She straightened, her resolve firming. “I hate you,” Jaclyn seethed. “You have done nothing but ruin my life at every turn. If you do this, if you make me leave with you, I promise you will rue the day that you forced this on me.”
“You will thank me one day,” he said solemnly. “I only have your best interests at heart. You may hate me now, but you will see. Once you realize that the Duke of Amberwood only intended to use you and then toss you aside like nothing. I refuse to allow him to hurt you like that.” He met her gaze and said in a hard tone, “Do not do something you will regret. Be ready to depart when I return from Havenwood.” With that he turned and left her alone in the library.
Though the weight of her brother’s warning hung heavy in the air Jaclyn could not let it prevent her from taking action. First, she would go see Charlotte. Then she would find Kingston. Between her dearest friend, and the man she loved a solution could be found. She would not allow her brother to ruin her life. Jaclyn would make her own choices, and her heart knew what it wanted. She just needed the courage to follow it, no matter the cost.
Thirteen
Jaclyn paced the length of the drawing room at Easton Abbey, the rich carpet muffling her frantic steps. The conversation with her brother had left her shaken, her mind whirling with the words he had spoken. He had made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that she would return home with him. Her father would be furious with her if she failed to comply with his wishes, and her brother—though outwardly concerned—would likely turn her over to their father’s will without a second thought. Both of them had always controlled her life with an iron grip, and Jaclyn could not bear the thought of going back to that suffocating existence. Not after the freedom she had gained while attending Havenwood Academy. She had not realized the gift it would be when her father had exiled her to the school. She had gained so much under Mrs. Havenwood’s care, and she did not want to let that freedom go.
She had to speak with her dearest friends, Charlotte and Georgina, hoping that they could offer her some sage advice—anything to help her from having to leave with Barrett. She could feel the walls closing in. Barrett’s words still echoed in her mind. He did not care that she had been ill, or so it seemed. Maybe he did, but he had not acted as if it mattered to him. All he seemed to care about was what he wanted. What her brother had dictated to her had been quite clear. She would return with him, and it did not matter what she thought. Barrett had believed her well enough to travel immediately. After what he had done at Vauxhall she knew he would not budge. He hadn’t that night when he had challenged the Duke of Amberwood to a duel over what he thought was an offense to her honor. That he might do something similar again sent a wave of panic through her. The duke had been nothing but a gentleman to her that night—not that Barrett had believed her or even stopped to listen to her. He would not listen now either. He had acted out of a misguided sense of duty to her, and she had no idea how to stop this madness from escalating. Barrett was doing what he thought best even if he was wrong.
She stopped in front of the large windows, staring out at the garden below, unable to focus on anything beyond the weight of her thoughts. She often wondered if her brother had acted for another reason than protecting her honor. Did he have another reason for loathing the Duke of Amberwood? The last thing she needed was for her brother to continue his vendetta against the duke, but Jaclyn feared it was already too late. He had known that she had been alone with Kingston in the library and he was acting with that knowledge. That was the true reason he was insisting they leave immediately.
Just then, the door creaked open, and Charlotte entered, her brow furrowed in concern. "Jaclyn, you look as though you’ve seen a ghost. What’s troubling you?" At least she would not have to seek out her friend. Charlotte had come to her.
Jaclyn turned toward her friend, her breath shaky. "Charlotte, I cannot go home with him. I cannot." She shook her head, biting back the tears. "Barrett will never let me live my life in peace, and Father... Father will marry me off to the first acceptable gentleman that crosses his path. I can’t go back to them, I can’t."
Charlotte’s expression softened, and she stepped forward, taking Jaclyn’s hands into hers. "You do not have to go back, Jaclyn. Not if you do not wish it." Her voice was calm but firm. "We will help you. Your brother knows you have been ill. We have some time…"
"We do not,” Jaclyn interrupted her. “Barrett has gone to Havenwood to have my belongings packed. When he returns, we are leaving immediately." Jaclyn’s voice cracked with frustration. "What can we do? They will never let me be free. You do not understand, Charlotte. Barrett is as controlling as Father, and he will have his way. He always does. You know what he did that night when I first met the duke at Vauxhall."
“I do.” Charlotte’s gaze hardened, the fire of determination in her eyes. "Surely he wouldn’t challenge the duke to another duel…” She frowned. “Are you certain he wished to leave today?”
Jaclyn nodded. “He was quite clear. What should I do?”
“We will find a way. You are not alone in this. I will help you." Charlotte nibbled on her bottom lip. “Georgina will be here soon. The three of us can form a plan. At the very least we can stall your departure. Perhaps the doctor can be called, and we can have him declare you have had a relapse.”
Jaclyn’s heart fluttered with a glimmer of hope. Her friend was always the steady one, the voice of reason, but this time, her resolve seemed unshakable. She drew in a shaky breath, wiping away the tears that had begun to pool in her eyes. "As much as I would like to, I cannot stay here forever," she said quietly. "Barrett will be back, and he will take me back with him. Even if we do as you suggest it is only a temporary solution."
She frowned. “But it will give us time to find a permanent answer, won’t it?” Charlotte tapped her chin thoughtfully. “There is something else you could consider.”
Georgina strolled into the room with a whimsical smile on her face. She stopped short and studied them both. “What did I just walk in on? I know that look, Charlotte. You’re scheming.”
Charlotte sighed. “Am I that obvious?”
“Only to those who know you well…” Georgina glanced between the two of them. “But there is something we need to be concerned with isn’t there?”
Jaclyn nodded. “My brother is taking me home with him.”
“Well, yes,” Georgina said. “He did make his intentions clear yesterday. Has he said when he is going to take you home?”
“Today,” Jaclyn told her. “As soon as he returns from Havenwood.”
Georgina’s mouth fell open as the shock of Jaclyn’s news fell over her. “That cannot be right… He does know you have been ill. Why is he insisting you leave today?”
That part she had not told Charlotte. Perhaps she should share that with her two friends. She nibbled on her bottom lip and then sighed. “It has everything to do with the Duke of Amberwood and what Barrett believes His Grace wants from me.” They could not be more wrong. Yes, Kingston had kissed her. It had been a wonderful kiss. But it had not gone farther than that and Kingston said he would not take advantage of her. He had set her aside before anything had a chance to begin with them.
“What does the Duke of Amberwood have to do with this?” Charlotte asked.
“I could not sleep last night so I went to the library to find a book,” she told them. “The duke was in the library.”
“You were alone with him then?” Georgina asked.
“I was,” she confessed. “And somehow Barrett discovered that and is using it as a reason to remove me from Easton Abbey today.”
“We cannot allow him to do that,” Georgina said. She blew out a breath. “What does he believe happened in the library?”
“That the duke used his wicked charm against me and I fell willingly into his arms and begged him to seduce me,” Jaclyn said in a dull tone. He was right of course. Kingston had charmed her. He had kissed her. But he had not seduced her. Jaclyn would have willingly fallen into his arms and begged him to take her. She had been so close to doing just that. Jaclyn could tell her two friends about all of that, but she didn’t. Her heart was too bruised to speak about the heartache that filled her soul.
