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He folded his hands in front of him, turning to look at me.
“That’s why I agreed to this arrangement,” he continued. “If, at the very least, I could put the old fool at ease for a few moments. His health was already failing, and I couldn’t refuse him, as it would only aggravate his condition. But understand that I had no intention of forcing you to marry me.”
I looked up at him in confusion. He smiled warmly.
“I intend to take care of you and your father, with or without this marriage,” he said. “Your father would have refused me if I simply offered my resources, so I agreed to his proposal instead.”
I laughed ironically. “It seems we’re quite similar in our thinking. We both agreed to this in order to spare Father pain.”
There was a pause between us.
“But there’s no point in causing more pain foryou, my dear,” he said quietly. “I will be happy to take care of you as my wife, should that be what you want. If it isn’t, then I won’t take your rejection personally.”
He smiled again. I suddenly felt overwhelmed, tears forming at the back of my eyes. I sniffed them back, trying to keep my composure.
“I’m grateful for your kindness,” I said. “And thank you for being so considerate of both my father and myself.”
He nodded firmly. “Your father saved my life. On many occasions, out on the sea and on land. I owe him as much.”
He came to his feet and walked back toward the entrance of the room, picking up his jacket and hanging it over his arm.
“And for the record,” he said, “your father never officially announced our engagement. It won’t be difficult to brush it off as a simple rumor.”
He gave an innocent shrug before putting on his hat.
“You can let me know your decision at any time,” he said, putting on his coat. “But now, I’m going to go to my physician and request that he take care of your father exclusively. So put your mind at ease, hmm?”
Overwhelmed by emotions, I came to my feet and ran to him, throwing my arms around him in gratitude.
“Thank you, Captain,” I said sincerely.
He gave me a light pat on the shoulder as he chuckled. “It’s my pleasure, my dear. Wherever your happiness lies, I want you to go to it. I’ll watch over you and your father no matter where your feet want to go.”
He gave me a quick nod of encouragement, breaking away from our embrace to go out the door.
All the tension in my body released in a single wave, sending me to my knees on the ground. I shuddered, not sure whether to laugh or cry. Instead, all I could do was breathe heavily intomy hands, grateful to anyone who could hear how hard my heart was beating.
I was free.
There was no one holding me here. There was no one holding any power over my life.
But now that I was free, what would I do? Where would I go?
Where was my happiness?
JACQUES’S ENDING
Before I could even come back to my feet, the door swung open. I expected it to be Monsieur De Villiers again, but I was even more surprised to see his son instead.
More frantic than I had ever seen him, at that.
He looked at me, his eyes drilling right through mine. He didn’t say anything right away, looking me over with intense interest. Perhaps it was the wedding gown that had him stunned.
He shut the door. I forced myself to my feet to meet him.
“Jacques…” I said, my mouth dry at the intense gaze he was giving me. “What are you—”
“I’ve decided that this is unacceptable,” he said, stepping in to meet me. “I won’t allow you to marry my father.”
