There would be no cuddling on the bench—or other inappropriate activities, and she’d spend the nights alone, in her own private chamber. It was assumed that she’d fall under her brother-in-law’s protection until the legalities of her independence were sorted out.
Nia felt numb as she sat beside her sister driving away from Gretna Green. It was as if her heart had been hollowed out. She ought to have been focused on her future. After all, she was free.
The thought was not as uplifting as she would have expected before knowing Jasper.
Of whom she could not stop thinking—reliving practically every moment they’d spent together. Especially the past few nights.
Whereas the end of her engagement to Lord Rupert had been a relief, and running from the Duke of Dewberry had been quite necessary, ending things with Jasper felt…
Wrong.
She squirmed in her seat, fussing with her hands and sighing.
“Are you afraid of Father coming after you?” Goldie asked from beside her.
Nia shook her head. She wasn’t afraid of their father anymore. Although perhaps she ought to be. But no, she wasn’t afraid of him.
“Then what is it?” Goldie turned sideways to stare at her.
“I’m not sure,” Nia said. “But… something’s not right.”
“Tell me. Tell me everything.”
Instead, Nia turned the tables on her younger sister. “I want to hear about you. Father said Standish tricked you into marrying him, but seeing the two of you together, it doesn’t look as though he tricked you. You seem quite in love, actually.”
Goldie nodded, turning serious. And suddenly Nia felt like the younger sister.
“I’ll admit that our wedding did not come about under ideal circumstances. I was already halfway in love with Reed, but he had no choice but to marry.”
“Father said he initially came to marry me.” Nia hated how those words sounded. “Not because he wanted to marry me, but because marrying me would have assured his place in society. And yet, he married you.”
“Initially, I was his second choice,” Goldie said, and Nia couldn’t help but reach out and touch her sister’s arm.
“It’s obvious that’s no longer the case. But…” Nia searched for the right words. “How did you know it was the right thing to do?”
Goldie’s eyes turned soft. “My infatuation quickly transformed into a love deeper than I thought possible.” She touched her heart. “I saw the same in him, so I took the chance. I was precisely what he needed. And now, I couldn’t imagine life without him.” She blushed. “He says I’m his sunshine. He says I brought hope back into his life.”
“Were you afraid? When you went to him? What if he’d rejected you?”
“Then I would have walked away heartbroken, but without regrets. Because I would have known that I gave it my all. I wouldn’t have wondered ‘what if’…” She grimaced. “I’m just grateful he felt the same. It’s so easy to assume the worst.” Then Goldie tilted her head and her eyes widened. “You love Lord Westcott.” It was not a question.
Nia’s initial impulse was to deny it, but for what purpose? She’d felt alone for months, and finally, she had her sister to share her burdens with.
“Yes.” She shook her head, not wanting her sister, who was caught up in the throes of her own romance, to wax poetic over it. “But I know what it feels like to be forced into marriage. The last thing Jasper wants is to marry. He was willing to marry me out of honor—simply because he knew I needed protection.”
“You were not feeling compelled to marry him, but you wanted to marry him this morning.” Goldie saw right through her. “And Standish and I came along and ruined everything.”
“No! That’s not it at all! You came along and ensured that we didn’t have to marry. I had thought Jasper might declare his feelings when he came to talk to me earlier this afternoon. But he was perfectly willing to end our arrangement. He would have married me if I told him it was what I wanted, but I’d never know if he was only doing it out of honor. I could not bear to think he’d married me out of some sense of duty.”
“He didn’t look at all happy when he came downstairs after your talk,” Goldie said. “And I hardly know the baron, but in my opinion, he seemed… sad.”
“I caused him a good deal of inconvenience,” Nia said, her heart breaking if that was the case. Because it had meant so much more to her. They’d not quite spent a week in one another’s company, but that time had been the most exciting, most wonderful few days of her life.
It had changed her entire life.
“What if…” Goldie said. “Isn’t it possible that Lord Westcott was doing the same for you? You just escaped two different, but equally unwanted, betrothals. And suddenly, you’re faced with a third. What if he has similar feelings for you, but didn’t want you to feel compelled to marry him?”
“That would be…” Nia paused, considering the suggestion. Was she just being hopeful, or did Goldie’s suggestion have merit? “But if I went to him, if I told him my feelings and that I want to marry, he would not refuse me. Because he’s not the rake everyone believes him to be. He is… honorable. He would think he had no choice.”
