Philip did not like how complementary Lucien was about Jackie, but he had to admit that he agreed with every word and so he paid it no mind. He tried not to, at least.
“Where is she, on that note?” Lucien asked, and again that cloud of doubt came to Philip. “I was hoping to greet her while I was here.”
“I do not know. She and I tend to do as we please until we find one another. That is, of course, I have planned something for the two of us. In fact, I was going to do so tomorrow, a walk around the property.”
“I certainly enjoyed my walk with her,” he smirked. “And it is a shame that you do not know of her whereabouts. I would have known her exact location at all times if I were you.”
“Well, unlike you, I prefer to give a lady her freedom, and if she comes to me then it is all the better as it is proof that she truly wishes to be around me.”
“Yes, dukes tend to have that luxury,” he joked.
“I hope I am not intruding, Your Grace,” Jackie’s voice came as she entered.
“Not at all!” He smiled, noticing that she was carrying a tray of biscuits with her.
In truth, he had been hoping that she would not come to see him until Lucien had left, but he did not mind too much. After all, it was an excuse to see her, and he would take as many of those as were offered to him.
“Oh!” She gasped. “My apologies, Philip. I did not know that you had company.”
“Lady Jacqueline,” Lucien greeted her with a smile. “We were only just discussing your whereabouts. What have you been doing today?”
“I was in the gardens with Elizabeth,” she explained, eyeing the biscuits she had brought. “Would you like one, too?”
Lucien grinned in a way that Philip had not seen before, and then he pulled out a chair for Jackie.
“Sit with us,” he offered. “We are not discussing anything of any real importance. Nothing that cannot be for your ears, at least!”
“I always have wondered what you men discuss when us ladies are not around,” she laughed as she sat down, Lucien pushing the chair back in for her.
“And you must go on wondering,” he replied.
“Truly, that is such a shame.”
“What were you doing in the gardens?”
“Well, my sister and I used to love walking together. Before we debuted, we would circle our grounds for hours, talking about everything and nothing all at the same time. It has been one of my favorite memories for a long time now.”
“Then it is no wonder that you walked with me so easily,” he smiled. “It is second nature for you.”
“Until my stumble, that was. Thankfully, I did not fall completely.”
Philip felt rather bitter that he had not been the one to catch her, nor the one to suggest that she sat with them, nor the one that pushed her chair in. Lucien had done all of those things for him, and he could not help but resent him for that, even if he did not blame him. He was only being polite, was he not? Even so, he did not like the way he had become invisible from the moment Jackie had appeared.
He also did not like the way he had brought her into their conversation so quickly.
“We should promenade again,” Lucien suggested.
“That would be lovely! I could bring my sister along, as well as Lord Greene. You shall join us too, of course, Philip.”
Was he already an afterthought?
“I need not come with you if you do not wish,” he replied quietly, and she looked back at him with a most puzzled expression.
“I did not say you last as if I had not thought to invite you,” she smiled. “It is simply that your presence is a given in my mind. I cannot imagine doing anything social without you there.”
“Even a ball?” Lucien suggested. “Because you shall be fighting a losing battle if you wish to attend one with him. He cannot stand them.”
“Well, perhaps it is time that I try and enjoy them again,” Philip argued. “I enjoyed them once before. Who is to say that I cannot learn to like them again?”
