“It is too late now. They have sealed my fate to that of a monster,” Jane grumbled.
Penelope let her go and when Jane pulled back, she was able to clearly see the frown etched on the duchess’ face.
“I hate the idea of agreeing with them, so please know that I do not in any way think that what they did was right. I am especially cross with your mother about her lack of concern over your well-being. Surely, there were other eligible suitors to have given your hand. I do not understand why the chose the duke of Ravencroft, of all the men in London. Everyone knows how cruel he is. Far too much word about his nefarious character has spread around London for it to see seen as baseless. Why would they do this to you? Give you such a risky task?” Penelope queried.
Jane shook her head slowly. “I cannot think of a single thing I have done to warrant such cruelty. Perhaps they were too desperate to get rid of me.”
Penelope sighed, running her hands soothingly up and down Jane’s arms. “Still this is too much! I really am sorry you’ve had to deal with all of this. I only wish we could –”
“There is nothing that can be done. I must submit to what is expected of me. I am to become the duchess of Ravencroft in a little while and there is nothing I can do about it.”
Penelope shook her head quickly. “Jane, dear, I understand that you are trying to be strong, but you cannot just – marry that man! You cannot give your life away to a stranger with such a reputation! You could be signing your life away. Please, Jane... do not do this.”
Hearing Penelope speak to her so earnestly caused Jane’s fear to reach its peak. She could not believe that this was to be her life, to willingly walk down the aisle and commit to a stranger known as a beast. She could not fathom giving her life to someone who could potentially end it.
“I think that if we leave now and spoke to your parents, we could –”
“No, that won’t work. I need to leave. If I make it to that church, my life as I know it is over. And I hate this. I hate that I was not allowed a choice, that I could not choose what I wanted. I cannotdo this. Please, Penelope. Please, help me escape. I cannot marry this man.” Jane breathed heavily, cutting Penelope off.
Her friend looked as though she wanted to say something, but as a single tear rolled down Jane’s face, something seemed to change. Penelope stared at her in disbelief for a moment, then she nodded fiercely.
“Of course! We only need to use our heads for a moment,” Penelope hummed thoughtfully. “What about a confrontation? You could walk to the altar, point at the duke and declare you have no interest to marry him! Tell him that you never consented and if he was so desperate for a wife, he could offer up his contract to other ladies of the ton!”
“What? That is – I do not think that will work. Not while my father has his heart set on this. He would state that he had staked a claim on the duke first and he might force me to the altar with the duke himself.” Jane shook her head quickly.
“Right, then,” Penelope paused thoughtfully. “What if we sent some armed bandits to abduct the duke before he arrives at the church?”
“Where would we even find such men who would go along with such a plan?”
Penelope paused, then she shook her head in annoyance. “I knew I should have brought Cecil with him. He is usually useful in times like these.”
Jane did not know what her friend meant but she barely had the time to question it, because Penelope was already suggesting yet another extreme course of action.
“What if we set the church on fire?”
“Penelope!”
At this point, Jane was sobbing quietly, barely keeping herself from falling into a state of hysterics. Penelope looked devastated by the sight of her and she quickly wiped Jane’s tears away, shushing her gently.
“All right, all right. We will think of some way. Do not despair, Jane. It is not too late,” Penelope encouraged, her voice soft and her touch warm.
When Jane had calmed down, Penelope paced back and forth for a moment, her expression twisted in deep thought. Jane watched her friend, feeling thankful to have someone who was willing to help her in the midst of this very concerning time.
After a minute or two, Penelope faced her.
“From what you have said, the only way to put a stop to this is by ensuring that you are nowhere near the altar. And as such, you need to leave as soon as possible. But your mother is right outside and she will catch on if you disappeared right this moment. Our best chance is to pretend everything is as it should be and leave for the church, and then you slip away before youneed to walk in. I can create some sort of distraction once we arrive and when everyone’s attention is on me, you can make your escape.” Penelope paused for a moment, as though sensing a flaw in her plan.
Then she snapped her fingers and pointed at Jane.
“A horse!” she exclaimed.
Jane frowned in confusion. “A horse?”
“If you leave with the carriage, they will notice your disappearance much sooner. So, you should take one of the horses instead. We can go with my carriage – that way if one of my horses are missing later, no one other than my coachman will notice. And your parents will not be alerted – hopefully not until you are far away from that place.”
For the first time in days, Jane felt a rush of relief flood her veins. Finally, there was s sliver of hope that she could change this cruel hand fate had dealt her.
“You are right. Thank you, Penelope.”
