Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

“Where did you go last night” Peter asked when Jasper met him on the landing as he was going down to breakfast.

“I was talking to Sophia,” Jasper said, and Peter laughed and shook his head.

“I thought as much. But… you know what trouble you could get into for doing so. There are rules, you know,” Peter said, and Jasper rolled his eyes.

He could not care less about the “rules” of the ton. There had been nothing improper about his being alone with Sophia, though he had been surprised by his speech – sharing the intimacies of his fears with someone he barely knew. But in their ruse, Jasper felt he had come to know Sophia, and that there now existed an intimacy between them, one Jasper was beginning to enjoy.

“Oh, nonsense. We just talked,” Jasper replied as the two of them made their way down the stairs to the hallway.

“And what do you intend achieve from that conversation?” Peter persisted.

As far as the Marquess was concerned, the ruse was real. He, like everyone else, it seemed, suspected nothing. Jasper liked playing games, but he was not a naturally deceptive person. He wanted to tell Peter the truth, and he would do – eventually. But to his own surprise, the fact of the ruse was now becoming something more than a game. It was serious, and his feelings, too, had taken him by surprise.

Finding himself alone with Sophia had made him think more seriously about what he wanted – what he desired. She was pretty, but so were many women. More than that – far more, in fact – she possessed the enviable characteristic of self-determination. Jasper admired that. Too many women allowed themselves to be molly-coddled. They behaved with no thought to their own will. But Sophia knew her mind, just as Jasper knew his.

“I barely know her, Peter. But… well, I think she’s… delightful,” Jasper said.

Peter laughed. “When have you ever said that about a woman? Oh, Jasper… you’re an enigma sometimes. You’re my best friend. But there’re times when I simply don’t understand you,” he said, and Jasper laughed.

He liked being an enigma. It was how he had behaved upon the arrival of Sophia at Weston House. He liked to give the impression of aloofness, arrogance, even. For what reason, he was uncertain, but Jasper had never been good at allowing others to get close to him. His friends were few, his intimacies fewer.

Apart from Penelope and Peter, he had no one in whom to confide his feelings. Until now, that is. He had surprised himself as to how readily he had shared his sorrow at his father’s failings with Sophia. But she had listened, and in listening, a greater intimacy had developed between them. He liked her, and it surprised him to admit it.

“Well… we all have our secrets, don’t we?” Jasper said, raising his eyebrows, even as his friend looked at him in surprise.

“Do you mean I’ve got secrets?” he asked, and Jasper smiled.

“Penelope,” he said, and Peter blushed.

It really was no secret how the Marquess felt about Jasper’s sister. But somehow, the possibility of their entering a formal courtship was yet to materialize. Instead, the two of them dallied around one another – a flirtatious word here, a lingering look there. But neither had yet admitted where their happiness might lie.

“Stop it, Jasper. You’re being ridiculous,” Peter said.

But before Jasper could respond, the shrill tones of Sophia’s cousin came from the top of the stairs.

“Your Grace? Might I have a word with you?” he said.

Jasper grimaced. He had nothing but contempt and disdain for the Earl, who was seeking only to further his own interests by his insistence on the furthering of the match. He did not care about Sophia, only about his own profiteering through her marriage. The Viscount had been replaced by a duke, but Jasper knew it was incumbent on his part to play along.

“Ah, yes, our business venture,” he replied, turning towards Ethan with a forced smile on his face.

Peter looked confused, but Jasper nudged him, hoping his best friend would support him in what was to be a hastily thought through proposition. Ethan looked at him eagerly, descending to the hallway with a look of glee.

“I was thinking, if not the sugar plantations, or brandy, perhaps textiles – or a watermill. Windmills. They have them in the low countries, and Norfolk’s covered with them,” the Earl said.

Jasper continued to give a false smile, nodding, even as he had no real intention of entering into any form of business venture with the Earl.

“Ah, yes, windmills. But I was thinking of something more lucrative. Cotton. You mentioned textiles, but cotton is where real money can be made,” he said.

As it happened, Jasper had already invested in several profitable cotton ventures, and he knew there was a great deal of money to be made from doing so, even as he had no intention of sharing it with Ethan.

Peter raised his eyebrows. “Our cotton mill in…” he began, but Jasper interrupted him.

“Yes, that’s right, our cotton mill in Burnley. A third investor would be an asset for the expansion,” he said, and Ethan looked delighted.

“I’m more than willing. Sophia’s father left a considerable fortune, and with your own investment, I’m sure we’ll make a sizable profit. It makes sense for you and me to go into business together, given the fact of your intentions towards my ward,” Ethan said.

He had such a pomposity about him, and Jasper could not help but despise him. He spoke of Sophia, not as a matter of concern, but a matter of profit. It was all for his gain. Jasper had tried to remain polite, but he could hardly bear to continue being so, given the Earl’s words about Sophia.

“Is that the only reason?” he asked, the smile on his face turning into a look of anger.

Ethan looked perturbed, as though he realized he had been caught out. “Well, of course… I want my cousin to be happy,” he said, and Jasper raised his eyebrows.

“I should think so, too. You’ll get your investment, Ethan. But not at your cousin’s expense. She’s a dear creature, and I don’t want to see her hurt,” he said.

Ethan nodded. “And I’m sure you’ll do nothing to hurt her, Your Grace,” he replied.

It was a case of touché, and Jasper grimaced, forcing a smile to return to his face. He had no intention of hurting Sophia, but his feelings towards her were growing more and more confused. He had not set out to develop any kind of feelings towards her, but in the past few days, amidst the intensity of the ruse they were carrying out, he had found himself growing increasingly fond of her. There was something about her, something he could not help but find attractive.

“I won’t, no,” Jasper said, and he meant it, too.

Jasper had no intention of doing so. He had not agreed to their ruse to play a game with Sophia. His intentions were sincere. He could think of nothing worse than being married to Henry, and he was only too glad to be helping Sophia extract herself from the possibility. The only advantage he hoped to gain was that of business, and even then, it was only the fact of a newfound respectability he would use to further his cause of returning the dukedom to its former glory.

“I’m glad to hear it, Jasper,” Ethan said, and Jasper grimaced.

He had not invited the Earl to speak to him on such informal terms, and to hear his name uttered by someone he found entirely contemptible was enough to make him feel quite sick. But whatever response he might have made was now drowned out by the voices of his sister and Sophia herself, coming down the stairs.

“Oh, I can’t believe it’s already time for you to go home, Sophia. I feel we’ve only just begun to catch up after all this time. I’m going to miss you terribly,” Penelope was saying.

“And I’ll miss you, too, Penelope. It’s going to be quite dull without your company. I don’t know what I’ll do with myself,” Sophia replied, shaking her head.

She now caught sight of Jasper standing with Ethan and Peter, and she smiled at him, though it was clear she knew precisely what they had been talking about – her.

“Good morning,” Jasper said, smiling back at her, his thoughts returning to the previous evening.

“Oh, Jasper, I was just saying to Sophia, it’s going to be terribly dull without her here, don’t you think?” Penelope said, and Jasper nodded.

He did think so, and he was already wondering as to how his next meeting with Sophia might take place. It was a strange sensation – the desire for her company, for the intimacy they had shared the previous evening – even as he realized it was entirely natural, too. There was no reason for him not to feel as he did towards her. She was everything he had ever imagined a woman should be – everything he had hoped the woman he might fall in love with might be – and now with these growing feelings in his heart, it seemed the ruse was far more real than he had thought it ever could be…

Sophia watched as Jasper and Peter made their way into the dining room, followed by Penelope, who was begging the Duke to host another house party just as soon as one could be arranged.

“It’s been such fun. And good for Mother, too, don’t you think?” she was saying.

Sophia was about to follow them, but Ethan caught her arm.

“We’ve done it, Sophia. He’s like a puppet on a string,” he said, rubbing his hands together gleefully.

Sophia was disgusted by these words, though hardly surprised. Ethan had been waiting for his chance, and it seemed he now had it.

“You’ve made your proposal, then?” she asked, and her cousin nodded.

“Cotton, Sophia. That’s what we’re going to invest in,” he said, still with that same gleeful look on his face.

Sophia knew little about cotton, though she thought it probably preferable to sugar, and the appalling trade that went with it. To think of the plantations, with their armies of slaves, made her feel quite sick to the stomach, and if Jasper had been able to dissuade her cousin from investing in such abominable practices, all the better. She knew what Jasper thought of Ethan, and she knew, too, he would not allow her cousin to play him for a fool.

“And I’m sure it’ll be very profitable for you, Ethan,” Sophia replied.

She was about to turn away from him, but Ethan gripped her arm more tightly.

“And for you, too, Sophia. Don’t do anything to prevent the match – don’t change your mind,” he said, and there was a hint of a threat in his voice, even as Sophia had no fear of him.

“And why would I?” she asked, even as she reminded herself it was all a game.

She had reminded herself of that fact over and over again, but the more she told herself, the more she doubted, too. The line between make-believe and reality was growing blurred, more so with every passing moment. She and Jasper had agreed to a pretense, but it was one Sophia was beginning to enjoy. She liked the Duke’s attentions, and there was no doubt he had proved himself unexpectedly charming. He was handsome, and possessed both title and growing wealth. But more so than that, Sophia felt him to be her equal. He was a match for her, and in their conversations and dealings with one another, Sophia had found something of a kindred spirit, one she could imagine having more to do with than merely a ruse…

“Come along, Sophia. Aren’t you hungry?” Penelope called out, and Sophia nodded, pulling away from Ethan, who hissed out his earlier words to her.

“Don’t forget what I said, Sophia,” he said, and she nodded.

Sophia would not forget. But not for the reasons her cousin wanted…