepped away from her and quickly closed the distance between him and Lady Carmichael, snatching the letter from her hands. Lord Jarrett laughed, a sharp sound that dug into Elijah’s temper. It did not matter the dimness of the moon. There was enough light to see and recognize his brother’s handwriting.
Josie
“Oh, my stars… oh my word… what are we to do?” Josie’s mother moaned from her position on the fainting couch in their drawing room. A beauty in her own right, she managed to look stunning, even as she wailed.
After Elijah had taken the letter, things had moved remarkably quick. He had sent away the little crowd with admonishments not to gossip and asked Lady Carmichael to retrieve Josie’s parents. Though Josie did not wish to be beholden to any of those gossips, Lady Carmichael had been the least objectionable. Josie had been relieved to see her parents, at least until they got home, and her mother had decided to have vapors. Though, for once, Josie could not argue that her mother was overstating the direness of her situation.
For the first time in her life, she was completely frozen and did not know what to do. She was still huddled under Elijah’s jacket, clutching it around her, with the tattered remains of her bodice beneath.
I am ruined.
She very much doubted there was any holding back the tide of gossip. She was ruined. Unmarriageable. Actually, that did not sound so bad, but everything that came with it… She would be shunned by polite society, as would her parents. She would have that guilt to go with everything else. She would forever be at the mercy of her father’s direction, then his heir’s, a distant cousin she had never met. Likely, her friends would never be able to speak to her again. Perhaps Mary, since she was married, if her husband Rex was amenable… but certainly not Lily until after she was married, not without risking her own reputation by consorting with a fallen woman, and only after her marriage if her husband was agreeable.
All because Josie had been so hopeful Joseph would turn away from Miss Bliss and to her instead. A hope that had been in vain. She did not know how someone had so perfectly mimicked Joseph’s handwriting, but she no longer believed the note was from him. Why someone had sent it to her, she did not know… but she supposed it did not matter.
“I shall never be able to show my face in public again…”
Josie bit her tongue. She wanted to tell her mother, it was only her own life she’d ruined, but she knew that was not the truth. Thetonwas vicious. Her fall would affect both of her parents and any of her friends and family who did not condemn her actions.
I should have known better than to go into a garden… by myself… to meet a man.
Even if she had not been assaulted, making that choice was enough to ruin her had it become known.
Knocking at the door made her jump. Was it Elijah? Back finally? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father’s head jerk up. He had been silent since they left the ball, which was not entirely surprising. He had always been quieter than her mother, but his complete silence made her very nervous.
The sound of feminine voices, one of them quite strident, made her blink. A moment later, Mary, the Marchioness of Hartford, and Miss Lily Davis rushed into the room without waiting to be announced. Rex, the Marquess of Hartford, strolled in behind them, looking even more lion-like than he normally did. They were all still dressed for the evening, with Mary wearing a dark green gown that set off her strawberry blonde hair and eyes, and Lily still dressed as a debutante in pale lavender. Josie was shocked to see the latter there, especially without either her of her parents or godparents.
“Oh, my goodness, Josie, we came as soon as we heard!” Mary rushed forward. It had beenhervoice Josie had heard, haranguing Martin, the butler, to let them in. Considering how quiet Mary normally was, that was a shock.
“What are you doing here?” Josie’s gaze went back and forth between them, finally settling on Lily’s. “You know you cannot be here. I am ruined! You have to disassociate yourself from me.”
“They heard? Did you hear that, Daniel? They heard! We are ruined!” Josie’s mother wailed louder, making Josie cringe.
Sympathy suffused Mary and Lily’s faces as they sat on either side of her. Mary’s auburn locks were slightly disheveled, her green eyes flashing with emotion as she tried to rake her fingers through her hair before letting her hand drop when she met her coiffure. In contrast, Lily’s dark hair was picture perfect, as was her purple gown, and her expression was more solemn than angry.
They each took one of Josie’s hands, and despite everything, Josie felt a little better. Though she wished Evie was there as well to make their foursome complete, having her two friends standing by her meant more than she could say.
“Silence, Petunia.” Josie’s father’s voice cut through the air like a whip, shocking her mother into silence. Shocking the rest of them as well. Josie had never heard her father speak like that, even when her mother was at her most histrionic. Lily and Mary stared at him, along with Josie. “I will take care of this.”
“I will go with you,” Rex said. “I need to have a few words with Lord Stuart myself.” He shot a glance at Mary that spoke volumes. Josie envied the close bond the two of them had. It did not seem to matter that they had only been married a matter of weeks—due to being caught kissing in the garden, nearly creating a scandal themselves—they clearly loved and understood each other. Being the Marchioness of Hartford had also given Mary a much-needed boost of confidence. Or perhaps being Rex’s wife had done that.
“Very well,” Josie’s father said with a stiff nod. He cast his glance over the room, his expression only softening when his gaze landed on his daughter. Josie dropped her head. Disappointing her father was far, far worse than her mother. Her mother was always disappointed in her, but her father…
