“You don’t seem very happy when I first entered the room.”
“I had just finished discussing a misunderstanding with my sisters. That is all.”
Jacob watched her for a moment before sighing. He put his hand over his heart.
“I shouldn’t have tossed you off as I did,” he said. “Oh, Hope. If I could go back and change things, I would.”
Hope’s thoughts drifted up to Graham. What would he do if he found Jacob here? He had been thoroughly upset even knowing that he had once been her suitor.
“That’s all very good of you, Jacob, but really, you must leave. There is no space for you here.”
“Not even in some corner of your heart?”
Hope stared at him as though he were mad. He gazed back at her with a longing expression in his eye, as if he were besotted with her. What on earth was wrong with him? Never in their entire courtship had he ever looked at her like this.
“Jacob, I’m very grateful that you came all this way and I thank you for being such a devoted friend, but you mustknow that there is no changing things. I am m-marrying Mr. MacKinnon,” she said, stumbling over her words. “And I’m quite happy about it. So please, please. You must refrain from asking about my feelings for you.” She shook her head. “Those feelings stopped when our relationship ended. And if Mr. MacKinnon were to hear any of this, he would have you quartered.”
“Because he is a cruel man?” Jacob asked hopefully.
“Because he is aloyalman. Now, I beg you to leave this house, right this very moment.”
“Then there are no feelings left for me? None at all?”
Hope had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes.
“You were the one who cut me loose, remember? Now as I’ve told you—”
“Why are you in such a rush to be rid of me? Is it because you fear that if we spend more time together, you might find that somewhere deep inside, you might still have feelings for me?” He reached for her hand again, gripping it tightly. Uncomfortably so. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her go. “Forgive me, Hope. I was a fool to let you go.” He brought her hand up to his mouth and began peppering her knuckles with kisses. Her mind whirled at the idea of Graham walking into this. He would murder Jacob. “And I will never let you go again.”
“Yes, you will, right this instant,” she whispered harshly, finally yanking her hand free. “What’s come over you?”
“I love you,” he said, coming towards her. “Run away with me.”
Hope gasped, legitimately shocked. “Good lord, you have gone mad,” she said, more to herself than to him. “Jacob, you need to leave right now. I insist. If Gra—uh, Mr. MacKinnon finds out that you were here, he’ll be very upset.”
“Damn him,” Jacob said, with a false bravado that made Hope exasperated. “He doesn’t care for you—I’m sure of it. His only interest is in your windfall.”
Hope tilted her head and her brow furrowed.
“My windfall?” she repeated. “What windfall?”
“You do not have to be coy with me, Hope,” he said, recapturing her hand. “It was all over the papers in London. It’s what made me so worried about you in the first place.”
Hope squinted.
“You thought my fiancé only wished to marry me because of my supposed future inheritance?”
“Well, I must admit— Uh, did you say supposed inheritance?” he said, his stance shifting slightly.
“Yes. It was only revealed to me a few weeks ago, after reading that article, that Aunt Belle was set to name me as her beneficiary. But I declined.”
“You… You what?”
“I asked that her estate be divided three-fold, so that I might share with my sisters.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, the worry in Jacob’s eyes vanished as he squeezed her hand tighter.
“Oh, my dear, you mustn’t worry about that. As the sole beneficiary—which is only proper, given that you’re the eldest—you would be able to allot your sisters a yearly allowance. But we needn’t discuss that just now. Now, we must leave.”
