“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 eventhough 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?
Chapter 10
