Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Matthew
There was something amiss with his wife. Ever since her megrim, she’d been… well, she’d been herself, but there was something amiss.
Matthew was not certain anyone else knew it, either. He did not think he would be able to describe the difference if asked. There was just something off about her. The only other person who seemed suspicious was Rose, but he could not even be sure of that. Rose always watched Johanna closely.
Perhaps it was the upcoming ball.
Which his wife did seem nervous about. Though so did Rose.
They were both attending quite a few of Bridget’s dance lessons, which Charlotte was now joining in on because she thought they looked fun.
Her joining had spurred Bridget to take them more seriously, as she did not want to be outdone by her younger sister.
As promised, Matthew brought in several of his friends to assist the day before the ball.
Christian, Sebastian, and Zachary all answered his call.
Not only that, but Nathanial brought his sisters, Fiona and Emma, and Kalina’s brother, Ashwin, as well.
Which meant Micah came to join them to practice.
It was a very full dance lesson.
“You cannot just dance with me,” Johanna protested as Matthew took her hand for the third song in a row. “You need to dance with the others as well.”
“At the actual ball, yes, but not during the lessons.” Matthew glanced around. “Besides, everyone has their partners already.”
Micah was with Emma, Ashwin with Bridget—and looking appropriately terrified of her—Sebastian had claimed Fiona, and Zachary was bowing over Charlotte’s hand, which left Rose glaring at Christian as if daring him to ask her to dance.
She’d already partnered with Micah and Ashwin for the first two dances.
“Go dance with Rose,” Johanna commanded. “She’ll dance with you.”
Sighing and trying not to feel as though his wife was avoiding his company—a feeling he’d had the past few days, ever since her megrim, despite her company in his bed every night—Matthew obliged.
He stepped beside Christian, who appeared increasingly frustrated at Rose’s disinterest in his company, which was not something he was used to.
As the acknowledged Adonis of the ton… ladies chased him, not the other way round.
“Would you just dance with me?” Christian asked in a low voice, his brow furrowed, not seeming to register Matthew’s presence at his side. To be fair, Rose was glaring so hard at Christian, her arms crossed over the deep red fabric of her dress, she did not seem to notice Matthew either.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because.”
“That is not a reason!”
Matthew cleared his throat. Both of them whipped their heads in his direction, clearly startled he was now beside them. He smiled disarmingly.
“Johanna says we cannot dance three songs in a row. Christian, would you oblige my wife in partnering her for this one?”
“Of course,” Christian said, straightening up and squaring his shoulders. “It will be a pleasure to dance with a lady who is not a termagant.”
Rose audibly gasped, though she did not have time to respond before Christian had swiftly moved out of earshot.
Instead, she ended up muttering something under her breath that Matthew was certain was horribly unflattering.
He smiled at her genially. Rose was as prickly as the stems of the flower from which she got her name, but he did like her quite a bit.
Whether or not she liked him was up for debate, but she seemed to tolerate him for Johanna’s sake, and she had expressed her gratitude for the attention he paid Micah.
“My lady,” he said, holding out his hand as Christian took his place with Johanna, and the music began to start.
“I am not a lady.” Exasperated, Rose did not uncross her arms. “I was helping Micah and Ashwin learn how to dance. You do not need my assistance.”
“But Johanna will be put out with me if I do not dance with you,” he pointed out, still holding out his hand, smiling widely. “Besides, I wish to speak with you privately. About her. This is as good an opportunity as ever.”
Curiosity piqued, Rose’s mouth set in a mulish line before she sighed and let her guard drop, placing her hand in his with clear reluctance.
Matthew could not help but be amused. He put his hand on her waist, and they moved into the steps of the country dance, joining the others.
It was the perfect opportunity to speak with her as this particular dance did not require them to switch partners.
“What about Johanna?” Rose asked in a low voice, glancing over at where Christian and Johanna were now dancing. He said something to make Johanna laugh. Matthew felt his chest constrict, though not as much as it had when he and Johanna had first married.
Now he recognized the emotion for what it was—jealousy. He no longer worried that his wife would like one of his friends better than him, though. He just wanted to be the one making her laugh. But he liked hearing her laugh regardless of whether he was the instigator or not.
“Does she seem… different to you?”
Rose glanced over at Johanna again, her feet stepping perfectly into place, despite her distraction.
She really was a very good dancer. Perfect for Micah and Ashwin, who may have overestimated their abilities after dancing with her; both of them were now floundering with Emma and Bridget.
Matthew winced as Ashwin and Bridget crashed into each other rather than stepping away from each other, and the dance instructor immediately went to untangle them and walk them through the correct steps.
“Different how?” Rose’s tone was guarded, but since she did not immediately deny it, Matthew felt more certain that Rose had noticed it too.
“I cannot put my finger on it, but she has been different ever since the evening of her megrim. It is not in how she behaves. She is doing everything the same as she was before. But she is… different.” He could feel his mounting frustration in his words. “I do not know how to explain it.”
Rose let out a long breath of air as they circled around each other, looking up at him. For the first time, Matthew thought he might actually see approval in her expression when she looked at him, which was a rather lofty feeling. Rose’s approval was not easily won.
“Yes,” she said, nodding her head. She glanced over at Johanna, who was smiling widely at Christian as they danced together, looking for all the world as if everything was just fine. But Matthew knew better. So did Rose. “Yes, she is different. Something is wrong. But she will not tell me what.”
Johanna
“Why is your cousin so…” The Duke of Montagu’s voice trailed off, and he snapped his mouth shut, clenching his jaw so tightly she could practically hear his teeth grinding together.
His blond hair waved back from his handsome face, a face that likely caused many a female heart to flutter but had had very little effect on Rose.
Even Johanna thought him one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen, but if Rose had noticed it, she’d never indicated so.
Perhaps Rose preferred darker features, rather than Montagu’s blond Adonis.
Johanna might recognize him as a gorgeous creature, but she preferred her husband’s dark locks and wide smile to Montagu’s more calculated charm.
“Delightful?” Johanna suggested with an impish smile.
Though her mother’s secret was always hovering in the back of her mind now, it was easier to relax in front of someone who was not her husband or Rose. Though she liked the Duke of Montagu, he did not know her very well. It was unlikely he would realize something was amiss with her.
She thought—hoped—she was fooling Matthew, but sometimes, he looked at her in such a way, she felt certain he suspected something.
Rose definitely did. But Johanna was still keeping her mother’s secret, and her mother was still not leaving her room.
Not because she was too weak or sick, but because she was too afraid.
Which left Dr. Syme and Rose at a loss. They could find nothing wrong with her, yet her mother insisted she remain abed.
Johanna wished she could do the same. It would be so much easier to just avoid everyone rather than having to pretend everything was fine. At least she had quite a bit of practice at it. Her siblings suspected nothing.
“Yes,” Christian said dryly. “Delightful is exactly the word I was looking for.”
She could not help but laugh at his aggrieved tone of voice.
“I think you are perhaps a little too used to ladies falling at your feet for your handsome looks,” Johanna said, smiling up at him as they moved through the steps.
Thankfully, this was a dance in which she was well versed, unlike some of the others.
Her parents had taught them to her the year before her father passed.
“It will take more than a pretty face to turn Rose’s head. ”
“I am not trying to turn her head, I am just… trying to be polite.” Christian frowned down at Johanna. “Does she think I am trying to turn her head?”
“I have no idea. But Rose is very guarded when it comes to gentlemen.” Guarded and with very little personal experience. Not from lack of offers, but the majority of the offers were not honorable.
Being illegitimate but acknowledged, raised with her cousins, Rose knew what those offers meant.
And from helping Johanna’s mother with the women who visited, seeking potions and other assistance, she knew how hard life could be, especially for mothers of bastards who were unacknowledged. In many ways, Rose had been lucky.
She would not risk a child of hers being less lucky.
“I just wanted to dance with her, not court her,” Christian huffed. “She’s very prickly.”
“With good reason, I assure you. Some gentlemen are not so gentlemanly,” Johanna reminded him gently.
The sudden fire in his eyes and the way he puffed up were completely unexpected.