Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Jackie wondered how much a lady could carry before her arms fell off, but only for a moment.

Being in the residence of a duke, it was no surprise to her that the staff were only too happy to take her parcels from her and carry them away for her, leaving her alone in the hallway with her sister.

“That was quite an adventure,” Elizabeth smiled. “I haven’t received so many gifts in my life.”

“I feel terrible about it. That must have cost an awful lot. Do you suppose we could find a way to return them?”

“Certainly not! It would offend the dowager duchess. You might end up the wife of her son, and so it would not be right for you to refuse gifts from her.”

“Liz, for the last time—”

“I know, you are making no promises, and it might not work at all, but I am choosing to believe that all will be well. So that I can be happy until otherwise proven. I would rather that than be miserable at the possibility of something happening.”

Jackie rolled her eyes, but she had to admit that there was some truth to her sister’s words, and she almost admired her for it. She had always been an optimist, Jackie making sure of it, and at last it was proving to have been a good thing.

“I know it is easy for me to say that,” Elizabeth continued. “And I know that you are yet to forgive me. Perhaps you never will, but I want you to see the good in this too. At worst, I do not get to marry yet, and we can return home with our gifts knowing that we did all we could, especially you.”

“That is not true, you would loathe me entirely for it.”

“I could never. If it does not work, then it does not work. I am content knowing that you have sacrificed so much for me, whether it leads to anything more or not.”

“Lady Elizabeth?”

Both ladies looked toward the end of the hallway to see Lord Greene. Elizabeth flashed Jackie a quick smile before running down to him. He kissed her hand gently, greeting her kindly, before walking back to Jackie with her.

“Lady Jacqueline,” he greeted, with a bow. “It is nice to finally speak with you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” she replied, forcing a smile. “It is good to properly meet the gentleman that has swept my sister off her feet.”

“And it is good to meet the sister that I must impress. That is what I have been told, at least.”

“Actually,” Elizabeth giggled. “I said her opinion means a great deal to me. I would, of course, rather that she held you in high regard.”

“Then I will do all that I can to ensure it.”

He was, indeed, a charmer.

“Might we go for a walk about the grounds?” Elizabeth asked. “I was hoping to go for one last night, but we had no chaperone.”

Jackie felt heat rising in her cheeks; she had been alone with the duke not once but twice, and she could not in good faith tell her sister to do the same.

“If you wish,” she replied. “I shall be nearby.”

As they walked, Jackie truly saw how happy her sister was. In spite of the fact that Lord Greene had seemingly been wanting to speak to her, she spent the entirety of the walk listening to the animated chatter of two people in love. Upon hearing that Elizabeth was in love, she had almost wondered if it was one-sided, and Elizabeth only fancied herself in love. But as she listened to them, she knew that such an assumption couldn’t have been any more wrong.

They loved each other, as much as two people that were not married could, but more than that they clearly liked each other. They laughed together, playfully argued with one another, and kept a minimal distance at all times. It was no surprise that they required a chaperone.

And Jackie could not help but wish that she had what they had.

It was no concern of hers that she was sacrificing her future for her sister, as she would have done it no matter the circumstances, but even so she couldn’t help but wonder what she could have had if everything had been different.

She shook the thought from her head. It was not conducive to her happiness, which she was determined to hold onto if it killed her.

Suddenly, Lord Greene turned to Jackie, and she froze.

“He wishes to speak with you,” Elizabeth explained, and Lord Greene fell back and began to speak.

“I want you to know that my family are not pleased with the match,” he said before anything else. “I know it is not the best first topic of discussion, but I must tell you as much now.”

“That is perfectly fine. I can tell you myself that I was not completely happy about it when I first heard of it.”

“Lady Elizabeth has told me about that. She seemed to regret what happened a lot, and it appears that she still does.”

“I believe so.”

“I, on the other hand, am here against the wishes of my parents, so I suppose I am not too different from her.”

“Against their wishes? You are a grown man. Why can you not do as you please?”

“I am aware that I have more privileges than a lady, to be sure, but family responsibilities weigh heavily on every son set to inherit their father's title and wealth, and I am no exception to such a rule.”

“You and I have such responsibilities in common, that much is sure.”

“The issue is that my parents don't want me to marry a penniless woman whose father is a chronic gambler,” he said quickly before closing his mouth, eyes wide. “My apologies, I did not know how else to say it.”

“That is quite all right, I can imagine that I would have been the same if it were your family in such a predicament.”

“My parents came to hear about his bad habits, and now even though they like Elizabeth a good deal, they cannot see past your father. I need you to keep that to yourself, however. I do not want to tell Elizabeth, even though we tell each other everything, because it will only make her worry.”

“You like my sister a lot, don’t you?”

“I do, regardless of what my family thinks, and I shall find a way to marry her no matter what, but I do not think it is right to force you into an unwanted marriage just to get what I want. I suppose, in that case, I should say that I would almost do anything to marry her, rather than such brutish exclamations as no matter what.”

“I appreciate that. I assume that my sister told you all about my upcoming nuptials?”

“Yes, beyond my one secret we do not keep anything from one another. Not only that, but it has been tormenting her for some time now.”

“I know, which is why I am becoming more and more tempted to forgive her.”

“I shall not tell you what to do, but I will tell you that this has been torturing her, and she truly is incredibly sorry.”

Jackie nodded at him, pleased that her sister had at least found a good man that was reasonable, and kind to ladies beyond those he was courting; such men were few and far between.

“Should it come to it,” he continued, “I have been thinking about eloping. With each day that passes I am more and more tempted to simply escape to Gretna Green, but I do not know if your father would allow it.”

“That thought has crossed my mind, but you are right. Elizabeth is not yet one-and-twenty, and so it would not be something he would approve of, especially if he can rid himself of me if he does another thing.”

“I am at a loss,” he sighed. “I love your sister, truly I do, but I do not want you to think that you have no other option.”

“Then you need only give me time,” she nodded. “You need not turn to eloping just yet. I wish to see if myself and the duke are a good match.”

“I am please about that at least. Might you know when you shall have an answer?”

Jackie had not thought of that. It was easy enough to say that she would try, but far more difficult to give herself a deadline. After all, how could one know whether or not they could grow to love someone?

“I shall give you an answer by the end of our stay,” she promised. “In the meantime, I hope that you and my sister shall treat this as a holiday together. It is a beautiful place, after all.”

“It certainly is. I am eternally grateful to you for doing this, Lady Jacqueline, whether anything comes of it or not. Your sister is too. Please do not doubt that.”

Jackie did not doubt it, and it made it all the more difficult to be angry about it all. The two of them were clearly in love, and such sweetness made it impossible for Jackie to hold her grudge anymore. If she had she felt the same way for someone, there was no telling what she would have done to protect it.

“You and I must talk,” she said to Elizabeth as they returned to the house.

“Oh? What did Lord Greene say to you?”

“Not here,” she whispered, pulling her sister toward her bedchambers.

“What is it?” Elizabeth asked, exasperated. “If you are going to berate me again, at least do it now so that I can go and fawn over my gifts sooner to cheer myself up once more.”

“You do understand why I have been so angry with you, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course I do, Sister. Not telling you has been my biggest regret, especially now that I know that Lord Greene would not have left me behind even if you did refuse.”

“That certainly is admirable of him. I had not thought him to be the sort of gentleman to marry a girl without requiring a dowry… when I imagined him.”

“He is perfect, is he not? I have never met a kinder man, and it feels as though he and I have always known one another even though it has been mere months. I wish I had told you about him sooner.”

“As do I. It would have saved the both of us a lot of heartache.”

“I know. It was foolish of me at best, and if you never forgive me then I shall understand completely.”

“Well, you need not feel that way,” Jackie smiled. “I have spent a lot of time thinking over the past day, and I want you to know that, even though I am still confused and unsure of what to do, I have come to understand why you did what you did. I saw the two of you today, and I’ve realized something very important. I love you, Sister, and no matter how much you vex me, I cannot stay angry with you. I am not capable.”

Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled.

“You- you mean to say that you are no longer angry?”

“With you, yes. I only want the best for you, as I always have, and one look at this man and I can tell that he is what is best for you. I am more than happy to do my duty as your sister and do everything in my power to make sure you can be together.”

“Even at the expense of your own happiness?”

“Who is to say that I will not be happy?” she asked, smiling. “The duke is a good man from what I can tell. Who knows? Perhaps I might fall for him as you did for Lord Greene.”

Elizabeth pulled her into a tight embrace, and Jackie reciprocated. At last, all of the tension between them had dissolved, and they could enjoy their trip.

“Jacqueline,” their father said suddenly, appearing in the door. “Might I have a word?