Page 34 of Enslaved to the Seduction of a Lady
“Lady Alison and I are in love. It’s as simple as that.”
“But it can never work, Luke,” Jenny said, pleading with him. Her arms were still crossed, her lips pinched, as though she was trying to stop herself from crying. “Don’t you see the danger you put us all in? We could be thrown out onto the streets with nothing. It’s not worth it.”
“Lady Alison is going to speak to her parents about it, perhaps, finding a way for us to be married,” he said. He heard Jenny expel her breath, an unamused chuckle at the end of it. He had expected it. Even he knew how far-fetched it sounded.
“You cannot seriously believe that’ll work,” she said. “The Duke’s daughter and the orphan groom? It’ll be the scandal of the century.”
“No,” Luke said, shaking his head. “It won’t be. We will do nothing without her parents’ permission, and she is certain she can find a way. Even Lady Teresa—”
“Lady Teresa?” Jenny asked. “Are you telling me that she knows about this, too?”
“Yes, and she—”
“She’s encouraging it, is she? Aye, that’s because it’s not her who is in danger of losing her home and her position, is it? No, Luke, that’s us.”
“But she’s on our side,” Luke pleaded.
“They’re on nobody’s side but their own, Luke. The sooner you realize that, the better. What has a noble ever done for us, ey?”
“Apart from house us and put food on our table, you mean?” Luke snapped, suddenly enraged by his sister’s words.
“No, that was Jack who did that. Without Jack taking us in, the Duke wouldn’t have looked twice at us, and you know it.”
“Perhaps,” Luke conceded, “but that doesn’t change what is happening now. Ali—Lady Alison is not the Duke, and I believe her and her sister when they say—”
“Please, Luke,” Jenny said. Gone was the anger and irritation. All that remained was pleading and apprehension. “You’ve got to understand the danger you’re putting us all in. Yourself included.”
“I know, Jenny, I really do, but I’ve got totryat least, haven’t I?”
“No,” she said. She got up from her chair and went to kneel in front of him, looking up into his eyes with such pleading that he felt his heart break. “You haven’t got to try. What you’ve got to do is put this nonsense behind you. Find someone else, Luke. I can’t bear to see you hurt and I can only see hurt on this path you’ve put us all on.”
“But I love her, Jenny. I cannot give up on love.”
“And I love you,” Jenny retorted. “I love you so much, Luke, and I am worried for you. If you must continue down this path, I will support you, but I beg you to consider the danger you are putting us all in.”
She clasped his hands in hers and looked into his eyes.
“I would never do anything to hurt you, Jenny. Not intentionally. You are truly a wonderful sister. I will consider what you say, but honestly—I don’t think I could give her up, no matter what.”
He knew he had to see this through to the end, even with the risk it posed, but he swore to himself he would do everything in his power to protect his family no matter what.
“Good,” she said, patting his knee as she got to her feet. “Good. Now let’s get some rest. It’s getting late and you look as though the sleep will do you wonders.”
He nodded in agreement and got up himself. He looked briefly to Jack and their eyes met. Luke could see that the old man understood his pain, understood how torn he was. But he could see, too, that Jack thought the same as Jenny—that he was better off pretending none of this had ever happened and moving on with his life.
But I can’t. Imustsee this through.
He found his way to his pallet, letting his body fall heavily onto it with a groan of exhaustion, Jack’s pallet at his head, and the door to Jenny’s room not far from his feet.. It was comfortable enough, and it had been home for so long that Luke had never really known anything else.
Jenny finished clearing away after dinner, and then she blew out the candle and made her way to her own pallet.
“Goodnight,” she whispered.
“Goodnight,” Jack said.
“Goodnight,” Luke replied.
They did the same thing every night, and it was in that one word that they told each other they loved one another, that all was forgiven and that tomorrow was another day. It was a ritual that Luke clung onto. It was the end of their day, but it was also the end of any hard feelings or arguments, and it was a reminder that they would be there for one another, no matter what happened.
