Regency Romance: A Duchess in Disguise (Historical 19th Century Victorian Romance) (Duke Fantasy Billionaire Romance) by Sarah Thorn Page A

little scared.”
    “Why?”
    Joy rubbed her hands together and looked down at them, her face flushed. “I…I have never been out of Virginia in my life. I come from a close family and…I’m…afraid of the change. I don’t…know what to expect.”
    “I understand how you feel.” Cathy nodded and looked at Joy sympathetically. “I don’t come from a close family but I am very unsure about what is going to happen, and it scares me, too.” 
    “If you have a close family, why are you going so far away from them?” Robin asked.
    Joy looked sad. “My father said it would be a good change for me. He says I need to experience the world. He says I’m too shy.”
    “Well, I’m worried about the men we are going to meet, ” Robin said. Her voice was firm and determined. “I hope they are gentlemen. I hope their mothers raised them right. I don’t want a brute or a callous man. I want someone who is going to treat me with respect. It’s not easy to find men that will do that. They want you to be dolled up and pretty and quiet all the time. I’m not like that.”
    “Why did you decide to go?” Joy asked, her voice exactly the opposite of Robin’s. She was the quiet, pretty type. She was small, with an oval face, pretty green eyes and a head full of beautiful blond hair. She looked like the type that could be hurt easily , physically and mentally. Robin was tall, slender but larger than Joy, with bright red hair and flashing green eyes.
    “I am an orphan with no prospects of my own. I am interested in what can be seen on the other side of the country. I hope to learn a skill so that if this doesn’t work out, I can work and survive on my own, like cooking.”
    “You sound like you would prefer that.”
    Robin nodded. “Yes, but I need a man to help me and did not find one here. My aunt says if you want to be successful in life, you have to take steps to get there, even women. So I will concentrate on learning while I am there. Unfortunately, the man I am going to has a baby. His wife died in childbirth, so the baby is very young. I’m not sure I will be a good mother to a baby I didn’t have. I don’t have brothers or sisters and no experience with babies .”
    “Are we all living together in one home?” Cathy asked her. “Do you know?”
    Robin shook her head. “I don’t know.”
    Cathy hoped so. She had spent several years helping her sister raise the two children she had with her husband, Mark. She had enjoyed every moment with the babies and thought how exciting it would be to have another one to raise. “I have experience with babies .” She said. “If we are all together, I will help you. Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”
    “It’s a girl. Minnie. She’s seven months old.”
    Cathy smiled. “That’s a wonderful age. They are adorable when they are that little.”
    Robin snorted. “I suppose we will see.”
    “I do hope that you are able to get used to it.” Cathy was a little afraid for the child, seeing Robin’s reaction to just the knowledge of the baby. It wouldn’t do to have a resentful woman raising another woman’s child. Children could sense that. “Perhaps I can help you even if we aren’t living together. I will be glad to come and help.”
    Robin nodded, her face softening a little bit. When she spoke, her tone was a bit less harsh. “I would appreciate that, Cathy. I must admit, I’m intimidated right now. I don’t know what’s going to happen and don’t like to not have control of my life.”
    “Why did you accept the proposal if you knew you would not really want a child?” Cathy asked.
    “It was the only ad I saw. And I needed to get out of this town. I don’t like it here.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    The train jerked to a start, and all three women looked out the window to watch as the train station disappeared and the scenery began to pass at a rapid rate.
    “Don’t be. I will adjust. I always do.”
    “I am very afraid I will not like the man