Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Jackie wondered just how impolite it would be to have a guest removed from a house that was not hers.

Lady Ophelia was strange. She had been the one to abandon the duke, and yet any fool could see that during her visit she was trying to make the duke go back to her. Why, she wondered, if she had already left him once before?

She certainly did not approve of the way Lady Ophelia clung to the duke, pointedly saying that they were friends once more. Jackie was not stupid; she knew exactly what the other young lady was trying to do, and no matter how much she tried to ignore it she had to admit that it had worked.

“Are you well, Sister?” Elizabeth asked at dinner.

“Yes, quite,” she replied. “I had a fall this afternoon, that is all. I suppose it has made me become rather out of sorts.”

“And it has nothing to do with our guest this afternoon?” She whispered.

“No, of course not,” Jackie hissed. “Besides, she left a few hours ago now. She has had no effect on me whatsoever.”

But she had. Lady Ophelia’s arrival could have meant a number of things for the duke, but the fact that he did not immediately send her away made her feel quite uneasy indeed.

“My apologies,” the duke said suddenly, entering the dining room.

All eyes fell on him. It had been the first time that he had joined them all at a meal, and he had come without his mask. He seemed ill at ease, sitting down beside her in an instant and beginning to eat. She noticed Elizabeth staring at him and nudged her in the side.

Fortunately, her sister knew exactly what this meant and complied.

“It—it is nice to see you, Your Grace,” Elizabeth began dutifully.

“Likewise,” he replied.

“Yes, I was beginning to think that you would not show your face at all,” her father said brightly before realizing just what he had said. “That is to say that I am pleased you can join us this evening.”

“It was time for it,” the duke nodded, and then silence fell.

Jackie was proud of the duke, unbelievably so, for making such a large step, but even so there were still uncertainties about their courtship in her mind. She knew it was only a matter of time before her heart became involved, even if she had been trying to keep her feelings separate, and with what she had seen that day she knew it was a risk. The duke had adored Lady Ophelia from what she had heard, and now that she was back and clearly willing to have him again, the duke could take that offer and disappear.

Was it worth it?

She thought about his kindness, the way he made her feel at the pianoforte, the fact that he sent her flowers every single day of her visit, and that he was now sitting with her family, his scars laid bare, trying to make an effort with them. He was doing everything right, and she appreciated it greatly.

Then again, as far as Lady Ophelia had been concerned, this was nothing compared to what he had done for her.

Jackie took a breath. She was far too late if she had been wanting to save herself from heartache; she had already become emotionally invested in the courtship. Whether she had planned to or not, and admittedly she had not, she really did like the duke.

“So, Elizabeth,” the duke tried again. “Your sister was telling me that you play the pianoforte.”

“Yes, though I cannot say I have ever been exceptional. I suppose she told you that part, too?”

“I said no such thing,” Jackie laughed before turning to Lord Greene. “She plays well, for what it is worth.”

“I would love to hear it, sometime,” he smiled back.

“Jackie!” Elizabeth exclaimed under her breath. “I shall only cause myself a great deal of embarrassment now.”

“No more than I cause myself each and every time I play.”

Elizabeth seemed to understand her sister’s words all too well.

“Well,” the dowager beamed. “Whether the two of you ladies are aficionados or you sound like two mangled cats, I have thoroughly enjoyed your presence thus far. I was never much good with music, not like my son, and so it is not as though I can hold the two of you to such a standard. What matters to me, and this is for you Lady Jacqueline, of course, is how well you treat my son.”

There were murmured laughs around the table, the duke shrinking into himself, and Jackie did not understand why he had done so.

But then he smiled at her, and she had to admit that it flustered her a little.

Dinner came to end, and as they retired to the drawing room the duke pulled her to one side.

“Might I have a word?”

“Of course, Your Grace,” she replied, and he led her to some seats on the other end of the room.

“I wanted to explain my behavior,” he began. “Especially at dinner. I saw your face when my mother made that comment. It had nothing to do with you at all, but simply that I was embarrassed to hear my mother speak of me like that. She means well, and is a most loving mother, but then and there I felt like a schoolboy.”

Jackie giggled at him.

“I suppose I can understand that. My father hardly knows enough about me to put me on such a pedestal, so I suppose I only see it as a good thing to receive.”

“Not after twenty years of it,” he laughed. “How are you feeling after today?”

Jacki almost wished that he had not asked.

“It was certainly an experience,” she sighed. “I hardly know Lady Ophelia at all, given that I only ever had one season out, but she was definitely a character.”

“Well, regardless of how she made you feel, I want you to know that I am serious about you and me. I want to give this courtship some real effort.”

“As do I,” she nodded.

“And I have been thinking about how compatible you and I are. I wish to know more about you, be it from promenading together, just you and I next time, or having tea together, or even more music lessons. I want to know you properly, because thus far I truly have liked what I have seen.”

It was exactly what Jackie wanted to hear, but even so there was a lingering doubt that Lady Ophelia could have him back if she wanted.

“As for our guest?” she asked. “I know that the two of you have history, even if I do not know the details of it. I do not want to step on anyone’s toes, so to speak.”

“There shall be no toes to step on,” he assured her. “I am pleased that you and I can discuss this now, because you must know that there will never be anything between myself and Lady Ophelia again. The past is the past, and with all that happened I can honestly say that I do not intend to revisit it.”

Jackie wanted to believe him, and so she did not question his words. She breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing as she released all of the tension she had been feeling.

“That makes me feel a lot more at ease,” she explained. “Because I too would like to pursue this courtship. You and I seem to have more in common than we might have thought at first, and I do not want that to end over a lady that has come back for you.”

“And it will not,” he promised.

“Very well. Now, shall we suggest a game of cards?”

“I haven’t played in a while…”

“Well, if you wish to be more at ease with my family, there is no time like the present!”

He sighed, but he was smiling as he did so. He rose to his feet before helping her up too, and then they walked to the others.

“Is anyone interested in a game of whist, perchance?” He asked, to which everyone nodded, and they headed to a table.

“I shall go with the duke,” Jackie explained. “And then Elizabeth, you can go with Lord Greene.”

“Lucien,” the duke continued. “You can go with my mother.”

“I shall join them,” her father said. “So that the four of you can make your own game.”

Jackie gave her father a quick nod of gratitude, and the two groups split off.

“Oh,” Elizabeth said uncertainly, biting her lip. “I’m afraid that I do not know this game at all.”

“You shall be a quick study, I am sure,” the duke smiled. “First of all, you must take a card from this pack. We all will.”

They each took a card, and Elizabeth squealed.

“I have the king!” She exclaimed. “That is a good thing, is it not? Do I win?”

“You are the dealer,” Jackie laughed. “And the person with the second highest will be your partner.”

“That will be me, I suppose,” Lord Greene grinned. “For I have a queen.”

And so, the game began. Jackie had to admit that she also did not know how to play whist very well, but she covered that fact well. In fact, when in a team with the duke, she seemed to play better than she ever had before.

“My, Lady Jacqueline,” the duke smirked. “You are very good at this. It is no wonder you wanted to play cards.”

“Father and I used to play together,” she admitted. “I spent many nights in the drawing room with him, though we never played whist unless Mother was willing to join.”

“And I am most grateful for that,” Lord Greene laughed. “Because I would quite like to win a hand at some point.”

The four of them laughed, and Jackie noticed that Elizabeth was watching them.

“The two of you work well together,” Elizabeth said at last. “It is lovely to see, I have to say.”

Jackie couldn’t help but wonder if she meant this, or was trying to push them together for her own sake. Then she realized that they had won the third hand, and therefore the game, and knew that it had to be the former option.

“Brilliant,” the duke whispered.

“Again,” Elizabeth commanded. “And this time, the two of you are forbidden from working together!”

The four of them laughed before dealing once more, and this time as they went to choose their cards, Jackie’s hand brushed the duke’s. He did not flinch at her touch, nor did she, but she couldn’t help but wonder if he felt the same rush that she had done.

She also hoped that nobody else could see the effect that it had had on her. She was not ashamed, far from it, but not much time had passed at all, and she wanted to be sure before she said anything to anyone, especially her sister.

She could not allow Elizabeth to get her hopes up if it would all be for nothing in the end.

“It isn’t fair,” Elizabeth muttered as they retired to their bedchambers. “Could you not have allowed me to win even one game?”

“Certainly not. It would take away from your victory if I simply gave it to you. Think of how happy you shall be if one day you do win, knowing it was all your own doing?”

“If?” She echoed, laughing, and the two ladies continued on their way until they reached Elizabeth’s room.

Suddenly, Elizabeth grabbed Jackie’s sleeve and pulled her back.

“I wanted to thank you,” Elizabeth continued. “For trying. I know that this is not what you wanted, but you are trying to see it through regardless and I truly am grateful for that.”

“Of course,” Jackie nodded, pulling her sister into an embrace. “I would do anything to take care of you.”

Especially, she thought, when it benefited her so well too.