Never Less Than A Lady | Herophine

Chapter Twenty Four

Josephine

At the end of the afternoon, Josephine returned to their rooms. She paused in the doorway to admire the picture that Hero made as he worked at his desk by the window. Late afternoon sunshine touched his hair and lovingly illuminated the strong, austere planes of his face. She felt a pleasant internal shiver at the knowledge that she was becoming very familiar with that lean, well-muscled body.

He glanced up at her entrance. "You look like a girl just emerged from the schoolroom," he observed. "Young and happy and excited about new possibilities."

"I feel that way." She crossed to Hero and bent to hug him. "I knew that Grandmére would be glad to see me, but I feared that Christopher would disown me forever, like Stephen."

"He's a better man than your father." Hero wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. Since he was seated, the side of his head rested very pleasantly against her breasts.

The energy that had buoyed her up evaporated, leaving her tired but happier than she'd been in...forever. "I'm sorry that my family was so much more rewarding today than yours."

"My expectations of Damien have always been low," Hero said. "What matters is that he ordered Arthur to stay away from you so you can live without always looking over your shoulder."

"I feel as if a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders." She brushed her fingertips through his thick dark hair, thinking how much she owed her husband. "Considering that I had to be coaxed into marriage like a skittish filly, I've benefited remarkably from marrying you." She hoped he'd say that he had also benefited, but when he didn't, she continued, "What did you think of Grandmére?"

"She enjoys terrifying people," he said promptly. "But her sense of humor occasionally undermines that."

Josephine laughed. "You understand her well. She said you weren't at all like a Tiffin, which means she liked you."

One corner of his mouth turned up. "That's quite a compliment. I think."

Since Hero didn't seem inclined to pull her onto his lap, Josephine moved to the adjacent wing chair to continue their talk. He looked calm and handsome-and too blasted detached, given what they'd done in the carriage earlier.

Reminding herself that detachment was his natural expression, she said, "Gordon's sweetheart, Elsa Smith, came by to be interviewed. She's a bit inexperienced, but bright and keen to learn. I think she'll do very well."

Hero gave an approving nod. "Gordon will be ecstatic. Can she start soon?"

"Tomorrow." Josephine frowned as she thought about the interview. "Her current master has been making Elsa's life difficult, so she's desperate to leave. I told her she could move here tonight and I'd make up whatever wages she lost by not giving notice. She and Gordon were going to her former household right away to collect her things."

Hero regarded her curiously. "Given her bad situation, would you have hired her even if she didn't seem like a promising lady's maid?"

"Probably," Josephine admitted. "I hated knowing she had to dodge her master to avoid being assaulted. At least she's free to leave, unlike a wife."

"Unlike most wives, you are free to leave," he pointed out. "You made sure of that before accepting my offer."

"I had to know the door was open if I needed to run." Was it only weeks since she'd insisted he give her a letter agreeing to a divorce if she should want one? How quickly she'd grown to trust him. Josephine continued, "Elsa's situation got me thinking. If I really have this huge amount of money, I'd like to use some of it to create shelters for women who need to flee male violence but have no place safe to go. Not every woman can fake her own death in order to escape."