“I promise,” Jaclyn told her. She needed some time alone with Charlotte. Thank heavens her friend knew her so well.
“Then I shall be happy to show Lord Finley the grounds,” Miss Spencer told Charlotte. “I will return when we are done. Then Jaclyn and I will return to Havenwood.”
“Thank you, sister dear, for the suggestion. I believe a walk would do me good,” Lord Finley added smoothly, his eyes not leaving Miss Spencer. “Shall we, Miss Spencer?”
After a small, stiff nod, Miss Spencer took a step toward him, though she clearly was not as enthusiastic about the suggestion as he was. Still, the two made their way toward the door to the gardens, leaving Jaclyn and Charlotte behind in the quiet drawing room.
As soon as they were alone, Jaclyn felt a knot form in her stomach. She was unsure of what had just transpired between Miss Spencer and Lord Finley, but something had shifted in the air. It was as if the ground had changed beneath them, and there was an unspoken tension between the two of them.
Charlotte turned toward Jaclyn, her smile fading slightly. “You seem troubled, Jaclyn. Come inside and you can tell me everything.” They went inside and Charlotte led her to a drawing room. There she rang a bell and ordered tea. They both took a seat on the settee and Charlotte turned her attention to Jaclyn. “Now, what is it?”
Jaclyn took a steadying breath, then looked directly at her friend. “It’s... it’s just that I’ve had something weighing heavily on my mind, and it’s been hard to let go of it.” She nibbled on her lip. “It has to do with the scandal that led to my attendance at Havenwood.”
Charlotte’s brows furrowed in concern. “What is it, Jaclyn? You can tell me.” She reached out and patted her hand gently. “I know we agreed to never discuss the scandal that caused our exile, but if you wish to tell me now, you must know you can trust me with that secret.”
“I do…” Jaclyn’s throat tightened, but she knew it was time. There was no more hiding the truth. “Charlotte... it’s about my brother,” she began, her voice trembling slightly. “And the Duke of Amberwood...”
Charlotte’s face immediately became pale. “I had suspected he had something to do with the scandal… But your brother? I think you need to explain more,” she said in a hushed tone, her eyes widening.
Jaclyn nodded, her heart heavy with the confession. “Barrett—he challenged the Duke of Amberwood to a duel.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “You see there was an incident at Vauxhall. One that my brother, the impulsive fool, misunderstood.”
She really hated that she had to remember that night and all that transpired. Jaclyn closed her eyes, and she could almost see how everything looked that night. The music that floated around her from the rotunda and all the people. The revelry and excitement… She could even recall the fireworks as they exploded in the sky as Barrett challenged the duke to that duel.
“So, they dueled… I trust they both survived,” Charlotte said.
“They did,” Jaclyn said. “But you should know… your brother, Lord Finley, was my brother’s second. If I had known that your brother was involved I?—”
“Stop,” Charlotte interrupted, her voice shaking. “You—you don’t mean to say that my brother…” She frowned. “But Jaclyn, I?—”
“I should have told you sooner,” Jaclyn explained, her heart racing. “It was all a terrible mistake and all I wanted to do was forget it had ever happened. That duel ruined my life... I-I couldn’t bear the thought of you finding out what happened. I did not want anyone to know.”
Charlotte, her face now ashen, stepped back. “I do not blame you.” She shook her head and sighed. “We both agreed not to speak about our scandalous pasts. Perhaps we should have sooner and none of this would have been such a surprise.”
“Perhaps,” Jaclyn replied, her voice cracking. “It is why this past summer has been so difficult for me. Every time I crossed paths with the duke...”
“It all came back at the sight of him.” Charlotte stood still, her eyes locked on Jaclyn’s with shock, then confusion, before a darker emotion flashed behind them. “I... I must tell you something too, Jaclyn,” Charlotte said, her voice trembling. “I was the one who retrieved the pistols for my brother,” she admitted. “And that is what led to me being sent to Havenwood...”
Jaclyn’s mouth fell open in shock… Their worlds were entangled in many ways, and neither of them were aware of it. “Now that you know,” she began. “You should prepare yourself for some tension in your household.”
“Because the duke is not going to be pleased to see my brother…” Charlotte slumped down into the settee. “Wonderful…” She sighed. “Sometimes I wish I did not love that arse so much because right now I wish to do nothing more than strangle my dear brother.”
Jaclyn did not blame Charlotte. She often felt the same way about her own brother.
Charlotte’s words hung heavily in the air as the weight of their conversation settled over them. Jaclyn’s mind spun with a mixture of emotions—shock, guilt, confusion—over the admission that had just passed between them. The unexpected revelation about Charlotte’s involvement with her brother’s duel had taken her by surprise. Still, Jaclyn felt a deep, unsettling shift within her, as if the ground beneath them had moved, and she was unsure of what lay ahead.
“I never knew,” Jaclyn whispered, her voice unsteady. “That night—what happened between my brother and the Duke of Amberwood—it has plagued me, Charlotte. I can’t seem to shake the weight of it. And now, knowing that your brother was involved…” Her words trailed off, unable to complete the thought.
Charlotte exhaled slowly; her gaze distant. “I’ve carried the burden of it too, Jaclyn. I didn’t think I’d ever tell anyone, not even you, but now, with everything coming to light, I realize we can’t just keep burying it. We need to face it.” She shook her head with a rueful smile. She blew out a breath. “The only other person I have told any of this to is my husband.”
The two women sat in silence for a moment, the weight of their shared secret thickening the air between them. Jaclyn’s heart felt heavy with the knowledge that their lives were forever intertwined with the aftermath of their brothers’ actions, and that nothing would ever be the same again. But she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of relief as she finally spoke the truth aloud.
“I wish things had been different,” Jaclyn said softly, her voice trembling. “I never wanted any of this to happen. And now, it feels like my entire life has been shaped by that one moment.” She closed her eyes and tried to steady her racing heart. “If only Barrett had listened to me… Nothing happened between me and the duke. My idiot brother came to some erroneous conclusion because the duke is some notorious rake…” She shook her head. “Not that I knew that. I didn’t even know his name at first.”
Charlotte’s hand found Jaclyn’s in a gesture of solidarity. “None of this is your fault,” she said firmly. “You didn’t cause it. Neither of us did. It was their doing, their foolishness.”
Jaclyn squeezed Charlotte’s hand, grateful for her friend’s comfort. “And we are the ones that paid for it,” she said in disgust. “But what will happen now? Do you think there will be a lot of animosity between Amberwood and your brother? Will you be able to diffuse it?”
Charlotte looked thoughtful; her eyes clouded with worry. “I don’t know what either of them will do. The duke will likely be angry, and he has every right to be. But I don’t think he would do anything here—out of respect for his friendship with my husband.” She nibbled on her lip. “And he’s not the one that challenged him. I wouldn’t worry about it. I’ll speak to Declan about it later.”
