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John nearly ran to the door when it was knocked upon. He knew that it was Jane, and there was no doubt that she was delivering a letter. “Jane,” he said breathlessly.
“As is expected,” Jane said, handing the letter over.
“You do not know how kind this is,” John said with a smile.
“Margaret told me of last night.”
“I shall return again tonight,” John assured her.
“Be careful, Brother. You must be discreet. Her father is more and more frustrated with each passing day. As I was telling Margaret, you do not know what he is capable of.”
“Whatever he is capable of, I am more so. I am not afraid, Jane.”
“Oh, this business is so trying.” Jane massaged the back of her neck and proceeded to sit in John’s chair.
He wished to open the letter that very moment, but it was best to do so in private to pretend that he was having a private moment with Margaret.
“This shall all be over soon,” John said.
Jane looked up at him. “How do you propose that might happen?”
“We will flee if we must. You are welcome to join us.”
“But I love Farthington. This is my life and always has been.”
John stepped in closer. “You once had a life far from here. You had a life with mother and father. Do not tell me that you have forgotten those days.”
Jane gazed at the ground mournfully. “I could never forget those days.”
John asked the question he had always been meaning to ask. “Do you miss Mother and Father? Sometimes… I have to wonder.”
Jane fell silent for a moment, and he wondered what she might be thinking. She was always the type to keep a great deal to herself. “Of course, I miss them. But I feel most like myself when I am working, fulfilling my duties. This is my life now, and I would hate to leave it.”
“But it seems quite clear that Margaret wishes to leave it.”
Jane brought a hand to her cheek. “I suppose… I suppose that you are right.”
They enjoyed a comfortable silence as John felt as though the letter was burning in his hand. Sensing that he wished for privacy, Jane got up from the chair and walked towards the door. “I will leave you.”
“I shall come to Pelham Downs this evening.”
Jane’s voice was hushed. “Just be careful, John. Please.”
“I shall.” He saw her to the door and said goodbye, watching as Jane walked down the hall. He would be eternally grateful for what she was doing. But everything that Jane admitted to only reminded John of how different they both were.
Finally, a grand smile came to his lips as he opened the letter and feasted his eyes upon it, just as he wished to feast his eyes upon Margaret. Oh, but his heart leaped as he read it! The letter was everything that he was hoping for and so much more.
He and Margaret were most certainly on the same page when it came to affections. John longed for her desperately and wished to see her that very afternoon. Still, John would heed Jane’s advice and exhibit the utmost caution, only coming to Margaret when they were shrouded in darkness.
Outside his window, the rain came pouring down. It was fitting that nature should show such a display, for it reminded him of the dreaded melancholy that he always felt when he watched Margaret depart. One day, he would never have to see her depart. She would be entirely his, and there would be no reason to fear. If only that day would come more quickly so that John would not pine the hours away.
To pass the time, and considering that the weather was dreadful, John read Margaret’s letters over and over again, confirming his love with each word that he read. And once that marvelous hour approached when the sun began to set behind the clouds, John took supper downstairs and readied himself for the evening ahead.
“Are you going out, sir?” the proprietor of the inn asked.
“Indeed, I am,” John replied, placing his hat atop his head.
“Might I summon a hackney? The weather is dreadful.”
