Chapter 19

Chapter 19

“The two of you seem quite content,” Philip’s mother noted at breakfast.

Philip was simply grateful that they were the only two in the room, for he was quite sure that she would have said it no matter who was in attendance.

“There is contentment on my part, to be sure,” he nodded.

“And hers. The two of you have been getting along beautifully of late, and there is no denying that there is something growing between you.”

“In which case I shall not deny it,” he smirked. “She is a good lady, Mother, and I’m starting to believe that she and I…”

He did not know how to say it in a way that would not have her setting a wedding date.

“You are falling for her, Dearest, aren’t you?”

“Hopelessly,” he sighed. “I cannot help myself. She is kind, and understanding, and never once has she shirked or shunned me for what I look like. Did you know that she did not know what happened to me at all? She never participated in the gossip surrounding it.

“You certainly seem to have stumbled upon a gem. You mustn’t let her slip away.”

He wanted to tell her that he would not, and that it was the last thing that he wanted to do, but at that moment Jackie and Elizabeth entered with their father, and nothing further was said.

That afternoon, he found Jackie painting outside. She was good, far better than she had suggested she was, and he couldn’t help but admire her work. He wondered if she had always spoken down on herself while making her sister seem to be the better sibling, and he knew there had to be some truth to it.

It had been two months since her family’s arrival, and it had quickly become a new normal for them. They were a part of the household, even her father, which he had not expected at all. Her family also seemed to be better with one another, and with one month to go Philip felt quite uncertain.

Not about Jackie, of course. There was another month before any final decisions had to be made, but he knew what he wanted. Nothing had ever been clearer to him; he wanted to marry her. Frankly, he was quite aware that he was in the midst of falling in love with her, and he couldn’t bear the thought of letting her slip away.

“I can sense you there,” she said suddenly, and he snapped to attention.

She had not turned away from her painting, but he could hear in her voice that she was smiling.

“I do apologize. I did not mean to intrude, but this is clearly a talent of yours.”

“Thank you, Your Grace,” she replied, turning around at last.

The sunlight reflected in her dark curls perfectly, and he had to force himself not to reach out and run his fingers through them.

“Do you always make yourself sound mediocre with things?” He asked. “Because you so often speak of yourself as though you are no good at most things, when here you are, making a beautiful landscape.”

“I prefer to let my actions speak for themselves. Besides, if I told you I was a brilliant painter, you would have all sorts of expectations.”

“And you would meet them, I assure you.”

She laughed gently at him.

“You know,” she said tentatively. “I have been told that there is to be a ball in October. An autumn masquerade ball, to be specific. I haven’t been to one since my first season. It feels like a lifetime ago.”

“I have been to a few. It was the only event that my mother could insist on my attendance at, as nobody would see me. It sort of ruined my argument when she said that.”

“Do you not miss such events?”

“I have come to see them as things that I attended, but not necessarily enjoyed. There is no harm in it, they are simply not for me.”

He noticed that she looked quite defeated at that, and panic rose in him.

“However,” he continued quickly. “That isn’t to say that I will never attend another. In fact, it would be quite an honor if you would join me there.”

“The honor would be mine,” she replied, her smile firmly back in place. “But only if you are certain. I do not want you to be uncomfortable.”

“Where is the harm in trying? I wish to make you happy, Jackie, and if simply attending a ball will do that for you, then I cannot refuse.”

He loved it when she smiled at him, and he wanted to make sure that was all she would ever do when in his presence.

“Your Grace,” his butler said, appearing behind them. “Lord Montague is here to see you.”

Philip almost groaned at the intrusion. He felt like a terrible friend after everything Lucien had done for him, but frankly he did not want to see him. His behavior had been strange of late, and he did not know what to do about it beyond ignoring it entirely, and so he hoped that he would be able to.

“Lady Jacqueline!” He greeted, merely giving Philip a nod. “My word, is that artwork yours?”

“It is nothing, My Lord,” she replied. “Just something I have been working on this afternoon while the duke tended to other matters.”

“How can there be matters to tend to other than yourself?”

There it was again, the strange insistence on speaking to her as if he was the one courting her.

“The duke and I,” Jackie continued, seemingly ignoring his comment, “were discussing the ball that you were telling me about. He will be accompanying me, if you can believe it.”

“Philip?” he said in surprise. “I have to admit, I hardly can. I attend several events each month, however, and so I will be more than happy to reacquaint the two of you with it all.”

Philip noted that Lucien had been the one to tell Jackie about the ball, and he wondered why his friend had not discussed it with him himself, but he simply decided that Lucien had asked him to go to many events over the years, and he had refused each time. It was no surprise that he had given in.

Even so, he had to admit that Lucien was right; he did attend a lot of events, and Philip had missed out on a lot of life since the fire. He was not the socialite that Jackie would need in a reintroduction to society, and if he was put against Lucien on that front, he simply would not stand a chance. Regardless, the matter was settled and the three of them would be attending, because Philip could not give in that easily.

“Your Grace,” Lord Greene, asked him in the hallway that evening. “Might I have a word?”

Lord Greene had not had a real conversation with Philip since his arrival, and he had not minded that at all. His invitation had been extended more on Lady Elizabeth’s part than anything, so that she would have someone to entertain her beyond her sister but also so that he could be certain that their plan was not all for nothing. They truly were, however, quite in love with one another and so Philip was more than happy for him to stay.

They entered the study and Philip looked at him expectantly.

“I am aware that you know of the courtship between myself and Lady Elizabeth,” he began. “But I require someone to confide in that is not the lady herself. I cannot burden her with this.”

“Then I am all ears,” he nodded.

“It is my family. They have been threatening to cut me off if I dare stay with her, stripping me of my rights as heir, and I know that they are serious about it. I have been thinking about it, and I do not truly care what they do to me, but I… I want to give her a good life, and I cannot do so if I am left destitute.”

“I understand your predicament. It is incredible that you like her so much that you are even considering it.”

“I love her, Your Grace,” he sighed. “I cannot see myself ever marrying another, no matter what they say. I hate that I cannot fix it, given that my money is tied to my family, and so… so I cannot help her family in any real way that matters. I am at a loss.”

“Did you want me to handle matters?”

“No, I could not ask that of you. I am aware of the plan that you have with Lord Pemberton, and that is more than anyone could ever ask of you. I only wished to talk to someone about it, because this has been eating at me for too long now. I will find a way through this, I am sure.”

“You are not alone in this,” he promised. “If there is anything that I can do, you need only ask, and it will be done. I will do everything in my power to help the two of you, I assure you.”

Lord Greene seemed to like this, and believed Philip’s words. He nodded before thanking him and leaving, and Philip thought about the matter.

He already knew what he had to do, and it was the very same thing he had suggested to Jackie all that time before. He would pay off her father’s debt, thus restoring Elizabeth’s dowry, and then make it known in society that he held her family in the highest of regards. They would, at last, have the respect they deserved, and Lord Greene’s family could not then continue to refuse her for any real reason, and would have to concede.

That was what he hoped, at least.

“I have a plan,” he explained to Jackie’s father that night, when the two gentlemen were alone.

He was all ears, and when Philip explained it, he was quite sure that the man was close to tears. He could see nothing but gratitude in his face, and Philip realized that he did not hate him nearly as much as he had expected to. He was not a villain, only a man that had made too many mistakes. He could help them, and he was determined to.

“You are the best thing that ever could have happened for my daughter,” he told Philip. “Rest assured that you have my blessing for marriage, even if that is not needed as yet.”

“I appreciate it greatly,” Philip replied. “I must say, I will not rush your daughter, but I do see a future with her. However, there is something that I must ask of you.”

“Certainly, Your Grace. Anything.”

“You cannot tell her, nor can you tell Lady Elizabeth, as she would be too quick to tell her sister about all of it. I cannot have that happen as yet. I do not want her to feel pressured into marrying me out of gratitude.”

He knew that he and Jackie had already discussed it, but he also knew that Jackie thought duty to be one of the most important things for her to uphold. He could not have her feel as though her hand was being forced, not when he felt so close to falling for her completely.

Her father nodded, his smile still on his face.

“You have my word. I shall keep this between the two of us, and when you believe the time is right, remember that you need not ask me a second time if you can take my daughter as your wife. There is nobody in this world more deserving of her than yourself.”

With that, Philip was left alone once more to contemplate all that had happened, not least of all that, when all was said and done, he would be out in society again sooner than he had thought.