“If only I had such a choice.”
“Yes, of course. My apologies, I do not mean to remind you of your role.”
“You need not apologize. I am incredibly fortunate for my place in society, and I would not trade it for anything.”
He wanted to take her seriously, but he saw the cream on the corner of her lips, and it distracted him entirely. He gestured to the corner of his own mouth, and she tried to wipe it away, but she missed it. He chuckled, doing it a second time, but this time—when she did not get it—he gave in and leaned forward, placing his hand gently on her face to wipe it away himself.
He froze.
“I do apologize,” he said quickly. “I should not be taking liberties with you like that.”
But she was giggling, a blush creeping across her cheeks, and he had to admit, if only to himself, that he was not sorry in the slightest.
“It is fine,” she assured him. “You did not do anything that I did not want you to do.”
“Is that to say that you deliberately did not clean it away yourself?”
“It is to say that a lady of my age is typically able to remove cream from her lips.”
His heart thudded, the heat of her skin still lingering on his fingers. She was far more intelligent than any lady he had ever met, a quick wit, just as his mother was, and he loved it about her. He had never wanted a wife that would simper and fan herself demurely, and she was proof of this. If anything, he wanted to be kept on his toes—he had to be.
The sun was high when they left for the picnic, but it was beginning to dip beneath the trees, the sky turning red. He saw Lady Jacqueline looking at the sky, sighing.
“I ought to return to the house,” she said begrudgingly. “It will be dinner soon, and I do not wish to be late.”
“No, of course not,” he replied, hating the fact that time passed.
“Will you be joining us again tonight?”
“I believe so, though I shall have a few things to take care of before I make my appearance, namely returning this basket.”
“I can help you, if you wish.”
“Do not worry, I can do it. You go and prepare for dinner, and I shall see you later.”
He hated that he had not accepted her request, but he refused to have her help him when she was his guest, or even the lady he was courting. It simply would not do.
She left with her maid, and he watched her go before lying back in the grass and closing his eyes. It had been a wonderful afternoon, and once more he had found himself alone after spending time with Lady Jacqueline, and missing her greatly. He could not wait to see her again, hence he would go to dinner, but he also knew that he would be quite occupied in the coming days, and he was already suffering over the matter.
He would, however, find time for her. He promised himself that he would, because she had been gone a few mere moments, maid in tow, and already he longed to see her again.
And he still could not believe that he felt that way.
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.
