me, and then he left me.”
Make that two guns pointed his direction. Never had Vivi despised anyone as she did that despicable excuse for a man. “He will pay for what he has done. Luke will see to it.”
“It doesn’t change anything. My life is over.”
There was a soft knock, and the door slowly swung open. Luke eased into the room. “May I come inside? I have a proposition from Viscount Brookhaven. He hopes you will consider his offer.”
“No,” Johanna mumbled. “Please, I cannot show my face to anyone ever again.”
Vivi grabbed Johanna’s hands and pulled. “Oh, come now, Miss Truax. You are made of sterner stuff than this.” Eventually, the other woman sat up on the edge of the bed beside Vivi, her head lowered and hair falling forward to shield her face.
Vivi nodded to Luke to indicate he should proceed.
“Lord Brookhaven feels responsible for your circumstances, at least to some degree. Had he not brought Jonathan Collier to Irvine Castle, none of this would have happened.”
“I am to blame,” Johanna said. “Please tell Lord Brookhaven I do not hold him responsible. I harbor no ill feelings toward him.”
The door swung open wider, and Lord Brookhaven filled the threshold. “That is a relief, Miss Truax,” he said with a smile. “If you hated me, it might make life a tad more difficult for us.”
Johanna blinked up at him. “How so, my lord?”
He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. “I think we may be able to help each other, Miss Truax. It seems you need a home, and I have need of a wife to manage my household.”
Johanna gazed at him warily as if she expected he was playing a trick on them all.
“Uh…It’s a rather daunting undertaking,” Brookhaven said and scratched his whiskered jaw. “I can understand your reluctance. Perhaps you have heard tales of my offspring?”
She shook her head.
“Oh! Well, splendid. I had feared—” He waved his hand in the air like he wished to wipe away his last statement. “It doesn’t matter. I bid you to say nothing until you understand the terms. My wife left me with six offspring, five boys, all of them as wild as March hares, and one sweet young girl, who may be mute. She is still a youngster, so there is a chance she may speak eventually, but I cannot say with certainty she will. I have had difficulty keeping a governess, and I haven’t time to place another advertisement or conduct interviews. My duties call me away often, so there would be many days the children would be under your rule alone.”
“Did you mean to say that you wish for me to be a governess to your children?”
“No, no. I have gone that route and every one of the women has left us. A wife seems the better bet.”
Tight lines appeared around Johanna’s mouth. “I see. A wife cannot leave so easily.”
Lord Brookhaven pointed at her and grinned. “Exactly. You are a clever one, Miss Truax. In case you are wondering what you will receive in return, besides a roof over your head, I will provide a reasonable clothing allowance so you may dress as one would expect of a viscountess. And you will have ample pin money to purchase whatever you would like for entertainment.”
The harsh lines in Johanna’s face began to soften. “Do you want more children, my lord?”
He shrugged. “Not particularly, but if you find you are with Mr. Collier’s child, I shall claim him as my own.”
Vivi and Johanna gasped.
“So there you have it, Miss Truax. All the terms of my proposal. Would you like time to consider it before you reply?”
She stared at him with her mouth agape. Lord Brookhaven began to fidget with his cravat and shot a look at Luke. When a bead of sweat popped up on his forehead, Vivi elbowed Johanna in the side.
“Yes,” she blurted. “I mean, I don’t need time to consider. I accept.”
Lord Brookhaven blew out a long breath. “Very well. Then I shall await you in the dining room. We should have a good meal before we set off for Gretna Green.”
When the viscount left, Luke gave Johanna a brief nod then spoke to Vivi. “I will send for Brookhaven’s servants. I’ll be in the stable yard. Will you be long?”
“I want to assist Miss Truax with setting herself back to rights then I will join you.”
“Very well.”
Johanna’s head dropped when he quit the room without a word for her. “He hates me