Page 76 of Sinful Persuasion of a Lady in the Making
“She told us that you are our sister. We have another brother, also, but you don’t need to know about him.”
“A sister!” Tina reached over as though to grab Jenny’s hand, but Jenny pulled it back abruptly, her heart rate suddenly increased. Tina returned to her seat slowly, clearly embarrassed by her sudden show of affection. “I’m sorry. I just… I can’t believe it.”
“So you didn’t know?” Sebastian asked.
“No,” Tina gushed. “I didn’t. If I had, perhaps I would have written, or… I don’t know. Done something. I always wanted a sister.” She turned and looked kindly at Jenny. “And now I have one.”
“That’s why we’re here, actually,” Jenny said flatly, trying to stop the emotion of the situation getting to her. She couldn’t allow herself to cry; she had to remain strong.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the crumpled letter, laying it flat and smoothing it out on the table. Tina didn’t look down at it, instead staring at Jenny.
“This letter came to the house,” Jenny continued. “I was hoping you would be able to tell me more about it. You were the only person I could think of.”
Tina snatched it off the table, but she still didn’t take her eyes off Jenny.
“I can tell you before I’ve even read it that it wasn’t me,” she said. “How could I have known we were sisters? And even if I did, I’m hardly in a great position to be making friends.”
“Through your own fault, and no one else’s,” Sebastian snapped.
“I agree,” Tina said, turning to look at him. “I’ve made some terrible choices in my life, but it was only ever to better my position.” She turned back to Jenny urgently. “You can understand that, can’t you?”
“I cannot,” Jenny said firmly, although somewhere deep inside, there was a worm of truth in what Tina said. Anyone would do whatever they could to avoid a life like this one, wouldn’t they? “And even if I did,” she continued, “it would not justify your actions.”
“You’re right,” Tina said, looking down at the letter in her hands. Her shoulders hunched forward, and Jenny thought for a second that she was going to cry. But instead, she took a deep breath, then began to read.
When she finally lowered the letter back down to the table, she blinked into the gloom, shaking her head.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said, not making eye contact with either of them.
“If you didn’t write it,” Jenny asked. “Do you have any idea who did?”
“I don’t,” she said. “I’m sorry. I would tell you if I did. I mean,” she scoffed, looking around her, “I’ve hardly got anything to lose, have I?”
The disappointment hit Jenny with a thud, and she felt her breath catch in her throat. It was not that she wanted her sister to have sent threatening letters, but if it wasn’t her, then who could it possibly be?
“All right,” she said, nodding sadly. “I believe you. Thank you for being honest, and for your time.”
She looked into Tina’s eyes for a long moment and in them, she saw such sadness and sorrow that it broke her heart. She closed her eyes to block it out, and then she rose from her seat. They turned to leave, having got what they went there for. But before they could reach the door, Tina called out.
“Wait! I…” she faltered when they turned back, but not for long, “will you visit me again?”
“I don’t know,” Jenny said, shaking her head. “I’m not sure it’s—”
“Please,” Tina said. “I beg you. Perhaps… perhaps we could become like real sisters and you could help me to change and—”
“I’ll speak to Luke about it,” Jenny said. “Perhaps we can come together.”
“I’d like that,” Tina said, a gentle smile growing across her cheeks.
“And in the meantime, I don’t know… perhaps I can send you a package of food and clothes?”
“I cannot begin to thank you enough,” Tina replied.
Jenny nodded, and as they left, the guard stomped back to Tina to return her to her cell.
