Page 104 of Three Weeks with a Princess
“I’m not marrying you either, Jack. We discussed this yesterday. You know very well what my terms are.”
“I know you’re insane if you think I’m letting you embark on some misguided venture to become a courtesan.” He paused for a few seconds. “Or to marry anyone else but me.”
“It’s simply impossible and you know it,” she said, starting to feel desperate.
He caressed her cheek. “Love, it’s not. I’ll grant you there are a number of inconveniences to manage, but we do have the support of your family. That counts for a lot. The Levertons and Hunters will do everything they can to smooth the way, and I’m sure we can even persuade the Dowager Duchess of Leverton and Gillian’s grandmother to come on board.”
“Butyourfamily won’t come on board.”
“Anne will be fine—she’s said as much. As for my mother, she’ll grow used to it, especially when she has the chance to truly get to know you.”
“No, she won’t.” Lia pressed her lips tight against the sick feeling welling up in her throat.
“Is that what you and Anne discussed yesterday?”
She nodded, hating that she would be forced to tell him. Her chest constricted, making it hard to suck in a full breath.
He leaned against the back of the settee and crossed his arms, putting a bit of distance between them. While she knew she should be relieved, she missed his warmth and the sense that when he was near, nothing could truly hurt her.
But that was an illusion. Soon Jack would be gone from her life forever.
“Whatever it is, you’d better tell me and get it over with,” he said calmly.
“It’s . . . it’s about my mother.”
He nodded encouragingly.
“And your father.”
Jack didn’t move, but his big body seemed to tense up. “Go on.”
As she retold the sordid story, his expression barely changed. A slight frown descended on his brow, but he didn’t interrupt her and didn’t seem nearly as appalled as she thought he would be.
“So you see,” she said in conclusion, “I could never marry you, even if all our other problems were solved. Your mother hates all the Kincaid women, and rightfully so. You could never ask her to accept me into the family after what my grandmother and mother have done to her.”
“I understand the point about your dear mama,” he said, “but neither you nor Rebecca have ever done anything to hurt my mother. It’s nonsense to think otherwise.”
She couldn’t keep her mouth from dropping open. “But you know how much it hurt Lady John to have Granny installed at Stonefell. It made things very difficult for your entire family for years.”
He shrugged. “The relationship my uncle had with Rebecca was their business and theirs alone. As much as my mother disliked it, it really had very little impact on her life.”
“How can you say that?” Lia exclaimed. “She hated coming to Stonefell because of it.”
His mouth lifted in a sardonic smile. “I’ll tell you a secret, my darling. My mother hated going to Stonefell because she loathes the country and always has. To a considerable extent, she used Rebecca’s presence as an excuse to avoid visits to the old place.”
“Really?” she asked doubtfully.
“Really. And if I’d known you worried about it so much as a child, I would have told you so years ago. As for my mother’s resentment of you, I refuse to accept it. You are an innocent party in all of this, Lia, just as my sister is.”
“As are you,” Lia added softly. “Your sister told me yesterday that we were not well-served by our elders.”
“She was correct.”
Jack had barely batted an eyelash when she’d told him about the affair. It didn’t make sense, unless . . .
“Jack, you didn’t seem very surprised by what I told you about my mother and Lord John. Did you already know about their affair? Lady Anne said you didn’t.”
He sighed. “My father made a few veiled comments over the years, as did my uncle. I suppose I didn’t want to think about it, so I never followed up on my suspicions, especially because I knew it would humiliate my mother. So, no, I’m not surprised to hear it confirmed.”
