“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 wasprecisely 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.
