Chapter 18 #2
“I will come with you,” her mother declared.
“No,” Josephine said quickly. She stopped in the entry hall and turned to face her mother. “You shouldn’t leave Town because of me.”
“I don’t care a whit about the Season,” her mother replied firmly.
Josephine arched a brow. “And what of your blooming romance with the duke?”
The softest blush tinted her mother’s cheeks. “I daresay it won’t matter soon enough.”
“If I am gone, the whispers may die down,” Josephine said. “They will leave you alone… give you the chance to explore your feelings for the duke.”
“And if they don’t?”
Josephine shrugged, though her throat tightened. “Then at least I won’t be around to hear them.”
Her mother frowned, the lines around her eyes pinching. “We could weather this storm together.”
Josephine’s chest ached. Jude’s voice echoed in her mind, warm and sure. We can weather it together. The same promise, the same hope. She let herself feel it—only for a moment.
Then she forced the memory away.
Jude was not hers.
Her mother reached out, placing a pleading hand on Josephine’s sleeve. “Why can’t you stay here with us?”
“Because I feel more at home in the woods than I do in Town,” Josephine answered. “I always have.”
“But… Josephine—”
A voice interrupted from the corridor.
“Let her go.”
Josephine turned and found her uncle stepping out of the shadows, his hands clasped behind his back.
“Thank you, Uncle Leroy.”
He offered her a kind, steady smile. “I have spoken to Alexander, and we believe it would be best if I accompany you to your country home.”
“That is most generous, but will you not miss Town?” she asked.
“Once I ensure you are safe, I will return. But not a moment before.”
Her mother pressed her lips together. “I think this is madness. Josephine should stay here… with us.”
“I find that I agree with Josephine,” Uncle Leroy said. “I heard about the article from Alexander. It will no doubt ignite a scandal.”
“Yes, but—”
He held up a hand, effectively stopping her. “I will keep her safe, Diane. You need not worry.”
“I am a mother,” Lady Redden responded. “Worrying comes with the title.”
Dupree stepped forward and bowed. “Your trunks have been packed on the coach, my lady.”
Her mother’s eyes instantly filled with tears. “I should be the one escorting you to our country home.”
“It will be all right, Mother. I promise,” Josephine said, though even she wasn’t entirely convinced. She prayed her voice didn’t betray her.
Her mother pulled her into a tight embrace. “Make sure you take two grooms with you when you go on your morning rides.”
“I will.”
“Be sure to eat everything on your plate. You are far too thin.”
Josephine released a soft laugh, her own eyes stinging. “I promise.”
“And send word when you arrive.”
“I will write the moment we reach our country home,” Josephine assured her.
“Don’t forget you get sick when you try to read in the coach.”
“I remember, Mother.”
Lady Redden’s hand rose to Josephine’s cheek, her thumb brushing away a tear. “I still think this is a terrible idea.”
Before Josephine could respond, another voice cut in.
“She will be fine,” Alexander said, stepping into view with a tight, reluctant expression. “Uncle Leroy will take good care of her.”
Josephine turned towards her brother. “Thank you for seeing me off.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he answered, though frustration crept into his tone. “But I wish you had waited until morning to start this journey. It will be dark soon, and it will be hours before you reach a respectable coaching inn.”
“I don’t want to wait another moment,” Josephine said.
He studied her for a long moment, then nodded. “I can respect that.”
Josephine hesitated, then stepped closer. “Don’t marry Lady Gwendolyn. I do not believe she will make you happy.”
Alexander stiffened. “She loves me.”
“No,” Josephine countered, shaking her head. “She loves your title.”
He looked away, his jaw clenching. “You know not what you are talking about.”
“She claimed to love Lord Pendryn, but her affections shifted to you the moment he left Town.”
“You are reading too much into that,” Alexander insisted.
“Then speak to Lord Pendryn,” Josephine encouraged. “If you don’t wish to believe me, believe him.”
Alexander leaned forward, kissed her cheek, and whispered, “Safe travels, Josephine,” before walking away.
She sighed. Her brother was too blinded by Lady Gwendolyn’s charm to see the obvious truth.
“Shall we, my dear?” Uncle Leroy asked.
“Wait,” her mother said, sweeping Josephine into one last hug. “One more.”
“I love you,” Josephine whispered into her mother’s shoulder.
“And I love you, too,” her mother replied, stepping back and wiping at her eyes.
“This isn’t goodbye,” Josephine assured her. “I’ll see you in a few months when the Season ends.”
“That is far too long,” her mother murmured, her voice cracking.
Uncle Leroy offered his arm. “We should be on the road before it grows too late.”
Josephine accepted his arm, allowing him to lead her towards the waiting coach.
Once inside, she settled her skirts and folded her trembling hands in her lap.
Doubts swarmed her mind like gnats. Leaving felt cowardly.
She hadn’t told Jude she was going. Because if she had…
he would have tried to stop her. And curse her foolish, traitorous heart—she might have let him.
But this was what she had to do. To protect him.
Besides, he would be better off without her.
At least… that was what she kept telling herself.
Josephine pressed her fingertips to the cool glass of the window just as the coach lurched forward, jolting her slightly. She focused on the passing townhouses and let the rhythm of the wheels soothe her. She didn’t feel like talking since her thoughts were too tangled, too raw.
But her uncle, it seemed, did not share in her silence.
“So…” Uncle Leroy said, folding his hands over his waistcoat as the coach picked up speed. “We are doing this?”