The Duke of Defiance (The Untouchables #5)(15)
Finishing his whiskey, Bran stood and set his empty glass on the sideboard. He turned to Kendal. “I do thank you for your hospitality.”
“You’re leaving already?” Dartford asked. “The night is young. We haven’t seen how good you are at cards yet.”
“I rarely play.” He’d always been too busy for such things on Barbados. “It was a pleasure to meet you all. West, I’ll send a note about the Harcourt ball.”
West nodded. “Good evening, Knighton.”
Bran made his way from the club, striding quickly through the subscription room. When he was finally ensconced in his coach, he pulled his cravat free and tore his coat off. He pulled at his sleeves but stopped short of divesting himself of the remaining clothing above his waist.
“It’s improper for a gentleman to disrobe in front of a lady.”
Mrs. Shaw’s words drifted over him. She’d sounded prim, but he swore there’d been a spark of heat in her gaze. Or at least interest. He may have shocked her, but he wasn’t convinced she hadn’t liked it.
He thought of West helping him to find a wife. Nausea curdled his gut. He doubted there was a woman in England who wouldn’t find him improper or odd or outright distressing. Louisa had been uncomfortable with him at first, but once they’d established a routine, she’d come to accept his quirks, even if she hadn’t understood them.
How he’d love to find a woman who could do all that.
Chapter 4
Jo strode into the drawing room to join her sister. “Sorry to keep you waiting. The girls were showing me a play they wrote.”
Nora looked up from the table on which were stacked several sheets of paper, likely letters of recommendation for the governess Nora was considering since that was what they were meant to discuss. Nora smiled at Jo, her eyes dancing. “Was it the one about the serving maid who marries the prince?”
“Yes. The little stage Titus had built for the dolls is wonderful.”
“I love all the voices they do,” Nora said. “Evie pitches so low for the king.”
Jo chuckled as she sat down beside Nora. “They both have a flair for the dramatic.”
“I’m just so pleased they have each other. Now I need to find a friend for Christopher.” The boy was sleeping at present, but he toddled after his sister and her friend at every possible moment. Sometimes the girls were happy to amuse him—especially when he was an eager spectator for one of their doll plays—and other times, they ruthlessly ignored him. Jo supposed that was the way of things, but couldn’t remember a time when she and Nora hadn’t played together.
Jo flicked a glance at the papers. “Any luck with those?”
“There are a few excellent candidates.” She nodded toward a small stack to her left.
“Just a few?” Jo asked, thinking of Lord Knighton and his desire to also hire a governess.
“So far, yes. There are three I’d like to interview. One looks particularly promising—she’s the youngest daughter of one of Lady Satterfield’s closest friends.” Nora tipped her head to the side, the light from the window catching the red tones in her auburn hair. “I sometimes wonder what might’ve happened if I’d taken a job as a governess instead of a companion. I did consider it.”
Nora had returned to London six years ago after their father had lost all their money, forcing Nora to find an occupation. Jo would’ve taken her sister in, but her husband had insisted that Nora’s scandalous behavior nine years prior wasn’t something he could tolerate at the vicarage.
All Nora had done was allow a gentleman to kiss her. Unfortunately, someone had seen them, effectively shredding Nora’s reputation. In turn, that had limited Jo’s options. She wasn’t able to have her own Season, and she’d been lucky to have an offer of marriage from Matthias Shaw.
Nine years later, Jo didn’t feel particularly lucky. No, Nora was the one whose dreams had come to fruition. But would they have done if she’d taken another path? “You must’ve been destined to be a companion—Lady Satterfield’s companion particularly,” Jo said. For that had led Nora to meet her husband.
Nora shook her head, smiling. “Yes, I suppose it was destiny.” She looked at Jo, her eyes narrowing slightly. “I always wonder about companions and governesses, whether they enjoy their occupation or if they merely had no other choice available to them. Sadly, I think it’s the latter.”
“Didn’t your friend the Duchess of Clare choose to be a companion?” Jo had met her a few times, and had learned that she’d been quite content in her position until she’d met her husband.
“Yes, and Aquilla was going to follow that path until she met Sutton,” Nora said, pulling another letter to the top of her pile and perusing it. “But I’m still not convinced that would really have been their choice—if women truly had choices,” she said with a touch of scorn.
Jo knew that Nora had felt trapped by her mistake, and that it had barely affected the gentleman in question. Yes, women suffered many injustices and were typically not afforded much independence. As a widow, however, Jo possessed a modicum of freedom now, and she knew she wouldn’t want for financial security. Nora had assured her of that.
Still, relying on her sister and settling in as an extraneous member of her household made Jo feel a bit useless. And bored. She’d been used to managing her own household, such as it was. As Nora had said, Jo’s options were limited. She could likely set up her own small household somewhere outside of London, but that sounded lonely. She could try to marry again, but she’d have to find a husband who wouldn’t mind her being barren, and that seemed unlikely. Furthermore, she had absolutely no intention of marrying someone she wasn’t madly and hopelessly in love with. There was absolutely no reason for her to accept anything else. If her disappointing marriage had done nothing else, it had ensured she didn’t have to make that same choice again.