“That depends entirely on His Grace,” the dowager sighed. “And it is a shame, for he makes excellent company.”
“He certainly does.”
Jackie knew what she had said the moment she said it.
“I did not know that you had been spending time with the duke,” Elizabeth said, an eyebrow raised.
Fortunately, at that moment, the butler entered with a lady that Jackie did not recognize. It was strange to see an unexpected visitor, but it meant that Elizabeth had something to think about other than where her older sister had been.
She might not have recognized the young lady, but the dowager duchess certainly did, even if her face registered a good deal of shock, followed by happiness, followed by outright confusion.
“Lady Ophelia,” she said in an odd tone. “What a… surprise.”
“Your Grace,” she beamed, curtsying deeply. “It is a pleasure to see you again. I know it is improper of me to arrive unannounced, but I simply had to come and see you while I was in town! I have missed you greatly.”
She was extremely beautiful, Jackie noted, and slowly she began to piece everything together. She had heard whispers of a Lady Ophelia, who had left the duke that she was engaged to after she deemed him unworthy. It was a great source of gossip during her first season, some chastising her for being so set on good looks, others agreeing that the most beautiful girl in London should marry only the most handsome man, nothing less.
It was no secret that, even when she did not know either party, she was angry on behalf of the duke. Elizabeth had agreed with her, though to a lesser extent. Now that she was standing before her, though, Jackie could hardly contain her annoyance; tothrow someone aside after knowing them for so long because of something out of their control was inexcusable, as far as she was concerned.
“Oh! Where are my manners?” The dowager duchess said quickly. “Lady Ophelia, may I introduce you to Lady Jacqueline and Lady Elizabeth?”
The two sisters curtsied in turn, neither speaking to Lady Ophelia.
“Lady Jacqueline is to marry my son,” she continued excitedly, and Jackie did not feel that it was the right time to correct her wording.
She knew that she had made the right decision when she saw Lady Ophelia’s face, one of shock, though she quickly composed herself.
“He is a wonderful man,” Lady Ophelia nodded. “You are quite fortunate to have him.”
“I am, indeed,” Jackie smiled, reveling in the young lady’s apparent discomfort.
“You know, he always was very adoring,” Lady Ophelia continued with a smirk. “Why, when we were courting, he sent me flowers every day, always accompanied by a love letter. Wewould promenade together, and he would practically follow me around like he was my puppy.”
Jackie thought about the flowers she had been receiving every day since her arrival. It was a normal thing to receive during a courtship, but knowing that he had done it all before did take some of the shine away from it she had to admit.
What was worse, however, was the way she spoke of the duke as if he were no more than a dog—her dog. He was a person, and more to the point, if she thought he was so utterly wonderful, why did she reject him? Her mind began to race in a way that it never had before, wondering if this was her coming back for him, to apologize and take him back all over again.
“Is he here?” Lady Ophelia continued.
“He is not,” the dowager duchess replied. “I am afraid that the duke has some rather pressing matters to attend to today, and is unavailable, but I shall tell him you came by.”
“I would have preferred to speak with him myself. That is an awful shame.”
“Indeed, but we sometimes cannot control what happens around us, can we?” The dowager duchess asked.
Jackie looked between the two ladies, quite certain that Lady Ophelia needed to have taken something from those words.
“Very well,” she sighed. “Although I would so love to walk in the gardens again. They were always magnificent. Lady Jacqueline, would you be so kind as to accompany me?”
Jackie looked to the dowager duchess, who did not seem to object to it, and it would have been impolite to say no, and so she gave a quick nod, and the two ladies left for the gardens.
“Oh, have you ever seen anything so beautiful in all your life?” Lady Ophelia sighed as they entered the garden. “I am quite adept in the language of flowers, and I can tell you exactly what the gardener wanted to say with his work.”
“Oh? And what might that have been?”
“You do not honestly want to hear about that,” Lady Ophelia laughed. “Come now, Lady Jacqueline, I am sure that you wish to know all about my time with the duke. I would not blame you for it, given that the two of you are to be married.”
Jackie wanted to tell Lady Ophelia that she did not wish to hear about the two of them, but she knew that that would only make her sound jealous. Was it better to allow her to talk? Jackie could not possibly know for sure, and so she thought it best to listenand not allow herself to be upset by anything she heard. Besides that, she was curious.
