Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"I think it looks better without the feathers," the dowager said, tutting, as Edmund removed his mask, glancing at Johanna as he did and smiling.

"I think the more flamboyant the better, Mother," he replied.

"Oh, but they're such silly things—masquerades. A vain importation from the continent. You didn't go to such things with your aunt when you were traveling, did you, Johanna?" the dowager asked, looking disapprovingly at Johanna, who blushed behind her own mask—an elaborate design in red and gold, tied around her head with a silk bow.

"I did, yes. I rather enjoy them—but it's different in Venice," Johanna said, trying to remain diplomatic.

"Well, I'm glad I'm not going. I don't really care for Wilhelmina Morton, though I suppose there's no question of not asking her to the Beaumont Dinner—there's still so much to organize. Did you check over the seating plan I gave you, Johanna? I'm sure you agree with it," the dowager said.

Johanna nodded. She had checked over the seating plan, though as for ensuring its propriety, she was at a loss. Whether Lord this sat next to Lady that, or didn't, meant nothing to her, and in being asked to assist with the arrangements, Johanna had come to realize how little she knew about such matters, and was grateful to her mother-in-law for being the guiding hand behind what was meant to be her own grand debut.

"Entirely," Johanna said, and the dowager nodded.

"Very good. Well, as long as the two of you enjoy yourselves this evening…" she said, and Edmund now offered Johanna his arm.

"We will do, Mother. It's only a bit of fun," he replied.

Once in the carriage, Johanna removed her mask and Edmund did the same, the two of them smiling at one another across the compartment.

"I'm sorry if this is a chore," Edmund said, but Johanna shook her head.

"No...it's not. I'm sure we'll have a lovely evening. Besides, behind a mask, it's much easier not to be noticed. Perhaps we won't be whispered about," she said.

Rumors about her being with child were still circulating, and it seemed the ton was not yet ready to move on to a different source of scandal. But Johanna and Edmund were determined to present a united front, and in doing so, Johanna could not help but feel a growing intimacy between them.

The day they had spent together at Kew had been a delight, and in the days that followed, they had visited the theater and picnicked in the park opposite Beaumont House. There had been no sense of show or duty in these moments, but rather, a shared delight in spending time with one another and discovering the many things they had in common, not least an interest in travel and far-off places. Edmund was fascinated by Johanna's stories about the continent and her experiences there and had told her of his longing to see such places for himself.

"You don't need to worry. They'll soon find something far more interesting to talk about, I'm sure," Edmund said as their carriage now pulled up outside the home of Lavinia and her parents.

As Edmund helped Johanna climb down from the compartment, they were greeted by a throng of masked revelers on the steps. It felt to Johanna as though she was back in Venice with her aunt. The masks were spectacular—a riot of colors and feathers—and it was impossible to tell who was who.

"Johanna, there you are—I think," a voice called out, and a woman in a red gown, wearing a gold and silver mask hurried over to her.

"Oh, Tabitha—how did you know it was me?" Johanna exclaimed, recognizing her friend's voice.

"The coat of arms on the side of the carriage—I knew it was yours. The three hounds and the crossed cutlasses for the earls of Beaumont," Tabitha replied, and Johanna laughed.

"How observant. I wouldn't have known them myself if I'd seen them. Shall we go inside?" she asked.

"Why don't you go in with Edmund? I'll see you in there," Tabitha said, and Johanna nodded.

She knew she had behaved out of turn at the previous ball—rushing ahead before she was announced—and now she turned to Edmund, who offered her his arm.

"Let's go inside before anyone else recognizes the coat of arms," she said, and Edmund laughed.

"Come along. We won't be announced, not at a masquerade. We can slip in unnoticed," he said, and the two of them made their way up the steps, following the crowd into the house.

Telling who was who was nigh on impossible. Some of the masks covered the entire faces of the revelers, others hid only their eyes, and in the mix of colors, feathers, and elaborate designs, the crowd blended into one. The ballroom was of a moderate size, but the guests numbered over a hundred, and the atmosphere was somewhat stifling. Edmund led Johanna to the side of the room, where a long table was laden with refreshments. The musicians were preparing for their first dance, and now Tabitha came pushing her way through the crowd, accompanied by a man in a mask covering only his eyes—a man Johanna recognized from his jawline.

"Roger, I didn't realize you'd be here," Johanna said as her brother removed the mask from his eyes.

"Lavinia invited me. She's over there in the mask with the peacock feathers. I wasn't going to come, but Tabitha insisted," he said, glancing at Johanna's friend and smiling.

"Well, I'm glad she did," Johanna replied.

"So am I," Roger replied.

She had feared Roger's intentions lay in the direction of Lavinia, but to think he might be persuaded toward Tabitha pleased her. Tabitha had been unlucky in love, but she was a charming, gentle creature, entirely deserving of the happiness she so longed for—to be married and raise a family. This was Roger's desire, too—he had confided as much in Johanna after telling her of his intention to settle down and make himself worthy of inheriting the title that would one day be his. The match was one Johanna wanted to encourage, and now, as the musicians finished tuning their instruments, she made the suggestion.

"Are the two of you going to dance? We are, aren't we, Edmund?" Johanna said, and Edmund nodded.

"Yes, we certainly are," he said, and Tabitha and Roger looked at one another and laughed.

"We've already marked our dance cards. Come along, you two, they're starting the first dance," Tabitha said, taking Johanna by the hand.

The two men followed, and despite the overcrowding in the ballroom, the dancing began.

"I'm so pleased about Roger and Tabitha," Johanna said as she and Edmund danced together in the waltz.

"They make a delightful couple—truly, they do," Edmund replied.

"She's always been so unlucky in love—it's the fault of the men, of course," Johanna said, recalling the many times Tabitha had wept in her arms over a failed romance.

"It always is," Edmund said, and Johanna laughed.

"I didn't mean it like that. Besides, that's not true. Not all men are like that. You proved that to me," she replied.

Edmund seemed surprised at her words, but they were true. There had been no compulsion on his part to marry her. Men behaved dreadfully in matters of the heart all the time—Tabitha was proof of that. It would have been the easiest thing in the world for Edmund to wash his hands of any sense of responsibility. He could have refused to marry her, not even making the suggestion to do so. But he had not. Instead, he'd done the honorable thing, saving her from certain ruin. And now the honorable thing had turned into something more…

"Did I?" he asked, and Johanna nodded.

"Absolutely, you did. You married me, didn't you?" she said, smiling at him as he laughed.

"And I'm glad I did, and I hope you are, too. And not just to save us from whatever maliciousness the likes of the Parker sisters might have in store. I'm truly glad we found one another, Johanna," he said.

A shiver ran through Johanna at his words, and she could not help but once again that deepening sense of intimacy between them.

"Very glad, yes. I didn't think...well, there were practical reasons, of course, but...there's more to it than that, isn't there?" she said, and he nodded.

Johanna felt a sense of relief at this—at knowing he felt the same. It was a strange feeling, a sense of mutual understanding. And more than that, a shared intimacy, a growing attachment between them. Johanna did not know what it was like to fall in love. She knew what it was to be attracted to a man—the continent had been filled with attractive men—but as for feeling something more, as for falling in love…

"A great deal more, yes. You're a remarkable woman, Johanna. I hope you realize that," Edmund replied as the dance came to an end.

Johanna blushed as the two of them stepped out of the throng, the other couples bowing and curtsying to one another around the room. Johanna did not know quite what to say. It was an admission of something more between them, the unspoken becoming the spoken. She was flattered by his words, by his attentions, by him…

"It's very kind of you to say so," Johanna replied.

"And I think you look very beautiful this evening—mask or no mask," he said.

At these words, Johanna's heart skipped a beat. No one had ever called her beautiful before. It was a compliment she was only too glad to receive, one she would treasure, knowing it came from a place of sincerity. There was no reason for him to say it, no compulsion. But in doing so, Edmund had proved the change she had come to notice in their relationship—that there was now more to it than mere convenience.

"And you look very handsome—with or without your mask," she replied, smiling at him as he laughed.

"Come along, let's get some punch. I see Tabitha and Roger are getting along well," he said, glancing in the direction of the couple, who were flirting insatiably in a corner of the room.

Johanna smiled, hoping the evening would mark the beginning of a happy ending for her brother and Tabitha, as well as a moment she and Edmund would cherish, too.