Page 108 of Sinful Persuasion of a Lady in the Making
“What’s going on?” she asked, looking around the room.
Lady Diana leaped from her seat and rushed to Jenny.
“How is he? Is he all right? The physician said—”
“He’s fine, My Lady,” Jenny said, putting a calming hand on her arm. “He is in pain, but he is well enough in himself. He’s sleeping now.”
“Oh, thank goodness. I’ve been so worried. I came as soon as I heard.” She took Jenny’s hand then and looked at her with a deep affection. “Thank you for caring for him. I am so glad you were there.”
“No, please don’t thank me,” Jenny urged. “If I wasn’t there, he wouldn’t have been hurt in the first place.”
“Either way, I appreciate the love you have shown him.”
Lady Diana offered her a warm smile, and Jenny had to choke back the tears.
She is not the woman I thought she was.
“Come and take some tea,” Alison said, beckoning to Jenny.
She did as she was bid, focusing on her breath and pursing her lips together against the emotions that spun inside her.
“Who are you?” she said, looking at the unknown gentleman. She knew it was improper to speak so blatantly, but at that very moment, she was too exhausted and emotional to care.
“Jenny, I’m not sure—”
“It’s all right, Luke,” Thomas said. “She deserves to know everything.”
Luke looked at his brother for a moment and then nodded his understanding.
“You’re right.” He paused and looked down at his feet, the stranger standing opposite him looking uncomfortable with this new attention. “This is a private investigator, Mr. Clarke. I hired him to follow you.”
“Follow me?” The fury flashed through Jenny like lightning, and she was on her feet before she even realized it. “How dare you invade my privacy like that!”
“I really don’t think it’s that unreasonable, after the kinds of letters you’ve been receiving, do you?”
“But without my knowledge! I cannot believe my own brother—”
“Following me and my sister, too?” Alison asked, and Jenny could hear the irritation in her own voice.
“Yes, but—”
“It was for your own safety,” Thomas said, interrupting them.
“My own safety!” She swung around to face Thomas, her cheeks burning with anger. “I do not need protection!”
“I would say the evidence points the contrary,” Luke said plainly.
Jenny let out a single, loud, and humorless laugh.
“And what did your private investigator do then? Hmm?”
“I did catch the—”
But Jenny didn’t let Mr. Clarke speak.
“Because one thing is for certain, if Sebastian was not there, I would be gravely injured now, if not dead. He was lucky to only take a bullet to the shoulder. It could have been so much worse.”
A silence, thick and heavy, fell over them as Luke once again dropped his eyes to the floor. Jenny stood rigid and furious, glaring at her brother and daring him to answer her back. But when he looked up again, his expression had softened completely and he nodded.
