inclined his head to her. “As you wish. I will see you tomorrow, bijou.”
“Lady Josephine to you, rotter,” the earl said.
Decker bit the inside of his cheek to keep from responding, doing his best to ignore his future brother-in-law.
Good God, he was going to get married.
“Heaven help me, where have I gone wrong, Josephine? Two sisters, two forced weddings.”
Jo faced her brother Julian’s wrath as they journeyed back home, wishing the carriage floor would open and swallow her whole. “Your wedding was forced as well,” she dared to remind him.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do not speak unless it is required of you, my lady. My wedding has nothing to do with this.”
“You asked me a question,” she pointed out, feeling more daring than she probably ought. “I was merely reminding you that you are far from a saint yourself.”
“I never should have allowed the two of you to remain with Aunt Lydia as long as I did,” he said, disgust lacing his words. “I hold her responsible for the wayward misses she foisted upon me.”
“Alexandra is happily married to Lord Harry,” she grumbled. “I hardly think her a wayward miss.”
“I agree. What you have done is far, far worse than any wrong steps your sister made,” he said sternly. “She merely managed to find herself in a deal of trouble in a carriage at a country house party. You, however, have been gallivanting about London in the midst of the night on no less than three occasions with a known rakehell who runs one of the wickedest clubs in London and collects vulgar art and literature.”
Jo frowned at her brother. “First, I was not suggesting that what I have done was more egregious than Alexandra. Second, how do you know how many times I met with Decker?”
“A concerned servant spied you going into a strange carriage the evening you claimed to be too sick to attend Lord and Lady Helmhurst’s soiree.” His countenance was as grim as if he were about to attend a funeral.
“Lord and Lady Helmhurst are terribly boring. She laughs like a braying donkey, she only wants to discuss her various ailments, and all he talks about is hunting,” she defended. “Do you know, I once suffered through a dinner engagement during which Lady Helmhurst monopolized the conversation to talk about her gout?”
She was attempting to lighten his dark mood, it was true. Julian was not ordinarily so disapproving. He was a caring, generous brother who she knew loved her as much as she loved him. But the brother before her now little resembled that man, and she did not like it. And if she were completely honest with herself, she would admit that she also felt a great deal of guilt at deceiving him and disappointing him.
To say nothing of the hideous purple bruise marring his jaw.
Poor Decker had hardly been in finer fettle himself, his left eye nearly swelled shut by the time they had taken their leave.
Two good men, sparring like prizefighters. All her fault.
“I do not give a damn if you had to listen to Lady Helmhurst drone on about her gout for an entire year,” Julian was bellowing at her now. “There is no excuse for sneaking about with seasoned miscreants such as Elijah Decker. I know his kind. I was his kind, once upon a time. Thank the Lord the servant saw you on the second night as well. I began having your correspondence intercepted.”
“You had my correspondence intercepted!” The invasion of privacy rankled. Her cheeks went hot as she thought of some of the early missives she had exchanged with Decker. It was personal, all of it. “How dare you, Julian? You had no right to read my private letters!”
“I had every right, as I was attempting to keep you from folly.” He passed a hand over his face, looking suddenly, unaccountably weary. “I would have been there to stop you before you rode off with him tonight, but Clara was feeling ill, and with her being so near to her confinement, I hated to leave.”
“Is Clara well?” she asked, concern for her sister-in-law taking precedence.
“She seemed so when I left, though I expect my return looking as if I just fought the Battle of Waterloo will hardly be improving upon her delicate constitution,” he said pointedly.
Jo knew another stab of remorse for her actions. It was true that she had been selfish when she had begun sneaking away to meet Decker. She had only been thinking