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John enjoyed the fact that they were discussing the escape as though it had already happened or that it was an inevitability. But he needed to remain level-headed so that he would not experience the most horrid disappointment of his life.
“I shall leave you alone. But Brother… do you have a few more moments to spare?” Jane asked.
“Of course. What do you need?”
Jane smiled mischievously. “I need a quick ale.”
John laughed aloud at this suggestion. “I have never seen you drink ale in my life.”
“Oddly enough, tonight I need it.”
The prospect was delightful for John. He escorted his sister from the room and took her to the very same tavern where he had discovered the viscount on two occasions—both occasions a success.
Jane looked about the room in wonder. “I have never been inside one of these establishments before.”
“As I have said in the past, Jane. You need to live a little.”
Within a half hour’s time, he and his sister sipped an ale, had a heart-to-heart, and all at once, John sensed that his sister was changing. She was opening up. Was the horror of Margaret’s situation helping her to do so? Or was it that Jane finally saw Margaret was in love and full of hope?
“You are good to Margaret,” John admitted. “It means a great deal to me.”
“It has nothing to do with you! It has been my job for some years. Margaret is my best friend.”
“Still, I wish to tell you that I appreciate it.”
Jane smiled and closed her eyes momentarily. “It brings me much joy to see her happy. Oh, John. If only you could have met her mother. She was a charming woman. It was so sad when she passed.”
John very much would have liked to meet her. And she must have been not only a charming woman but a woman of considerable beauty, considering Margaret’s own beauty.
“She has not been happy since her mother passed?” John asked, wishing to know everything that there was to know about her.
Jane shook her head mournfully. “No, she has not. She changed a great deal after that tragedy. And now, she faces a whole other tragedy!”
“Not any longer. Not while I am here.”
In the silence that followed, Jane reached over and placed her hand on top of John’s. It was the most affectionate gesture that he had experienced from her. “You are a good man, John. I am sorry if I ever doubted you.”
“There is no need to apologize. From the outside, I must be something of a mystery.”
“No.” She nodded knowingly. “You wear your heart upon your sleeve.”
With that, Jane excused herself, having finished her ale and saying that she had tarried for too long. John watched her depart and sighed to himself. If only he were traveling with her back to Pelham Downs. Then, he would be able to see Margaret again.
Instead of ordering another ale, John sat there for some time and examined his own thoughts. Perhaps later this evening he would try to encounter Margaret, throwing a stone up to her window to gain her attention. It was so foolish all the tricks they had to play to see one another, but it would not be so one day. Until then, John would have to bide his time and remain strong.
Looking about the tavern, John was relieved that the viscount was not there, but at the same time, that probably meant that he was home, terrorizing his beautiful daughter. Such foolish hearts, some men had. John would never be anything like that. He recalled the conversation that Margaret and himself had shared about children. He would delight in having a large family with her one day and had he daughters, they would be treated with the respect and care they deserved.
He finally threw some coins atop the bar and departed, stepping into the cool evening air. John would return to his room and read that letter, again and again, succumbing to his own longing for Margaret.
