Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"He plans to invite Lavinia and Wilhelmina to the Beaumont Dinner?" Tabitha exclaimed.

"That's right, but he hasn't explained exactly why...I don't know, Tabitha. I don't like it. I know the rumors about me are circulating. They're being believed, too. It's simply awful. I just wish...oh, I just wish I'd never gone to that awful masquerade ball," Johanna said.

She was fearful as to what the future held. She and Edmund had avoided one scandal, but now it was as though they had stepped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Edmund had tried to reassure Johanna, telling her he had everything in hand. But lately, he was being somewhat secretive, and the fact of his intending to invite Lavinia and Wilhelmina to the Beaumont Dinner seemed like disturbing a den of vipers…

"But you did, and there's nothing to be done about it except to hope it won't cause too much trouble. Rumors fly about all the time. It'll all be forgotten about by next month," Tabitha replied.

"That's easy for you to say. You and Roger are the perfect couple," Johanna replied.

The two women were promenading in the park. Johanna had accompanied Tabitha reluctantly. She had hated the thought of people looking at her, and several had already done so, whispering behind their fans. It was humiliating, and Edmund had done nothing save talk about a vague plan to set matters straight. She was relieved he believed her, but if the rest of the ton were not convinced, the pair would live their lives always as the married couple dogged not by one scandal, but by two.

"We're not the perfect couple, Johanna. Scandals come in many forms. None of us are immune. Anyway, I haven't even seen him today," Tabitha replied, as though a day apart was reason to believe they were not madly in love—which they so obviously were.

"No...he's doing a job for Edmund," Johanna replied.

Tabitha looked at her curiously.

"A job for Edmund? What sort of job?" she asked, and Johanna smiled.

"Spying. He's gone to Lavinia's house—her father's house—to speak to the servants. Lavinia and Wilhelmina always go out to promenade in the morning, and Lavinia's father will be at Parliament for the day. Edmund thinks he can discover something from the servants, but it wouldn't do for him to go. He might be recognized. Again, I don't know the reason. Edmund's been so vague recently. I think he's trying to protect me. But I want to know," Johanna said.

She did not like being kept in the dark over such serious matters. The organization of the Beaumont Dinner had been handed to the dowager, and Johanna felt like a pawn in a game, even as Edmund continued to assure her it was for her own good. Roger appeared to be a willing participant in Edmund's plans, but the thought of him sneaking around and spying was distasteful. Johanna could only imagine what their mother would say…

"How curious. It seems a very strange thing to do. But I suppose Edmund knows what he's doing, but...oh, look, there's Lavinia and her mother," Tabitha exclaimed, clutching Johanna's arm as she spoke.

Johanna looked up to see Lavinia and Wilhelmina walking toward them, arm in arm. There was no question of their avoiding them, and as the pair approached, Lavinia smirked.

"It's always better to walk unmasked, I find," she said.

Johanna glared at her.

"Good day, Lavinia. Good day, Wilhelmina," she said.

There was no point in adding fuel to the fire. Lavinia was a master at using anything she could for her own gain. If Johanna was rude to her in any way, Lavinia could be certain of using it against her.

"I'm surprised you dare be seen in public, Johanna. There's no point lying about what happened. We all saw you. Why don't you do the honorable thing and admit it? The whole ton is talking about it," Wilhelmina said.

Again, Johanna had to try hard to control her temper. It was the injustice of it all that hurt the most. Had she really been involved in a scandal with Lord Fitzroy, then she would deserve to be the source of gossip. But it was not the case, and Johanna was determined to stand her ground, even as she knew what Edmund had told her to do.

"I have nothing to be ashamed of, and...well, I don't want us to fight over this, Lavinia," she said.

Lavinia narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean?" she asked as though finding something suspicious in Johanna's words.

"I mean...I don't want us to be...enemies," Johanna continued.

Edmund had told her to be civil to Lavinia. It was imperative they lull her into a false sense of security, and make her believe there was every possibility of her plan succeeding.

"Is that so? Well...I don't know about that, Johanna. You and I have rather different views on the matter at hand. Besides, it wouldn't do to be associated with scandal, would it?" Lavinia replied.

It was clearly not what she was expecting, even as she appeared curious as to why Johanna should be behaving in such a friendly manner toward her.

"There's no scandal, Lavinia. I promise you. But putting that aside for a moment. I'm glad we bumped into one another. I wanted to invite you to the Beaumont Dinner. Both of you," Johanna said.

It went against all her instincts to do so. She hated the idea of inviting Lavinia and Wilhelmina into their home, but Edmund had been insistent.

"It's the only way for the plan to succeed," he had said, and Johanna had had no choice but to go along with it.

She wanted desperately to clear her name, and for the ton to realize she and Edmund's marriage was legitimate. As the days and weeks had gone by, Johanna's attraction to Edmund had grown ever stronger, and her feelings for him, too. She was falling in love with him—perhaps she already had done so—and she knew he was doing this for her, and for that reason, she was willing to go along with it, despite the difficulties Edmund's plan presented. Lavinia raised her eyebrows.

"You want us to dine with you and Edmund at the Beaumont Dinner? On your invitation?" she asked.

Johanna knew Lavinia would never accept an invitation from her alone. Edmund had anticipated that.

"No, not just my invitation. Edmund's, too. He was insistent on it. He wants you there. He'd have invited you himself if we hadn't bumped into one another like this," Johanna replied.

Johanna knew the fact of it being Edmund's invitation would change everything. Lavinia would now think she was the favored one and that her attempts to comfort Edmund in the aftermath of the apparent scandal had not gone unrecognized.

"Would he?" Lavinia replied.

It was an appeal to her vanity, and it seemed to have worked…

"He said so this morning at breakfast. That's why I thought to ask you now, you see. Can't we put this horrible business behind us once and for all? I know you think I did something terrible, and I'm sorry for the impression you have of me. But for Edmund's sake, can't the two of us get along? I know he very much wants you at the dinner," Johanna said.

It pained her to say these things. It was all a lie, but a necessary one if Lavinia's schemes were to be defeated.

"Fight cunning with cunning," Edmund had said, and though the thought of sitting down to dinner with Lavinia and Wilhelmina filled Johanna with dread, she was willing to do so if it meant an end to the ordeal she had endured at the hands of the mother and daughter.

"Well...if Edmund wants me there, how can I refuse?" Lavinia replied.

Johanna forced a smile to her face.

"Oh, I'm so pleased to hear you say that, Lavinia. I'll send a formal invitation in the post. But for now, I can only look forward to your company. Edmund's going to be so pleased," she said, and Lavinia smiled.

"Well...I was always...a good friend to him," Lavinia said.

"You were, and...between you and me…" Johanna said, leaning forward and lowering her voice to a whisper.

This was it. This was what Edmund had told her was going to happen, though he had assured her there was no truth in it.

"If you see her, let it be known we intend to announce the annulment of our marriage at the dinner. Tell her it's an important family occasion, and we have the opportunity to set matters straight. She won't be able to resist being there then," Edmund had said.

"What?" Lavinia asked, leaning forward, as though she was a priest in the confessional.

"Edmund and I have agreed to annul our marriage. I know what I said about loving him, but it's all become too difficult. The things people say…" Johanna said.

In saying these words, she was more certain than ever of her belief in the opposite. There was to be no annulment. Not now, or ever. This was no longer a marriage of convenience, but a marriage of mutually growing affection, of love, even. But Edmund had been clear—Lavinia had to believe she had a chance of what she desired. At Johanna's words, she let out a cry of exclamation, her eyes growing wide as now she clutched at her mother's arm.

"Really...well, that changes everything," she said.

There was no act of commiseration, no sympathy or sorrow expressed. This was good news to Lavinia, and it was just as Johanna had hoped. Lavinia was a foolish creature to believe Johanna's words, but the appeal to her vanity had worked, and as they parted ways—Lavinia telling her mother they had to go at once to a modiste—Johanna smiled to herself, knowing Edmund would be pleased.

"What if this doesn't work? What if Lavinia suspects something?" Tabitha whispered.

They had come to the end of a long avenue of trees leading to the center of the park, and as Johanna glanced back, she saw Lavinia and her mother climbing into a waiting carriage at the far end of the avenue.

"I'm sure she suspects something. But the lure of Edmund is something she can't resist. She'll be at the dinner," Johanna smiled, and even though she did not know what Edmund had planned, she felt certain it would not be long before Lavinia and her mother got their comeuppance.

***

"And you think she believed you?" Edmund asked, when later, Johanna told him what had happened in the park earlier that day.

"I think she wanted what she believed could be hers enough to be tempted by what I was saying," Johanna replied.

Lavinia was not stupid. She was a scheming, cunning woman who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. The invitation had obviously tempted her—that it came from Edmund had only made it more tempting, and that the dinner would be the occasion for the announcement of the annulment only added to the anticipation that this would be Lavinia's moment to step forward and take her rightful place as the Countess of Beaumont.

"You did very well," Edmund said, smiling at Johanna, who blushed.

"Yes, but I still don't understand what this is all about. I don't know why you want her and her mother to come to the dinner, and I don't know why we have to tell such a lie, either," Johanna said.

They were sitting in the drawing room, and Edmund now reached out and took Johanna's hand in his.

"It'll be all right, I promise. Lavinia and her mother won't have a leg to stand on after this. I promise you," he said, squeezing her hand as he spoke.

"I just wish I'd never gone to that awful masquerade. And what of Lord Fitzroy? I suppose he's coming, too, isn't he?" Johanna asked.

She was dreading the thought of seeing her masked pursuer again. The thought of it filled her with fear. What if he tried to do something else to her? The memory of their encounter in the shrubbery filled her with horror. It had been a wicked ploy, one Johanna could never forgive. She was only grateful she had not given in to the passions she rightly felt for Edmund. In this, he had been reserved—the perfect gentleman when it came to matters of romance. That was why Johanna had been so surprised in the shrubbery. The behavior of the masked man had been so unlike that of Edmund as to have surely made her realize it could not have been him.

"I'll deal with Lord Fitzroy. But suffice to say, he realizes he's been taken for a fool, too. I think he's even beginning to see the error of his ways. But why don't we forget all about these things for a while? Would you like to go on a picnic? Just the two of us? We needn't go far. I know you don't feel comfortable being seen out at the moment. But I thought we could sit together in the garden. After all, there's no scandal in our being alone together," he said, smiling at Johanna, who blushed.

It was a kind and thoughtful suggestion, one Johanna now readily agreed to. She liked the time they spent together. Edmund was sincere in his words and in his actions. There was no compulsion on his part for the two of them to spend time together. If this was a merely functional arrangement, he could have simply left her to her own amusements, but this was different, and Johanna could only feel grateful to him for the suggestion.

"I'd be delighted, thank you," she said, and a short while later, the two of them found themselves sitting beneath the boughs of a shady oak tree in the garden, eating a picnic Edmund had had the cook prepare for them.

"Isn't this lovely? A chance to forget all about Lavinia and her mother for a while. To forget about the whole ton. Can you imagine if we'd simply eloped to Scotland and married at Gretna Green?" Edmund asked.

Johanna laughed.

"That really would've caused a scandal. Lots of people do it, though," she said, and Edmund nodded.

"And here we are, paying the price for having tried to do the right thing instead," she replied, shaking her head.

"It'll be all right in the end, I promise," Edmund said, offering her a jam tart.

Johanna sighed. He kept reassuring her, and yet still she had her doubts. She wanted to believe him—to trust him—and yet part of her still wondered whether Lavinia would still have the upper hand.

"I know, but...after everything that's happened, you can't blame me for being cautious. I was foolish…" she began, but Edmund interrupted her.

"You weren't foolish, Johanna. It was a cruel trick to play on you. Crueler than cruel. It was wicked. We both fell victim to Lavinia's schemes. But she's not the only one capable of forming a plan, you know. But I don't want you to worry. I'm your husband, and I'm the one who should be looking after you," he said.

Johanna smiled.

"And who was it who took care of you? Aren't I capable of resolving our difficulties, too. If it was up to me, I'd...well...I don't know what I'd do. But I'd do something," Johanna said, and Edmund laughed.

"I wasn't questioning you, Johanna. I promise. The way you took care of me after the accident was exemplary. But it's because of me you've been dragged into this. It's me Lavinia wants. She's besotted, and she sees you as the person standing between her and the apparent happiness she thinks can be hers," Edmund replied.

There was a passionate tone in his voice, and put like that, Johanna could not deny the truth of what he said. But she was his wife. The two of them had made their vows—for better or for worse. Edmund had been loyal to Johanna, and she had every intention of being loyal to him, too. They were husband and wife, and in these little moments they shared, they were growing closer in their intimacy and understanding of one another.

"Well...I suppose that's true. But we'll face her together. I won't let her destroy...well, this," Johanna said, and Edmund smiled.

"It makes me happy to hear you say that. You're right. She won't force us apart. She thinks she can. She thinks she has. But we won't allow her to. There's going to be no annulment. If anything, I feel more grateful for our marriage with every passing moment," Edmund said.

It pleased Johanna to hear him say this, and it was just how she felt, too—a growing realization this was the right thing to have done.

"Then the stage is set," Johanna said, and Edmund nodded.

"The stage is set, and now the actors assemble," he replied, smiling, as he offered Johanna another jam tart.