The words were so simple and yet they’d been one long year in the making.
Jack’s chest contracted in response. His throat tightened.
“Of course,” he managed, then crossed the distance between them and gave his father a hug. When he stepped back, Papa’s eyes had grown suspiciously bright and shiny. “Come now, let’s go and greet our guests.”
Papa nodded and swallowed the last of his drink. “I trust you’re ready for your big night?”
“Indeed,” Jack assured him. “I’ve never been more ready for anything else in my life.”
10
Since her arrivalin the ballroom nearly one hour earlier, Sophia had greeted several guests, most of whom she knew from London. There were the Earl and Countess of Yates, the Earl and Countess of Fielding, the Duke and Duchess of Huntley, the Duke and Duchess of Coventry, the Duke and Duchess of Redding, Redding’s brother Mr. Lowell and his wife, Mrs. Lowell, along with the notorious Duke of Windham – the former Scoundrel of St. Giles – and his duchess.
According to the gossip Sophia had managed to pick up, all of these peers had made unconventional matches. The Duke of Huntley, for instance, had been no more than a bare-knuckle fighter raised in the slums until circumstance had launched him into the midst of theton. His sisters had since become the duchesses of Coventry and Redding. And then there was Jack’s friend Fielding who’d married a woman whose father had been condemned for treason.
Essentially, each and every one of these people had struggled to find their happily ever after, just like Sophia and Jack. She related to them and liked them all the more for their decisions to turn their backs on social expectation and make their own rules.
“Have you seen Jack?” she asked when she met with Felicity and Kaitlin. Both were accompanied by their husbands with whom they’d just danced a quadrille.
The sisters glanced at each other and Felicity said, “Not since he greeted us at the door.”
Sophia bit her lip and craned her neck for a better view of the room, only there were too many people milling about, and she wasn’t nearly tall enough to spot the man she sought.
“I’m sure he’ll find you as soon as he’s able,” Kaitlin told her.
Sophia wrinkled her nose. Since her arrival yesterday afternoon, she’d scarcely seen him at all. He’d vanished by the time she’d finished settling in and returned downstairs, and had remained absent when she’d set out with his mother to visit the Fenmores. Her only glimpse of him occurred during last night’s dinner, after which he’d once again made himself scarce.
Considering how eager she’d been to return and spend time with him once more, she had to admit she was rather disappointed by his seeming lack of enthusiasm.
“Perhaps you’d care to dance with me while you wait?” Edward asked.
Sophia forced a smile she didn’t quite feel and accepted his invitation. They approached the dance floor, only to halt and glance around when no new tune commenced. It seemed they weren’t the only ones wondering over the musicians’ sudden silence, the three violinists all standing about as if they’d no intention of playing any more.
How odd.
Sophia frowned and turned to Edward. “What do you suppose is going on?”
“I think you’re about to find out,” Edward said with a grin.
Turning, Sophia looked in the same direction as Edward and gasped. Because there Jack was, his dark eyes fixed upon her with such intensity she felt the heat of his gaze all the way to her bones. Heavens, he was handsome, and lord help her if he did not possess the ability to make her go up in flames. She needed a fan. Desperately.
“Esteemed guests,” Jack began, “I am honored to welcome you all to this Yuletide fete at Eastgate Abbey. Some of you have journeyed far in order to be here, for which I and the rest of my family thank you. And since you are here, you’ll have the chance to bear witness to something I doubt you ever imagined you’d see.”
Sophia stilled, her every nerve on keen alert. She glanced to her right and caught her brother’s eye, relief spilling through her when he met her gaze with approval. This was it – Jack’s big moment – his chance to make everything right. If he pulled it off as he’d promised he would, Maypoole would let them marry.
Around her, the room came alive with whispers as guests began placing wagers on what might occur.
“The redemption of a rake,” Jack said, a glint of devilish charm in his eyes. “Tonight you shall watch a rogue humble himself before your very eyes. And you will be given the power to grant him forgiveness. Or to deny it.”
Claps and cheers resounded, shaking the air.
Sophia swallowed. She’d known Jack had to make a grand gesture, but she’d not realized how daring it would be until he placed their fate in everyone else’s hands. Jack had a reputation after all, and it wasn’t a good one. In fact, she’d learned just how ill-reputed he was while in London when she’d overheard a scandalous conversation between two married women. They’d mentioned a craving forstrawberries dipped in champagne, which as it turned out, had not referred to the fruit or the drink, but rather to the manner in which Jack seduced. They’d given it its own name!
She tried not to think of that – of all the women who’d come before her. What did it matter? She was the one he loved, and if she’d ever been in doubt, he’d proven himself this past year with the sacrifice he’d made.
“Now, allow me to make my pledge,” Jack said, his voice cutting through the din. He spread out his arms like some dark and dangerous angel in search of acceptance, and holding her gaze, he dropped to one knee. A buzz of excitement swept through the crowd. Sophia’s pulse leapt in response to the blood rushing through her veins. “I, Jack Nathaniel Lancaster, beg your pardon for my sins. I’ve been a cad, a scoundrel, a good for nothing debaucher. Please hear me repent.
“I swear to you I have cast off my wicked ways and that I shall never again take a woman to bed unless she’s my lawfully wedded wife. And if I ever give you cause to think I’ve strayed from this oath, then you shall be honor bound to have me flogged.”
