Page 77 of The Lady Was Lying
“Yes. Thank you,” she agreed.
Once they were gone, she sat down and took the covers off the food. Thick stew with chunks of meat and vegetables along with two large pieces of yeasty bread greeted her. With her plans for the evening dominating her mind, she forced herself to pick up her spoon.
Sustenance seemed like a key requirement of ravishment.
“How did you get my trunk?” she asked after James sat down across from her.
“Jane packed it for you. She was most eager to assist me.”
“Truly?” Belinda sampled the stew, chewing the beef slowly. “What did you tell her?”
“The truth,” he replied, after taking a bite himself.
“Seriously? The full truth? Was she shocked?”
“Not the full truth. Just my intentions. Convincing her to help didn’t require much explanation. She wasn’t surprised, and she didn’t seem particularly concerned about the details once I’d told her my plan.”
“She wasn’t angry?” she asked.
“Not at all.”
How surprising.
“Did you know that she told me you were at the top of her list of potential suitors?” she asked.
He snorted. “The scandal sheets would undoubtedly appreciate that, but Jane has not shown more than a mild interest in me.”
“I had been questioning whether she actually considered you a suitor for some time.” She had wondered about it nearly every time she saw them interact. “I can’t believe I told her you were perfect for her.”
He laughed. “She must not have agreed, because when we speak, she talks about nothing except you.”
Belinda gaped. “Really?”
“Absolutely. Jane is in favor of a match between us. I suspect we’ve had her support from the beginning.”
“From the beginning?” Belinda’s eyes narrowed as all the gushing her sister had done took on a different hue. “She claimed she wanted to be a duchess.”
He shrugged. “That might be true, but she didn’t want to be my duchess.”
“Oh my goodness. I kept questioning why she didn’t seem more excited around you, and it never occurred to me that she was…” A laugh slipped out.
“I never gave her any reason to believe I was courting her,” he said when she didn’t continue.
“I know. She told me repeatedly that she wasn’t sure you were interested. But I read the papers just like everyone else, and there has been plenty of speculation so I assumed…” Her palm thumped against her forehead. “I can’t believe I never considered she was talking about you for me. Her infatuation was so irritating and fickle that I should have realized immediately.” She groaned. “I had no idea she had it in her to be so devious.”
“She was delighted when I told her I wanted to marry you.”
“Delighted?” Belinda couldn’t help laughing harder. How had she missed that Jane had never been serious about the duke? It was more than a little humbling to realize Jane cared for her enough to give up the possibility of becoming a duchess.
“She is in favor of our union,” he confirmed. “I’m certain of it.”
Belinda blinked back tears. “I believe the rest of my family will support us as well.”
“Greydon already knows I intend to marry you. Not about the kidnapping precisely, but since he was the one to suggest I needed to prove my intentions without forcing you to reveal yours, I think he will come to terms with my methods.”
“Once I inform him of my acquiescence, he will support us.” Her future, which had previously seemed so dull, was suddenly awash in color. She popped the last of her bread into her mouth and set her spoon on the tray. “I believe I’m ready for my bath.”
They chatted about nothing of importance while they waited for the water.
