Chapter Eleven

 

Joseph strode down the hall attempting to keep his anger in check. The woman was proving to be much more incorrigible than he had first anticipated, and her blatant disrespect for his mother had been unacceptable. She had almost ruined all of his plans with her careless words, and it had taken the entire hour with his mother afterward to convince her that what Miss Cooper had said was not truth.

It was not that he had any compunction against lying; it came easily to him. How often had he had to speak untruths to see a business deal completed or to get himself out of trouble when his mother had caught him climbing the outside wall to return to his room after a night of carousing when he was younger? No, lying had not been the problem. What he had struggled with was how to clean up the mess Miss Cooper had made with her ill-fated confession.

Drat the woman! However, she was right; he could not place all the blame on her. He hated to admit it, but he was afraid of his mother. He always had been. Not that she ever struck him; that he could have endured. It was the way she spoke to him, her need to degrade him at every turn. She had always somehow blamed him for their financial difficulties, never once admitting that it had been the former Earl of Brunsford, Joseph’s father, who had mishandled the family fortune.

The Dowager Countess could see nothing but admiration and esteem for the previous Lord Linfield, and the only attempt Joseph made to rectify this misconception had ended with her refusal to speak to him for more than a week, and when she did, it was to issue a severe tongue-lashing about debasing his father’s name. After that, he kept what he knew to himself, allowed Richard to train him in the ways of business so he could rebuild what his father had lost.

But this woman, Miss Cooper, she would give him even more grief than his mother had all those years ago, and still did. He had thought her more intelligent, more resourceful, than she had shown, and yet, what could he have expected? She might have had rudimentary training at a very young age, but her more formidable years had been spent in the company of ruffians and miscreants. Of course, she would be crass and lacking in understanding as to how to hold herself as a person of nobility, who had training from birth; it was inevitable.

Despite his anger at all she had said and done, what aggravated him the most was how he had taken her into his arms and kissed her. What had he been thinking? Apparently, he had not been thinking. However, the fire in her eyes had stirred something in him that he had not felt with any other woman in his life. His body had moved of its own accord, without his mind commanding it, and he could not have stopped himself if he had tried. A promise of heat had radiated in the look she gave him, and he had not been disappointed. At least not in her. His disappointment lay within himself.

What they had was a business arrangement. Their ‘engagement’ was not real, and yet, his body had taken it as such. Well, he would put forth a better effort from this moment forward to keep his physical attraction to the woman at bay. He did not need a repeat of what had transpired in the drawing room, neither from Miss Cooper nor himself. His focus needed to be completing this loathsome errand on which Richard had sent him, and once that was finished, he was free to resume his former life.

“Did you speak with her?” his mother asked as she passed her bedroom door.

“Yes, Mother, and she has promised to apologize for her outburst and the lies she told.” He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “You see, it is as I have said. She is a shipping merchant’s daughter who is in deep mourning for a father who doted on her all too much. We have seen what the death of a loved one can do to a person. One example was the Widow Charmaine.”

The Dowager Countess sighed. “Yes, I do remember what she went through upon the death of her husband. It took her several years to even admit to his death.” She gave him a half-smile. “If this woman does give me an adequate apology, I will accept it. However, she really must keep her sanity intact if she is to marry you. You do not want mad children, do you?”

Joseph forced a laugh. “No, of course not. However, her issues do not come from madness, now do they? Grief can be a difficult passage.”

“This is true,” she replied. “When will dinner be served?”

“Seven, as usual.”

She seemed pleased that he maintained the schedule she had taught him. “Then I will rest for a while longer and then have that despicable Judith help me dress.”

“Why do you not replace her?” Joseph asked, trying to hide his amusement.

“What?” she asked with a gasp. “And be made to train another? Judith might be inept in most things she does, but at least she has enough understanding of how to meet my needs to keep her on.” She leaned in and lowered her voice. “Do not tell her I have said so, but she is the only woman who has been able to do anything with my hair.”

Joseph laughed. “Enjoy your rest, Mother. I will see you at dinner at precisely seven.” And with that, he went to the room he used when he came to visit Elford Estates. He had a lot to consider before dinner time came around, and there was no time to waste.

***

Rachel had remained silent during their dinner, not out of respect for Lord Linfield or his mother, but rather because the two had ignored her throughout the entire meal. Of course, Rachel had given her perfunctory apology, and the Dowager Countess had stated she accepted it, though her disapproving looks throughout the meal had said that she had not truly done so. However, Rachel knew she had done what was necessary to rectify a problem that was not caused by her, so she had no reason to make concern herself any longer on the issue.

When dinner had ended, Lady Linfield insisted that she and her son return home, ascribing to a stack of letters that needed to be answered. Rachel knew the woman was outright lying; no woman of her station would allow letters to go unanswered so long that they would become a ‘stack’. However, regardless of her excuses, Rachel would be glad to be rid of the woman.

The trio headed to the front door where Sherman stood with coat and wrap.

“It has been a pleasure meeting you, My Lady,” Rachel lied.

Her words did not seem to matter to the Dowager Countess. “I realize that, with the death of your father, that you see your life as turned upside down,” she said. “However, let us hope that the next time we meet, you will be able to present yourself more appropriately.”

Rachel bit back the retort that threatened to explode from her lips and instead gave the woman a feeble smile. “Once again, I apologize for my rude and barbaric behavior earlier. In time, I will return to be the lady I truly am.” The words felt sour on her tongue.

The older woman lifted a single brow. “Well, at least she recognizes what she has done wrong and is willing to rectify it. However, it will be for me to decide if she truly is a lady.”

“Of course, Mother,” Lord Linfield said. “I know Miss Cooper wants nothing more than to prove herself, is that not right, my love?” He did not wait for Rachel to reply, not that she wished to. He helped his mother into the carriage and then pulled Rachel a few steps away, out of earshot of his mother. “As I said before, the dressmaker will be here in two days’ time, and the tutors will arrive after. Explore the house if you wish or sulk in the library. I care not. However, I believe there are books on etiquette in the library that might be of use to you. I would highly recommend you read them.”

“How kind of you to take such consideration in my learning,” Rachel said dryly. “I will be certain that my sulking not get in the way of my training.”

“See that you do not.”

“We are running late, Joseph,” the Dowager Countess called from the carriage. The man indeed learned to maintain a strict schedule from his mother.

Without another word, the Earl got into the carriage, slamming the door closed behind him. Soon the two were heading away from Elford Estates, and Rachel felt a sense of relief wash over her. Lord Linfield was a difficult man to understand. He was clearly a very wealthy man; from what she had seen, he had more money than any one man could want. With his new inheritance of her father’s property, he should have been content. What Rachel found interesting, however, was how the man allowed his mother to treat him like a child and his fiancée like a leper. It was all very much unfathomable. Parents were meant to be loving to their children, were they not?

However, had her own mother left her when she was a young child? Perhaps it was expected behavior for people in higher society to treat their children so horribly. She let out a heavy sigh. It was not her problem, at least for the time being. All she needed to do was survive the next few weeks. At least she had Leah to help her through it all.