“Maybe I will have six refusals this Season. Oh, do not look at me like that. Would any of you want to be forced into a marriage with a man in love with someone else?” Josie scowled at Mary, who had been about to respond before Josie tacked on the last part. Mary had married Rex to save her own reputation.
Thankfully, he had wanted to marry her, and they had been well on their way to falling in love before the wedding. This was entirely different. Joseph not only did not want to marry Josie, he actively wanted to marry another woman. The more Josie thought about it, the more miserable it made her.
She could not possibly marry him now. They would both be miserable. Though she tried to soothe her conscience by acknowledging she should have been safe going into the gardens, the truth was, Joseph had no part in the events of the evening, yet by her actions, he was involved. She had not questioned the note from him but should have. She would still swear it was his handwriting.
Josie had reacted impulsively, based on her own hopes rather than the evidence of the past weeks. Part of her self-recrimination came from knowing she should have realized Joseph did not want to marry her, no matter what the note said.
“The gossips will turn on you if you do not marry someone, preferably Joseph,” Evie pointed out the obvious, if unwelcome, point, though her tone was not unkind. “I would not mind having you as a cousin.”
“What a mess.” The energy that had kept her upright abandoned her, and Josie sat down on the couch, suddenly exhausted. If she could start the whole night over, she would do everything differently. “And I can do nothing about it. Being a woman is awful.”
Evie snorted. “It would not be so bad if the men were not so determined to keep us out of everything.”
Eyeing her speculatively, Josie tilted her head.
“Perhaps I shall become a spy, like you. Surely, a fallen woman can get into places others cannot.” She was only half in jest, but Evie’s expression sobered immediately.
“No, Josie. You are better off where you are. I would not wish some of the things I have seen on anyone.” There was a haunted quality to her voice, and Josie immediately regretted her rash words. They all knew Evie’s life had been hard after her parents passed. There were several years between their deaths and when Evie’s uncle had found her living on the streets of London. She did not speak of that time often, and the little she had revealed had been chilling.
Josie did not wish for that.
“Well, if I do not marry Joseph, I will have to find something to do with myself. Perhaps I could go to France.”
“You will come and live with Rex and me.” Mary put her nose in the air, a stubborn glint in her eye. The transformation from purposeful wallflower to Marchioness had wrought a substantial change in her demeanor, and Josie had no doubt she was willing to take on the world. Her heart filled with love for her friend. As powerful as Rex was, and as little as he cared for Society’s whims and judgments, she could not do that to them. Perhaps as a very last resort, but not until then.
“That is very kind, but—” Josie cut off as the front door opened. Evie was gone and out the window in a flash, leaving them gaping at how quickly she moved. Hmm... perhaps Josie would not make a very good spy, though such speed was likely easier in breeches.
Her mind could not concentrate on Evie’s quick steps as she turned her head to look at her father and Rex. Both appeared worn but not distressed. Josie’s throat closed up, her hands bunching in the fabric of her skirts as her father turned tired eyes to her, his lips lifting in a pleased smile.
Relief poured through her.
“It is done,” he said, walking into the drawing room. Coming to a halt in front of her, he held out his hands, and Josie placed hers onto his palms. There was a peace in his eyes that had not been there when he left, a lightness to his step. “You will be married on Saturday.”
“Joseph does not mind?” The entreaty for reassurance from her father made her sound younger than usual, the desire of a little girl to be told that everything would be all right.
Her father blinked.
“Oh, no, sweetheart. You will be marrying Elijah.”
“What?” Horrified realization washed away everything else. She jerked her hands back, stepping away from her father and bumping into Mary and Lily, who were standing right behind her.
Elijah?No. Impossible. He did not even like her.
“Yes, Elijah.” Her father’s lips turned down, his expression growing stern. Josie recognized it from her childhood when he denied her—the expression she knew indicated there was no point in fighting because she would not win. Except she was not asking for a sweet or a new frock. This was her life! “He offered, and I accepted. We signed the marriage contracts, and under the circumstances, he is securing a special license so you can marry immediately.”
About to open her mouth to protest, to declare she wouldnot, no matter what, Josie was yanked back by a firm grip on her arm.
“Let us speak with her for a few minutes, please,” Lily said, digging her fingers into Josie’s arm when Josie tried to pull away. “It has been a very trying evening, and… well, truthfully, none of us expected Elijah to…” Her voice trailed off, though the surprise was still evident in her tone.
Father’s countenance softened just a bit.
“Of course.” He turned to Mary’s husband. “Hartford. Would you like a glass of brandy?”
Glancing at Mary, Rex nodded his head. “Yes, I think that might be best while the ladies… discuss.” After another look at Mary, Rex followed Josie’s father out of the room.
Finally yanking her arm from Lily’s grip, Josie whirled on her two friends. She wanted to kick something. The only thing that was within reach was the settee, so she kicked its wooden leg, hard enough the whole piece of furniture jolted.
“Elijah!Elijah! I cannot marry Elijah!” she fumed, glaring at Mary and Lily.