Chapter 14 #2
Perhaps she would be able to watch the others tonight to see how they behaved.
When Lady Stark had suggested the dinner, Johanna had been anxious until she’d realized the guest list was all the duke’s friends and their families, which meant Lady Astrid and her friends.
Now, Johanna’s friends or at least women she was hoping would be her friends.
They had seemed to accept her as one of their own, and she’d already told them her biggest secret.
As if her thoughts summoned them, there was a knock at the front door. Johanna squared her shoulders to meet their guests as the butler moved to answer it. Beside her, the duke smiled in anticipation, which helped her to relax. He did not seem nervous at all.
Matthew
Having a table full of dinner guests was more enjoyable than Matthew had anticipated. He was sorry his bride’s mother could not join them, but he knew she had been doing poorly before she arrived in London. The travel must not have agreed with her.
Beside him, Johanna was resplendent in her new gown, with violet jewels at her throat and ears.
When she’d first come down the stairs, Matthew had had a burning desire to see her in nothing but those jewels.
It was all he could do not to stare at her throughout the meal, imagining peeling her clothing from her body one piece at a time to reveal what was underneath until she was completely bare before him, clad in nothing but the amethysts.
A fantasy he’d forced himself to abandon because it made for uncomfortable sitting when they were surrounded by company.
At one end of the table were the younger crew.
Nathanial had brought his sisters, as promised, to meet Bridget and Charlotte.
They seemed to be getting along splendidly.
Beside them were Micah, Ashwin Little, and Rupert Blackstone.
The latter two had formed a fast friendship already but were very welcoming to Micah.
Julianna, Nathanial’s eldest sister, who should have debuted this year but was prevented from doing so by the dire straits of their finances, seemed thrilled to be included in such a supper. Since it was a family affair, she could attend without raising any eyebrows.
Seated next to Sebastian, the two of them looked to be in rather close conversation.
Sebastian had proven to be rather picky about his prospective wife; perhaps he’d found a suitable match in Julianna?
The rest of the dukes and their wives were spread about the table, with Matthew’s grandmama between Sebastian and Nathanial.
“I am not cabbage-headed,” Lady Astrid said from beside Matthew, cutting through his musings. She was gripping her fork like she wanted to stab Drake with it.
“I called you mon petit chou, I did not call you cabbage-headed. It is an endearment.” Not that Drake sounded particularly fond of his betrothed as he spoke the words through gritted teeth. “Though if you do not want to be called cabbage-headed, then stop acting cabbage-headed.”
“You do not need to call me anything.”
“Like you do not need to call me Lucifer?” Drake’s response was droll, while Lady Astrid was living up to the fiery nature of her hair.
Matthew could all but feel her simmering at his side.
“I call things as I see them,” she responded tartly. “If you do not want to be called Lucifer, then stop acting as—”
“I am not the devil,” Drake snapped back at her, apparently not enjoying having his own words tossed back at him. “I was trying out an endearment; you do not have to be such a shrew.”
“I would rather be a shrew than a cabbage.”
“Should we be worried about them?” Johanna asked, leaning into Matthew to murmur the question.
She was not the only one now watching the back-and-forth between the squabbling two.
Why his grandmama had insisted on putting them beside each other at the table, just because they were engaged, Matthew did not know.
Grandmama was now turning her head to stare reprovingly at them, not that either noticed. Matthew should likely intervene… probably. He quickly took out his coin and flipped it beneath the table, unsurprised by the answer he received.
Reaching over, he plucked the fork from Lady Astrid’s hand, causing her head to whip around, fire in her eyes as she glared at him.
“Just in case you start to mistake Drake for the next course,” he told her with a grin.
For a moment, he thought she was going to burn even hotter, but then she laughed, her shoulders relaxing. Beyond her, Drake looked torn between exasperation and relief at the interruption.
“He is far too sinewy to be pleasant to eat,” Lady Astrid said, her lips curving into a smile, her voice no longer tight with tension.
“It’s a well-known fact that dukes need tenderizing,” he replied with a wink, making her laugh again.
Now Drake frowned, then sighed. Shaking his head, he turned to speak with Tiffany, the Duchess of Clarence, who was on his right.
Matthew felt Johanna relax as well, and her focus was drawn away by a question from Christian, who was seated on her other side.
His grandmama nodded approvingly at Matthew before returning to her discussion with Nathanial.
Leaning over, Lady Astrid’s focus now on Matthew, her green eyes with their unusual gold flecks bore into his.
“Are you going to need tenderizing when it comes to Johanna?” she asked quietly but sternly. It was not exactly a threat, yet Matthew knew exactly who would do the tenderizing if she decided he did, and he had no desire to be stuck with her fork.
“She has nothing to fear from me,” he reassured her.
“She told me how you rescued her.”
That was a surprise and took Matthew aback for a moment.
But he supposed ladies did talk, and if Johanna was going to reveal their secret to anyone, the other duchesses were a good choice.
Not that Lady Astrid was a duchess yet, but that was how he thought of her.
The other dukes would know, so it only seemed right that their wives should as well.
“I was happy to.” He glanced over his shoulder at where his soon-to-be wife was listening to something Christian was saying. “No young woman should have been left in those circumstances.”
“I agree. Thank you for saving her.”
“It was all my pleasure,” Matthew said sincerely. And he felt like it was going to be even more his pleasure once he wedded her and was finally able to bed her, satiating the desire that had risen up so unexpectedly strong inside him.
Even though they were speaking with their dinner companions, rather than each other, he was acutely aware of her presence at his side.
And when the evening ended, and they parted ways, all he could think about was the fact that tomorrow night, he would finally have her beside him all night, in his bed.
He could hardly wait.