Page 17 of Married to the Duke By Midnight

“Good morning, both of you,” Thornston said as he plumped into the chair next to Robert. Thankfully he was not dressed in yesterday’s clothes as he had sometimes been when he showed up for a family breakfast. Instead, he was wearing a dark blue jacket and teal breeches.

They both greeted him: Robert with a grin and Xavier with his usual non-plussed expression.

Robert and Thornston had easily become friends at Eton, when he and Xavier had started at the age of ten. But then again Thornston was friends with everyone. It seemed to annoy him though that he was unable to make friends with Xavier. Thornston would start spending more time with them than others, simply to see if he could gain Xavier’s trust. It felt almost like Xavier had given him a challenge and Thornston had risen to it.

Robert had not thought he had made any progress until they were going home for Christmas for the first time. A week before they were due to leave, Xavier asked the orphaned Thornston whether he wanted to spend Christmas at Barforth Castle. It was the closest to tears Robert had ever seen Thornston when Xavier calmly explained that he had gained permission from their parents who in turn had sought consent from Thornston’s ward, an uncle in the military who was constantly travelling. All of it without mentioning a thing to Robert or Thornston. Since then, it had been the three of them against the world, even though Robert still had no clue what Xavier and Thornston talked about when it was just the two of them.

“How is married life?” Thornston asked Robert with a grin.

“Good,” Robert drawled.

“I would imagine.” Thornston waggled his eyebrows.

Robert rolled his eyes. Xavier was smiling slightly though.

“It is not like that,” Robert told both of them. “We haven’t…” He stopped himself even though he knew he had said too much.

Thornston hooted in delight while Xavier sent him a surprised look.

“You haven’t. What – you couldn’t get it up? I have heard that it is more common than you might think on the wedding night. Too much pressure.” Thornston smirked as he spoke.

Robert scratched his neck, thinking of whether he should reveal Jo’s second list or not. But he had already gotten himself in so deep that he might as well.

“She wants to wait. Until we know each other better,” he said and sent both of them a stern gaze to tell them that they were not to mock Jo. He had sensed how important this was to her.

“Seems like a clever decision,” was all Xavier said.

“It actually makes me like her more that she is willing to stand up to you in that manner.” Thornston was slightly more serious now.

Robert nodded curtly to let them know he had heard and that it was the end of the discussion.

“I don’t believe a word of it, Josephine!” a male voice yelled from the entrance hall not far away.

Robert was out of his chair without a second thought. His instinct was to reach Jo immediately.

8

“But it is true, Ambrose.” Jo fought to keep her tone level and her composure straight as she looked at her cousin.

She had been summoned by the Barforth butler Evans who had told her she had a visitor. Slightly uncertain, she had followed him with Helena at her heels. Ambrose had been waiting in a room just off the entrance hall but had jumped up when he had seen Jo through the open door. His obvious anger and the way he came toward her had made her retreat to the entrance hall, even though she knew she had nothing to fear from him. At least not physically.

He had demanded to know whether it was true that she had married the Duke of Riddlesmarsh. Of course, as soon as Jo confirmed it, he had claimed she was lying.

Ambrose scoffed and turned from her in a dismissive way.

“I insist on seeing proof, Josephine. You cannot have gotten married overnight, that is impossible.” He rubbed a hand over his mouth.

It felt as if ice slithered through her veins as she realized it was not coincidental that Ambrose had only given her two weeks to hand over her assets. He knew it was not enough time for the banns to be read thrice and had figured that Jo did not have time to marry.

Jo stood even straighter at his words.

“I had a special license, everything is perfectly legal, I assure you,” she said sternly and dared not look at Helena. What would her new mother-in-law be thinking of her closest relative and their relationship?

“I don’t believe a word of it, Josephine!” Ambrose shouted and made both Jo and Helena jump.

“What is the matter?” Robert asked behind her. Before Jo had time to answer, she felt his presence behind her and his hand came to land on her waist. Jo leaned into the warmth and comfort of it.

Ambrose looked stricken for a second, before he composed himself.