“You said you did not want to marry a man who is in love with someone else,” Lily pointed out, taking another step back at the expression on Josie’s face. She held up her hands placatingly. “This really is the best solution, Josie. You must see that.”
Impossible. She looked at Mary, and her heart sank when she saw her other friend nodding her head in agreement with Lily.
“If you were to marry Joseph, it would help some but not all the gossip. After the way he has danced attendance on Miss Bliss all Season, some people would say you trapped him. In fact, if you do marry him, more of them might believe that.”
Josie closed her eyes. Swallowed. The gossips of London were vicious. She could see that. Worse… at home, things would be no better. Mary, Lily, and Evie were hardly the only ones who had guessed her feelings for Joseph. The gossip would likely be far worse in Derbyshire than here in the city, and none of it complimentary to her. She opened her eyes again, nodding at the truth of Mary’s words.
“How does marrying Elijah change that?” she asked hollowly, sinking down on the settee she had kicked. Lily and Mary moved to her sides again, taking her hands as they had when they arrived. Their sympathy was palpable, which she both wanted and hated, hating that it was necessary.
“It frees Joseph to marry Miss Bliss,” Mary said quietly. Pain stabbed Josie’s heart, but she pushed it aside. There were far more important things now. “The gossips will assume Elijah was the one who met you in the gardens. Or that he did indeed rescue you, and he will be cast as the hero.”
“And he is the heir, the future Marquess. That has weight.” If anyone would know, it was Lily. Her parents were notton, but with their connections to the Duke and Duchess of Frederick, Lily was treated far differently than she would have been with less lofty godparents. “Thetonwill treat a future Marchioness with more respect than the wife of a second son.”
“Some might even find it romantic if they think Elijah saved you from a villain, then saved you again by offering marriage,” Mary speculated. As the most experienced in society and with an aunt who was particularly savvy at social maneuvering, Josie had to bow her head to Mary’s expertise.
It seemed it truly would be best for everyone.
If she truly loved Joseph, she should want him to be happy. He would not be happy forced into marriage with her, and she would not have been happy, either. Elijah had saved them both from that fate. She supposed she should be grateful. Instead, she felt hollowed out, as if someone had scooped out her emotions, leaving her an empty wooden shell.
Joseph deserved to have the life he wanted. He should not be dragged into her mess. If Elijah was willing to sacrifice himself on the marital altar to save his brother’s future—and hers—she could hardly do less. She only hoped Joseph and Miss Bliss chose to settle somewhere other than Camden Hall in Derbyshire, so she did not have to watch them live out the life she had always imagined for herself.
“Then I suppose I marry Elijah this Saturday.” The wrong Stuart brother. The one who did not like her. That was who she was to marry. If she had any tears left after such an awful night, she would have wept.
Her friends crowded in around her, murmuring everything would work out, but Josie knew better. Nothing would ever be right again.
Chapter 5
Elijah
Three days to plan a wedding meant everything happened in a rush, and he did not have the chance to see Josie for more than a few moments during a ‘celebratory’ luncheon on Friday. Certainly, he was not able to get her alone. Her mother actually tutted at him when he suggested he and Josie go for a walk around the lawn together, telling him they had guests to attend to.
Not that Josie had looked particularly eager to go walking on his arm. For the first time, she appeared skittish, unsure of herself. She had not hesitated to hide behind her mother’s skirts, making him feel even more unnerved about their future together.
Elijah had wanted to reassure her she had no need to worry. He intended to be a kind and gentle husband, though he would expect her to follow a certain standard of behavior, especially when they were in London among theton.She was the future Marchioness and would represent the Stuart family.
Whether or not her current subdued state was due to their upcoming nuptials or to a newfound maturity remained to be seen.
Now, it was the morning of his wedding, and not only was he getting married—something he never thought would happen—he was marrying a woman who wished it was his brother at the altar instead of him, which was a lowering thought.
Said brother was beaming with happiness. Miss Bliss had accepted his offer, and they would announce their engagement next week. With Elijah marrying Josie, the gossip had shifted to whether he had been her rescuer or her ravisher, leaving Joseph and Miss Bliss unscathed.
Which meant it was worth it.
“Things are not so bad, you know. Josie is very beautiful.” Adam grinned at Elijah from where he was lounging in a chair. The youngest Stuart brother was having far too much fun at his brothers’ expense.
“I know she is beautiful.” Exactly how beautiful, he had not really realized until their engagement luncheon. He had never really taken the time to notice. As his neighbor, he had seen her grow up. He had been aware the gentlemen of London considered her a great beauty and a prime catch after her debut, but somehow, he had not noticed how golden her curls had grown, the way she filled out her gowns, the pretty pink of her lips…
Bedding his new wife would be no hardship, though the realization he was attracted to Josie had been stunning and slightly uncomfortable. He had thought of her as a little girl, despite her debut, and the realization of her as a woman was startling.
“Unfortunately, her beauty does not negate her feelings for Joseph.” Since their other brother was not in the room, Elijah did not feel guilty about venting his concern. He had resolved not to mention it again to Joseph since it would only make him feel bad.
To his surprise, Adam snorted.
“They would have made a hash of things. You will be far better for her.”
That was a surprising observation.
“Really?” Elijah’s tone was dry as he raised a brow at his youngest brother, curiosity piqued. Adam was very good at reading people, something Elijah had relied on in the past. “Me, the Stuart brother she likes the least?”