Page 55 of Enslaved to the Seduction of a Lady
Chapter Twenty
Luke and Jenny stood over the grave, a spattering of rain slowly soaking through their clothes. Luke and three of the stable hands had carried the rented coffin on their shoulder to the grave side, and then tipped the body into the open grave. Jenny had refused to watch, her back turned against the horrific sight, but Luke couldn’t not look.
Watching Jack’s body tumble into the earth was something that would stay with Luke forever. It reached his heart and squeezed it, twisting and pulling until Luke wanted to drop to the floor and cry out in agony. He took a deep breath and thanked his helpers.
They had to rush back to work, but Luke was grateful for that. It meant he and Jenny had time to pay their respects and put their grief to bed. He reached out and put an arm around his sister.
“Come on,” he said, “it’s done now. Time to move on with our lives. It’s what Jack would have wanted.”
She curled her body into him but looked up at his face. Her cheeks streamed with free and silent tears. He kissed her on the top of the head and held her tight.
“I know,” he whispered, “but it’s time to let go now. It’s time to live our lives.”
She nodded, the movement soft against Luke’s chest, and then she pulled away, smiling sadly at him.
“You’re right,” she said. She wiped away her tears with the heels of her hands. “Let’s go.”
Luke glanced one last time at the only father he had ever known. The earth around his body gently tumbled and fell onto him, softened by the rain. A gravedigger would fill the rest later. It felt a betrayal to leave him there like that, but there was no choice, and Luke knew it.
They made their way slowly back to the hut, where they would wash and change and jump straight back into their daily routine, Luke at the stables and Jenny in the house itself.
“Luke,” Jenny said after a time. Her voice was soft, tender, although she didn’t look at him. “Are you serious about Lady Alison?”
“More serious than I’ve ever been about anything,” Luke replied. He also spoke softly, but his determination and veracity shone through.
“I was glad she came to the hut yesterday. As peculiar as it was, it gave me an opportunity to… I don’t know, see it for myself, I suppose.”
“And?” Luke asked. He stopped walking and turned to face her.
“And I can see how much you love each other—her as much as you. You spoke so softly to one another, but I can see that beneath that, you are fiercely in love.”
“I’m glad you could see it,” Luke said, smiling at her. “She is the love of my life, Jenny, and I don’t know what I would do without her.”
“I understand,” Jenny said, bowing her head, “and I understand why you need to follow your heart. A love like yours… it’s too precious to let go.”
“Thank you,” Luke said. His voice cracked with emotion and in that moment, he felt an incredible love for his sister. He began walking again and she followed his lead.
“I’m sorry if I was harsh on you before,” Jenny said. “I was worried, that’s all. I—”
“It’s understandable,” Luke said. “Our positions are so tentative, so reliant on our behavior. I can see why you would be frightened. But please believe me, Jenny. I will not let anything happen to you—and if it does, I’ll put it right. I love Alison, and I will do whatever it takes to be with her, but you’ll always be my beloved sister, and I will never, ever let you down.”
Jenny reached out without looking at him and took his hand. As they walked, she squeezed it, and Luke felt a new calm in his soul. He had Jenny on his side, and that meant the world to him.
“We’re going to get everything we want,” Luke said. “I promise you that. I just haven’t quite worked out how, yet.”
* * *
Alison awoke the following morning feeling positive and spritely for the first time in days. As she was dressed and had her hair pinned up, she chattered non-stop to her lady’s maid about how lovely the day was, about her gown, about everything that popped into her head. She made her way to the breakfast room, meandering as though aimlessly floating.
She let her fingers run along the mahogany banister, her toes jumping across the red carpet with a lightness she had not felt for years. She smiled up at the portraits that lined the walls, knowing they could not smile back at her but enjoying the feeling of their eyes upon her, and she even giggled to herself.
Although she knew she should be sad at Jack’s death—and shewassad about that—she could not help but feel light and free at Luke’s words. He loved her, and he was willing to elope with her. They would try their best to convince her parents, but if that didn’t work, they had another plan. One way or another, she would spend the rest of her life with the man she loved.
And that is the best feeling in the world.
“Good morning,” she chirruped as she entered the breakfast room.
It was one of the smallest rooms in the house, consisting only of a sufficient, round dining table and little else. The large window, lightly draped to let in the morning sunlight, was opposite the door, and to its left sat the fireplace, unlit but perfectly clean for the summer months.
