Page 67 of Not Quite a Lady
‘And you love her?’ Caro was smiling at his outburst.
‘Yes, I love her.’ It was like a liberation, being able to talk about it. ‘Under it all she is brave and honest and clever and kind. But I do not know why I love her, I would never have imagined in a thousand years loving a woman like that.’
‘Well, George Willoughby is thirty five, and not very good looking, and only moderately well off and very decent and a little dull. And if he does not ask me to marry him soon I am going to go into a decline,’ Caroline pronounced. ‘So you see, there is no accounting for love. In fact, they both sound so improbable for us that it proves itislove, don’t you think?’
‘Probably.’ Jack crossed his legs and stared at the polished tip of his evening shoe. ‘Do you want me to ask Willoughby his intentions?’
‘Goodness, no. Poor George, you would scare him halfway to Alnwick. I can manage him. But what about your Lily? Did she turn you down?’ Caroline reached over and squeezed his hand consolingly.
‘No. I turned her down.’
‘What?’ Caro gasped. ‘Sheaskedyouto marryher?’
‘Yes. She wants to marry a title.’
‘But you told us you were going to London incognito.’
‘I was, and I did, and she did not know. But she had it all worked out. I would become a rich mine owner, enter Parliament, be ennobled – and we would all live happily ever after.’
‘Oh my goodness,’ Caro said weakly. ‘I can quite see why you turned her down.’
‘You can?’ Jack found himself bristling in Lily’s defence. His sister’s reaction should have justified his original feelings, now, illogically it placed him on Lily’s side.
‘Well, especially if you were not in love with her then…’
‘I was. It was just my damned pride and her confounded desire to organise everything just how she wants it.
‘I lost my temper, said things I shouldn’t, then later she found out that I did have a title and she thought I had turned her down because she wasn’t good enough for me and we had another row.’
It sounded so futile, recounted baldly like that. Why couldn’t he have explained to Lily how he felt? Where had all the words gone?
Jack got to his feet and began to pace. Caroline watched him for a moment, then jumped up and threw her arms around him. ‘Poor darling.’
‘Ow! Bloody hell, Caro!’
‘What have you done?’ His sister regarded him narrowly. ‘I thought you looked under the weather, more than a sleepless journey could account for. Have you been fighting? Those bruises on your face are too fresh for the riot in the street.’
It was never any good trying to fool her. His mother he had always managed to hoodwink but Caro, since she was about five, never.
‘Yes.’ There was an appalling desire to swagger. Lily had spurned his attempt to defend her honour, his sister at least would value it.
Jack pulled himself together and produced a bald explanation. ‘Lily was betrothed. Then she broke it off. The man involved spread unpleasant rumours about her. I called him out.’
‘Wonderful! You are so brave – but I am glad we did not know about it before, the suspense would have been dreadful. Did you kill him?’
‘Of course not. I would be in Calais by now if I had – or in prison. I deloped.’
‘But surely Miss France would be thrilled that you had risked your life for her honour?’
‘She found out about the duel at the same time as she discovered the truth about who I was. She was too angry, thinking I considered her beneath me, to really take in the duel.’
‘Well go and tell her again that you love her, you idiot.’ Caro’s glare was uncomfortably reminiscent of Lily in a temper. ‘Youhavetold her that you love her, haven’t you?’
‘Er. No.’
‘Men!’ Caroline took a rapid turn about the room. ‘Well for goodness sake, get back down there and do it. She is probably as miserable as you are.’
‘Why should she be? Lily does not love me. Her pride was hurt, that is all.’
