Against all odds, the figure did come to a stop.
“Have you been following me?” She asked, knowing it to have been the case. “Why?”
The figure continued into the darkness a little more before turning around. She could not see his face, but there was that unmistakable shoulder-length copper hair.
“Greetings, Lady Jacqueline,” he said gently. “I did not mean to startle you. I only wanted to see you for a while before we met in person. That was not my best idea, I cannot lie. Perhaps I should have done something else, or maybe I simply should have watched my step a little more carefully.”
He chuckled, but Jackie did not find him amusing. She knew who he was in an instant, and it did not ease her concerns about how she would be seen during her stay there. The man before her was none other than the man that could eventually be her future husband.
It was none other than the duke.
Chapter 4
It was likely not the best first impression that Philip could have given, but at least it was over and done with.
She stared at him for a moment, and he wondered if she could see him. The thought of it paralyzed him, for if there was one thing worse than being followed by someone you did not know, it was most certainly being followed by a stranger as hideous as he thought she’d see him as.
“Is there any particular reason why you are following me?” She asked after a while. “I thought you were otherwise occupied today.”
“I am—I should have been, I mean.”
“I see…”
Philip did not know what to say; he knew it had not been right to follow her around without her knowledge, but he had to know whether or not she was all that her father had claimed her to be. To her credit, she truly was; she was respectful to his servants, as well as his mother.
She carried herself with a certain grace, which was strange at first because what Philip had noticed, after he allowed himself tolook at her face for a little longer than he should have, he noticed how ill-fitting her gown was.
It was not a polite thing to say about a lady, but it was true. It was as though it was not made for her, which was quite absurd given her status, but then he remembered that her family’s finances were not as they should have been, and it became a lot clearer to him what was truly happening.
Lady Elizabeth’s gown fit her much more nicely, and Philip could only think that it meant all funds for gowns went to her instead. He admired that about Lady Jacqueline, for it was uncommon for a lady to be content without beautiful dresses to attract a husband.
Even so, he had been so sure that she would have been given something special to wear when meeting the man who could possibly become her husband.
“Your Grace?”
“Yes?”
“I asked you why you were following me.”
“Yes—my apologies. You see, I was only out walking myself, and then when I heard someone nearby, I felt the need to see who itwas. As it turns out, it was the very same young lady I had invited to stay with me for a while, and so I…”
“Felt compelled to watch me for a while?”
“Would it be awful if that were the case?”
“It would certainly be quite bizarre, yes, but I cannot say I’d loathe it too terribly.”
She was somehow prettier than she had been when they first met, more mature, and he liked that a great deal. She was also smiling at him, a surprise given the circumstances, and she curtsied politely, which he requited with a bow.
“It is rather unexpected circumstances,” she said gently. “But it is a pleasure to meet you all the same.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” he replied, maintaining the distance between them. “I thank you for accepting the invitation.”
“I thank you for extending it. We typically do not receive such things.”
“That astounds me, truly. Two beautiful young ladies and yet the gentlemen do not quarrel over who can court the pair of you. It hardly makes any sense at all.”
“You and I both know the reason for it, I believe, Your Grace.”
