Lady Vivian Defies a Duke - By Samantha Grace Page 0,86
true friend by bringing this to him, and he repaid her with surliness and threats.
He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Forgive me. I am grateful for your concern, but I know Lady Vivian. She is innocent of any wrongdoing.”
Did he know it with certainty? He had accepted Vivian’s halting kisses as proof of her inexperience, but perhaps he had simply taken her by surprise when he’d kissed her at the coaching inn. In further encounters, she had behaved boldly for a virgin.
Yet she was bold in everything she did. She ran three-legged races, challenged him to swimming competitions, and jumped horses over fences. He couldn’t use the quality he most admired as a basis to judge her purity. Did it even matter?
He gritted his teeth, hating the thought of her lying with another man, but even if it were true, Vivian was still the woman he had fallen in love with at Twinspur Cottage.
“We should return before it’s discovered we are missing. Please allow me to see you safely inside.”
Johanna complied with his request, but stopped outside the door and clutched his arm. “I only want the best for you. Have I ever done anything to make you doubt my regard?”
He pressed his lips tightly together. In truth, she had been a loyal and compassionate friend these past months. He had no reason to doubt her intentions, but Johanna didn’t know Vivian like he did.
She also hadn’t known how lost he had been since his father’s death, a rudderless ship traveling away from his destiny. His future had never lain beyond the horizon. It was here in England as protector and provider for the people he loved most. Vivian had shown him the truth of his heart’s longings. He wanted a family and roots. Not to tie him down, but to nurture his growth, to make him stronger.
“You have always been a steadfast friend,” he said. “I would never question your sincerity.”
“Thank you.” Her grip relaxed. “I’d never wish to see you come to harm. I would sooner die.”
He smiled and patted her hand, trying to break free of her hold without hurting her feelings. “I wouldn’t ask you to put yourself in peril on my account, but I’m grateful for your devotion. There are other ways you could serve me, however.”
“H-how? You need only ask and I’ll grant your wish.”
Her intensity caused uneasiness to churn in his gut. Gently, he removed her hand from his forearm. “I would ask you to befriend Lady Vivian as you have me. She will need a loyal companion by her side if Collier spreads his lies to anyone else.”
Her head lowered and she said nothing for a long time while she plucked at her glove. Each movement propelled him toward an awkward awareness of something he didn’t want to acknowledge.
“I have promised to do anything for you,” she said, not looking up, “and you make a request on Lady Vivian’s behalf.”
His gaze narrowed in on her slumped posture and her fingers picking at her glove again. Damnation. Did Johanna fancy herself in love with him?
She was beyond the age when most ladies married, but she seemed to hold fast to the romantic notions of youth. Luke blamed the gothic novels she favored. And he cursed his great-uncle again for leaving her without a dowry. She likely would have enjoyed becoming a wife and mother.
But not his wife. He had never thought of her in that light. She was family, like a sister and never anything more. He had been sure her regard was similar.
He suppressed a sigh, uncertain how to proceed while allowing her to maintain her dignity. He chose the coward’s path and pretended to notice nothing out of the ordinary.
“Lady Vivian is my intended,” he said softly. “I am compelled to see to her happiness. This is the reason I make a request on her behalf.”
Johanna glanced up, her head tilted at an angle while she studied him. “You are promised to each other, and you are a man of your word.”
“I am.”
She nodded slowly as if allowing the truth to sink in. “I believe I understand now, Your Grace. And I will do whatever I can to assist you.”
Tension drained from his shoulders and he offered her an easy smile. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her by spurning her. It was a relief to be spared the difficult task. “You have a generous heart, cousin, and you will be rewarded for your service.”