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Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

" W hat do you think? Quite impressive, is it not?"

Johnathan nodded as he admired Lord Sutton's pocket watch and matching snuff box, which he kept empty. Apparently, Lady Sutton did not like tobacco and Lord Sutton respected his wife too much to do what she did not like.

"A splendid make, my lord," Johnathan admitted, awed by the craftmanship. He held up the snuffbox to the chandelier of the parlor they were standing in. As customary as it had become, they had all retired to the parlor after a particularly lively dinner earlier. The only difference was that this time, Lady Sutton was the one playing the pianoforte, claiming it had been a while since she'd played for others and ‘wanted to see if she was still as perfect as she was once was'.

And there was no denying that she was. Her beautifully crafted music relaxed Johnathan as he studied the snuff box.

"A relic from India," the viscount told him. "There are very few of them still in existence. I was lucky enough to have procured not only the box but the matching pocket watch as well. So don't bother asking me to name a price, Your Grace,"

Johnathan chuckled alongside him, not bothering to inform the viscount that he was nothing but a penniless duke and could hardly afford to keep the roof over their heads. "And just like that, I have been thwarted."

"Have you been to India, Your Grace? Or rather, do you have any plans of returning in the future?"

"I have, during my travels before I assumed the dukedom, my lord. As for plans to return, I have not considered any."

"Good," Lord Sutton responded with a nod. "I was half afraid that you would consider taking our dear Caroline to India for your honeymoon. I should tell you right now that she will much prefer a far more romantic destination. Like the British Isles or Scotland."

Johnathan hadn't even considered having an expensive honeymoon. He was a bit relieved that he didn't have to think about that any longer now that he was determined to pair Miss Caroline with his brother.

"You seem to be quite close with Miss Caroline," he commented.

"She is like a daughter to us. I hope for a good match for her as I do Agnes. This situation seems to be the best case to have found ourselves in."

Johnathan considered testing the waters. After all, he hadn't forgotten that he had been the one to arrange the match between Agnes and his brother. Which meant the onus was on him to convince the viscount that such a match was no longer in the best interest of the affected parties.

"Father, are you boring His Grace with your tales from India?"

Right on cue, his heart stopped in his chest. Johnathan had to hold himself incredibly still to keep from whirling upon Agnes' approach. She'd been by Miss Caroline's side ever since they returned from their pall mall game and even though they had been engaged in conversation during dinner, they hadn't had much direct conversation since.

"You are the only one who finds them boring, Agnes," her father quipped without a moment's hesitation.

"That is because I cannot yet relate to them." Catching Johnathan's eye, she added, "I have always wanted to go to India, you see. Perhaps for my honeymoon."

"Your honeymoon?" he echoed dumbly. "I would have thought you'd prefer a far more romantic destination."

"Romantics have never been of much interest to me," she said dismissively. "But if not for my honeymoon, perhaps I shall find some other opportunity to visit. If only to see the merchants Father likes to go on about."

"Do not let her fool you, Your Grace," the viscount said. "She loves my stories from my travels."

Agnes grinned at that but said no word of protest. Johnathan filed that tidbit of information away with the other little things he'd learned about her since they'd met. Things that were only piling up, only making him want to know more.

"Well, I did not come to interrupt your conversation for long," Agnes went on. "I only came to make a suggestion to His Grace."

"A suggestion about what?" he asked.

"About what we should do tomorrow. Caroline and I would love to see the village. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all make an outing out of it early tomorrow morning?"

"You would like to see the village?" Christopher jumped in. Johnathan hadn't even noticed his approach.

Agnes nodded at him and Christopher grinned.

"A wonderful suggestion, Miss Agnes! It has been some time since I've gone out into the village myself. I would love to act as a guide."

"Are there many things to do?" Agnes asked.

"Quite so. As a matter of fact, it may be best for us to leave directly after breakfast if we wish to take advantage of the time."

"Then I leave it in your hands, Lord Christopher."

"Just Christopher," he corrected with a wink. Johnathan felt a surge of something dark at the sight. Even when Agnes gave him a polite smile in response and watched him walk away, Johnathan could not be rid of the feeling.

His brother was likely putting on a front for his sake and the sake of Lord Sutton, Johnathan knew. That was the only rational thought coursing through his mind. The other, more pressing, thoughts were consumed with white-hot jealousy that gripped him by the throat and refused to let go.

"Let me go and congratulate my beautiful wife on her wonderful playing," he heard the viscount say and Lord Sutton was all too happy to head Lady Sutton's way. But Johnathan was still thinking about the little smile Agnes had given Christopher.

"Johnathan?"

Agnes' voice brought him back to the present. He looked at her. "Pardon me," he murmured.

"You seemed to have disappeared for a moment," she commented, still studying him. "Are you all right?"

"Quite so."

"Does the idea of going to the village not interest you then?" she asked. "I thought it would be good for Caroline and Christopher to spend time with each other, you see."

Johnathan gritted his teeth, annoyed with himself for the irrational jealousy still coursing through his body. "May I ask you a question, Agnes?"

"Go right ahead," she said amicably.

"What do you want for your future?" She tilted his head at him so he clarified. "You are forgoing your future for that of your friend's. An admirable decision, I do admit, but I cannot help but wonder if you have given any thought to what you will do after everything is said and done."

"I have not given it any thought, no."

Her response was so swift that Johnathan couldn't help gaping at her. Agnes caught his look and laughed.

"It sounds mad, does it not?" she sighed. "But I do not mind. What matters right now is that Caroline is happy and no longer has to sneak around to enjoy her love. It should be enjoyed out loud and in the open. I'm sure you feel the same way regarding your brother or you would not have been so willing to help me in my quest."

"Yes, but our circumstances are different."

"Different in what way? Because you are a duke and I am nothing but the daughter of a viscount?"

"I would not have worded it in that manner but essentially, yes."

To his relief, she didn't take offense to that, laughing instead. "It may be far easier for you to find another wife than it would be for me to find another potential husband. Especially since I am quite picky as it is."

"Picky? In what manner?"'

"Well certainly you do not think that Christopher was my first option, do you?"

Johnathan was suddenly crossed between intrigue and dread. He wanted to know more, as he did with anything regarding Agnes but had a feeling he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.

So he focused on the others in the room. Lord and Lady Sutton murmuring and giggling to each other like two young people in love, the others sitting in the center of the room talking about God knew what. Christopher carried the conversation, Paul interjecting now and again. Miss Caroline seemed content to simply listen while Lord and Lady Reeds struggled to seem interested in the conversation. Of course, the dowager duchess had opted out of dining with them but Johnathan didn't mind so much this evening.

Everyone was caught up in their own things, paying scant attention to him and Agnes. Johnathan decided that they should take full advantage of their situation.

"So you have been betrothed before," he said at last.

Agnes shook his head but Johnathan didn't let himself feel relieved. "Betrothed? No. It had never gotten that far. But I have been courted by a number of gentlemen who have made it no secret that they wished to ask for my hand in marriage."

"Pray tell what had caused so many gentlemen to fail your scrutiny."

"Well, Lord Johnson was dreadfully dull. Lord Rutledge was quite banal. I did not like the manner in which Lord Kenton licked his lips after every sentence."

Johnathan couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped his lips. "When you said you were picky, I did not think you were serious."

"I am always serious, John," she told him despite the smile playing around her lips. "But I must admit that my pickiness is what landed me here in the first place."

"Ah, so you were out of options."

"Not so much out of options as I was reminded that I do not have all the time in the world. Any longer and I would have become a spinster."

"Why am I already under the impression that you would not have minded that fate very much?"

"On the contrary, John, I do wish to be married and have a family of my own. I simply want to be smart about it."

"So tell me, would you have gone ahead and married my brother had Miss Caroline not harbored feelings for him?"

She studied Christopher for a moment. Long enough to make Johnathan regret asking the question in the first place.

"That I cannot say," she said at last.

It was the best response he could have hoped to hear. Johnathan chided himself for having voiced the question in the first place. It shouldn't bother him if she'd said yes. After all, only a short while ago, that was what he'd wanted, wasn't it? For both him and his brother to secure fortuitous matches that would allow them to finally poke their heads above the water their father had left behind for them to drown in. Jonathan would have felt nothing but dismay if Agnes had opted out of the marriage.

But now, he felt something akin to delight. Something he should not allow himself to feel. Something that made his heart constrict and his breathing grow shallow at the thought of Agnes walking down the aisle to meet Christopher.

"You've disappeared again," she said softly, pulling him from the dark corner he was quickly sequestering himself within.

Jonathan blinked, forcing a smile onto his face. "Pardon me. I was only imagining the look on those poor gentlemen's faces when they learned that you would not share in their affections."

Agnes laughed again, the sound easily clearing the dark cloud that had settled over Johnathan's mind. "I assure you, it did not affect them as much as you might think."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Oh?" She shifted slightly, giving him her full attention. "Why do you say that?"

"You are not an easily forgettable lady," he confessed.

Agnes tilted her head, blinking in bemusement. "At the risk of sounding incredibly inane, I'm afraid I do not understand. What is it about me that is so unforgettable?"

Jonathan's heart fluttered. The others still weren't paying them much mind which meant he was free to speak as he wished. Free to tell her exactly what was on his mind.

"I may sound like a man stating the obvious, Agnes, but you are a vision. Standing in your presence alone, next to such an ethereal beauty, would be enough to make any gentleman feel as if they are on top of the world. Not to mention your sharp wit and endearing humor, I would be hard pressed to leave your side if I were courting you. And, if you were to reject me, I cannot imagine how I could ever recover."

A beat of silence followed his words. Jonathan avoided looking at Agnes, feigning a nonchalance that he did not feel. He already regretted saying so much. He shouldn't have revealed what was hidden in his heart, things he'd hardly had time to process for himself.

"But," he began again, already sweating under her lack of response. "I am not courting you and would never find myself in such a position. I only speak as if I would."

The silence persisted. Uncomfortable with all that he'd said, he glanced anxiously at her. She was staring at him as if she could not quite figure out what to make of what he'd said.

He couldn't blame her. Johnathan could not remember the last time he'd spoken his mind so freely. Choosing his words and minding his manners had been his default ever since he became the duke.

"I hadn't noticed it had gotten so late," he said suddenly. "It has been quite an interesting day, to be sure. But I am quite exhausted. I believe it is time for me to retire to bed. Goodnight, Agnes."

Johnathan stepped away from her, not sparing her another look. If he did, he knew whatever look she was giving him would only make him want to bury himself further. God, if there was ever a time not to put his foot in his mouth, it was now.

He quickly bid everyone else goodnight, ignoring the odd look his brother was giving him as he made his hasty farewell. Johnathan didn't allow himself to breathe until he was well on his way to his chambers. And only when he was securely on the other end did he think back on all that he'd revealed to her.

He was developing feelings for her. There was no denying it now. Not to himself and, he feared, not to Agnes either. He'd all but given her a love confession!

Johnathan raked his fingers through his hair in frustration, embarrassed that he'd let himself say so much. How could did he ever intend to face her tomorrow?

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