Jane felt her cheeks redden after such a personal question, but she was not afraid of answering honestly. “I admit, I missed him a great deal in the first week after his departure. However, when it became clear that he had no intention of fulfilling his promise of returning, I did my best to forget him.”
She looked down at her hands as they fidgeted in her lap. She gathered her courage and added, “You have helped a great deal with that.”
She could not look at him to see what his response was, but she was very aware of the fact that he became quite still.
“And how have I helped?” he asked.
Still looking at her lap, she said, “By showing me what it feels like to be in the company of a reliable and steady man, by being everything I admired in him plus so much more. I cannot think how to thank you for all you have done for me, much more than you can possibly ever know.”
Jane waited anxiously for a response, but the wait was longer than she had expected. It reached the point of outright torture before she heard him speak. Even so, when he spoke, it was not to her.
“Mrs. Bennet, I wonder if I might have a private conversation with Miss Bennet?” he asked.
Jane felt her eyes go wide. Her head jerked up, and she stared at him. He could not mean what it sounded like. They had only known each other for two weeks. Perhaps, he simply wished to continue such a personal topic away from listening ears.
“Of course you may,” said Mama. “Jane, do you think you can walk well enough to accompany Mr. Masters to the music room? Or would it be better for you if we all left this room?”
“I can walk that far,” said Jane as she stood. Though she limped a little still, she was mostly steady on her feet.
When they reached the hall, Mr. Masters said quietly in her ear, “Do you wish for me to carry you?”
Again, Jane stared up at him. He wore an expression she had not seen on his face before. It was warm and caring, yes, but it was also very flirtatious with an undercurrent of humor. He knew she could walk, since she had said so twice, yet he still offered to carry her.
For a brief wild moment, she very much wanted to say yes, to feel his arms around her, to put her arms around his neck, tolay her head on his shoulder, and to be surrounded by the scent of him.
He must have seen something of her desire in her expression, for his smile grew a tiny bit. This snapped her out of her reverie. “I can walk, thank you,” she said. “But it would help if I could lean on your arm.”
He held out her arm, and they made their slow way down the hall to the music room. Once there, he helped her sit and pulled up a chair for her foot. She didn’t really need to keep it elevated anymore, but she did not wish to reject his kindness.
Once she was settled, he sat next to her and gently took her hands in his own. “Miss Bennet, I am not a flighty man, as you well know, so I do not wish you to think that this is the work of a moment, despite the fact that it may appear to be so. From the moment we first met, I could not truly focus on anyone else whenever you were near, but it is not your beauty which has bewitched me so, or rather not just your beauty.
“The way you speak of your family and friends, the way you behave in company, the way your family and neighbors speak of you, all point to the fact that you have a truly gentle and kind soul, which I assure you is a rare treasure. I want your kindness in my life at all times, to temper my tendency toward cynicism and to bring comfort and peace to my home.
“I know enough of human nature to realize that a gentle soul such as yours is all the more easily hurt, and I wish to assure you that, should you agree to align your life with mine, I will do all in my power to protect you and keep you happy. Jane Bennet, will you marry me?”
No one except Elizabeth had ever realized how very tender Jane’s heart was, how easily she was hurt by the careless comments of those around her, especially her mother. Shewanted to simply agree, but there was one thing she needed to verify first.
“You say that you wish to protect me? Does this protection require that I give up my freedoms?” she asked.
“Oh, heavens no,” he said, seemingly surprised that she would even think such a thing. “I could not clip the wings of a bird. The only restrictions I would set is that I might hire a companion for you when you need support, and I would wish to send a footman or two with you when you go out. Other than that, you would be free to do as you please. Mostly what I was referring to was that I would do my best to ensure that your heart would never be broken again.”
“In that case, then yes. I would be overjoyed to marry you,” she said with a smile.
Her smile was mirrored in his face. Though it did not improve his looks from an objective standpoint, simply knowing that she had made such joy possible in the man she loved caused Jane to think that his smile was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
“I love you, Jane,” he said. “I have, since the moment I first met you. I cannot explain it, but even before I heard you speak, I knew that there was something special about you. There was something about you that fulfilled a need I never even knew existed.”
“It is the same for me,” she said, “though it took a little longer. You have given me a feeling of stability and security that I have never known, nor did I even know I wished for such a thing. I love you, Mr. Masters, with all my heart.”
“Jonathan,” he said. “My name is Jonathan.”
“Jonathan,” said Jane, testing the feel of it.
At the sound of his name on her tongue, heat flared in his eyes. He leaned forward and captured her lips with his own.
It was not Jane’s first kiss. In fact, she had allowed Mr. Bingley a kiss when they found a private moment at his ball only three weeks ago. This was so much more. Just as with his personality, Jonathan’s kiss filled a need Jane didn’t even know she had.
She responded with far more feeling than she had ever done before. Her arms went around his neck, and his arms went around her waist, pulling her closer.
