Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Words did not come easily, but Jackie found herself longing to hear them.

The duke was very busy for the following few days, even though he made a point of at least speaking to her each day. She snatched the moments when she could, and enjoyed each moment, but she found herself sitting in the drawing room and waiting for him to pass, only to be disappointed for the better part of her day.

Fortunately, she had a lot to think about. She had thoroughly enjoyed their picnic, and she could not stop thinking about how much effort he had made to make it perfect for her. Every action he took was the right one since they met the second time around, and she had to admit that she truly had become very much attracted to him.

It was something that, in any other circumstance, she would have told Elizabeth, but there was too much pressure to do so in that moment. Too much positivity would only lead her sister to think that the matter was settled, and she would marry the duke, but she could not say that as yet; he was yet to tell her with words that he really liked her.

It was a foolish thing to wait for with all of the effort that he had been making, but she had to hear it from him before she could do anything further.

Elizabeth, meanwhile, seemed rather withdrawn that morning.

“Is something wrong?” Jackie asked, and instantly she wore a smile.

“No, nothing at all, Sister,” she replied. “Have you seen the duke today?”

“Not as yet, no. I do hope that he finishes his work soon, though.”

“You truly have taken a liking to him, haven’t you?”

“Something of the sort, yes, though I cannot be too sure of it for now.”

“I can,” she smirked. “The two of you already look to be the very picture of affection, whether the two of you can see it or not.”

“Be that as it may,” Jackie laughed, rolling her eyes. “It is still early days. It could be a while before we know for sure.”

At that, Elizabeth’s smile faltered.

“Elizabeth,” Jackie sighed. “We can play this game of yours where you clearly have something troubling you and I pretend not to notice, or you can be honest with me now. What has happened?”

Wordlessly, Elizabeth handed her a letter addressed to Lord Greene. Jackie gave her a look, but Elizabeth motioned to it.

“It is open.”

Jackie read the letter tentatively, feeling as though she was greatly invading Lord Greene’s privacy, and she quickly had to fold it away again, understanding it completely.

His parents had written to him, giving him an ultimatum; either he returned home that day, or they would have no choice but to take further action.

“Where did you find this?” Jackie asked.

“I did not take it from his room, if that is what you are suggesting,” Elizabeth sighed. “He is not the organized sort, and he left it in the hallway by the door, no doubt having read it as soon as he received it.”

“But it is private.”

“It pertains to me, and so I am allowed to see it.”

“Elizabeth–”

“Can you please give me support instead of telling me that I have done something wrong? You can call it whatever you like, but it is cruel. I do not deserve to be spoken about like this.”

“Admittedly, I did not read that far.”

“A wanton, they called me,” she explained, close to tears. “A no-good girl that is two steps away from the streets, desperate to cling to his wealth. They have forbidden the match, and if he does not do as they say then they will come here and drag him away. No doubt they will threaten to strip him of his position as heir, too.”

“They cannot,” Jackie said gently. “Whether they like it or not, he is their eldest child, only son if I remember correctly, and therefore they need him.”

“But they are angry. People are capable of frightening things when they are angry. I am frightened that they will burn everything to the ground if it means they do not have their family name tarnished by me. Maybe they are right, and he should find a lady that is more respectable.”

Suddenly, none of the secrets mattered at all and Jackie wanted to make Elizabeth feel more secure, even if it would have been easier to agree and leave with her.

“Elizabeth, what they have said about you has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them. If a duke’s mother can take no issue with us, something with far more to lose than a mere earl, then we clearly are not the issue.”

“That does not signify. The only important thing is that they hate me, and I need them to like me, and it will never happen.”

“You do not need their approval. Lord Greene is a man, and he can do as he pleases, and I have seen the two of you together. You are clearly in love, and he would do anything for you. Do try not to be so burdened by this.”

Elizabeth took a deep breath, nodding sadly.

“I will do all that I can, but this is frightening, Jackie. I do not want to lose him, especially after what it has led to with you. I cannot have your sacrifice be in vain.”

Jackie thought about that as she headed to the library that afternoon, hoping to forget her troubles for a while with a book. Knowing that the duke enjoyed reading made her quite confident that she would find something enjoyable, which was precisely what she needed; a distraction from the fact that she was under more pressure than ever to marry the duke.

She liked him, she truly did, but she had to look out for herself, and something in her told her that she could not do anything until she knew for sure that Lady Ophelia would no longer be an issue.

After searching for a moment, she settled on a book that she had never heard of before and began to read it. It was written well, but it took her a while to understand what was happening, and just as she began to lose herself in the story, she heard footsteps approaching. She had nestled in a corner and kept to herself, and that was a luxury when she saw who had arrived.

It was the duke, and he was looking around as if searching for something or someone, and she wondered if he had come looking for her. She could have called out to him, and she thought that perhaps she should have, but she was far too busy watching him.

He was a powerful man, tall and broad, but he moved with an uncommon grace in comparison with other men. Not only that, but he was incredibly handsome. He had his scars, but she no longer even noticed them when she looked at him. She was far too busy looking at the rest of him to see them. He also had beautiful eyes, and she was hoping that he would turn to look at her so that she could see them, but he did not.

It was only when she saw him about to leave the room that she realized she had missed his presence, and wanted to speak to him whether she had been what he was looking for or not.

“Your Grace?” She called out, and he snapped to attention in an instant, his face lighting up.

She felt quite strange inside when he did that, and she knew that she was flustered by his presence.

“There you are!” He said brightly. “I have returned from my work, and I wanted to see you. I was hoping that you would be here. I have a trunk with me, and it is filled with books that I was wondering if you might wish to look at?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

“Then we shall go right this instant. It is in the parlor room–would you like some tea, perhaps? It won’t be as extravagant as the picnic, but I’m sure Cook can put something simple together for us while we look.”

He was practically trying to make a start for the door the moment she rose to her feet, and she was enamored by how excited he was to show her the books. Chuckling gently, she followed him to the parlor to see Elizabeth and the Dowager Duchess sitting there, though they were not interested in the trunk. Elizabeth seemed to be in better spirits, at least, and was chattering away to the Dowager.

“Now,” the duke explained as he knelt in front of the trunk. “These are some of my personal favorites. I had them placed in storage after what happened to me, and since then I could not bear to look at them, but now… It feels like the right time.”

He opened the trunk and immediately Jackie wished to reach out and take one. They were beautiful, each one in pristine condition, and it was the only reason why she could hold back; she did not wish to damage them.

“They seem quite entertained,” Elizabeth said in the background. “They truly are so similar, are they not?”

“Yes, quite,” the Dowager Duchess replied. “It is lovely to see, even if you and I might not understand it.”

Jackie was going to respond, but then she saw it. The very same book that she had left behind. Without thinking, she reached out to it, just as the duke did the very same thing, and her ungloved hand touched his once again. It was more intense to feel his skin against hers, and her entire body came alight. She looked to him to apologize, but he was already looking at her.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered.

She had no control over the shade of red her cheeks turned.

“Might we take a walk?” he suggested. “Until the tea arrives, of course.”

She nodded, and the two of them left the household.

“The book is yours,” he began gently. “For as long as you are here, and even longer if you wish.”

“I have my own at home,” she reminded him. “Although I thank you for it. How did you know it was there?”

“It is as I told you, it is one of my favorites.”

“But it was the first one that you read again. How did it end up with the others?”

“I… For a long time after the accident, I was afraid that it would happen a second time. I had all of the things I care most about hidden away so that no harm would come to them. Thankfully, nothing more ever did come to pass, but still I could not stand to look at them.”

“Well, now you can,” she smiled. “That is an incredible step, Your Grace.”

“Is it in your nature to be this supportive?”

“I like to think so. I want to be something good to people.”

“You most certainly are. I enjoy the time I spend with you, but more than that I find myself liking the person that I am when I am around you. Lady Jacqueline, I truly do really like you.”

He seemed nervous to have said it, but Jackie adored it. It had been precisely the confirmation that she had needed.

“You should know that I feel exactly the same about you,” she said gently, watching the smile crawl across his face. “You should also know something else.”

“And what might that be?”

“I do not want you to call me Lady Jacqueline anymore. I would prefer Jackie, just as my sister calls me. I have always preferred it.”

“I can do that,” he grinned. “So long as you call me Philip in return.”

“I most certainly can,” she breathed.

She never would have expected their courtship to go so far on its own, but she could not stop smiling, knowing that she would not have changed a thing about it.