Chapter Two #2
“What? It’s true!” Caroline said. “Matthew has to fight off fortune hunters left and right.”
“I’ve made a sport of it.” Matthew gave a slight lift of his shoulder. “Most gentlemen don’t stop at no, unless it’s a firm no.”
“It can be exhausting,” Caroline lamented.
“I understand the feeling.” Jasmine turned to her mother. If only she had a chaperone to look after her like that, instead of throwing every single eligible bachelor at her hoping that one might land. “All anyone wants from me is my face and dowry too.”
Mother clapped her hands.
“We are not talking about dowries in public!” She smiled at both of the Coopers and pulled Jasmine closer to her side.
Jasmine shrugged her off and stood with her arms crossed.
“We should be going,” Mother said pointedly to Jasmine, then spoke to Matthew. “You can’t have all of her dances, Lord Lincolnshire.”
“I don’t see why not.” Matthew glanced at Jasmine adoringly. “But fair enough, we’ll take our leave.”
As they walked away, Caroline called out, “We’ll see you tomorrow morning!”
Matthew said nothing, but his eyes lingered on Jasmine until he disappeared into the crowd.
Out of earshot, Mother said in a no-nonsense tone, “A word, Jasmine.”
Smiling politely at those she passed, her mother escorted her by the elbow to the terrace. Once outside, the muffled orchestra clashed with the chirping of night bugs. The cooler air soothed her flush, even as rage burned within her.
Torches swaying in the light breeze lined the gravel path around the mansion. Rocks dug into her delicate slippers with each step. It must be serious if Mother risked injury to clothing. Once they were alone, her mother pointed her fan at her.
Jasmine huffed. “What is it now?”
“Need I remind you that you’re here to find a husband? Whatever ploy you’ve worked up with Matthew Cooper to avoid that, you can forget it.”
“What ploy?” Jasmine removed her mask. She wanted out of this heavy dress and all of its trappings. The jewels scratched against her skin as she moved her arms. This was the ploy—pretending she fit into this costume!
“It’s childish,” Mother snapped. “Your act has guaranteed that no other gentleman will dance with you for the rest of the evening, as I’m sure you’re aware. Your little display might have fooled others but it didn’t fool me.”
“You’re not as astute as you think you are, and you don’t know everything,” Jasmine said. “For once, it wasn’t my fault!”
In all the etiquette lessons her mother forced her to endure, none covered what to do when a man threw himself on her in a crowded ballroom. Wasn’t it better to dance with a man twice than to slap him? With this treatment, she may as well stroll in there and finish the job!
“You need to get serious about this season. This is your last chance,” Mother said. “If you cannot find an acceptable husband in the next month, one will be chosen for you.”
“A month is no time at all!” Jasmine hissed. “I’ve told you before—I don’t wish to marry.”
“You are a marquess’s daughter, Jasmine. You cannot be a spinster!”
“Of course not! It’s not as though we have hundreds of perfectly acceptable homes to put me in and leave me be! No, I’m a high-value match, no matter which country I’m in—”
Mother threw her hands in the air. “You could be a duchess, if you so choose! Instead, all you do is act like one!”
“I’m sorry to be such a disappointment.” Jasmine kicked a rock on the path.
Mother sighed and held her hand. She led her to a wrought-iron bench along the path. The bones of Jasmine’s corset dug into her midsection as she sat down, and the cold metal bit her shoulder.
Mother sat next to her, and her voice gentled.
“My darling girl. You don’t understand the power you hold.” She reached for Jasmine’s face and held her cheeks. “If you take half of this energy and pour it into a good cause, you could make genuine change in this world. Marrying well will allow you to have influence over society—”
“I don’t want your life.” Jasmine turned her head. “You should have left me in Spain with Abuela.”
Mother clenched her fan in her hand and took a deep breath. “Your grandmother lives a simple life.”
“And she’s happy!” Jasmine argued. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted—a simple life with a man I love!”
“Your grandparents and I have worked hard to give you this life you scorn. We didn’t have the option of simple when I was a girl. Simple was earned,” Mother said sternly. “You have to grow up, Jasmine. You’ve been waiting for a fairy tale. There is no magic moment where you instantly fall in love.”
“Papa did! Papa fell in love with you at first sight.”
“It took longer for me,” Mother said softly.
She allowed her words to settle in Jasmine’s mind before she continued, “Love is something that can grow, it’s not always immediate.
You’ve denied every suitor without investigating whether or not you could find love with them.
Have you stopped to consider that maybe you’re the problem? ”
Jasmine shot her gaze to the ground, the off-hand barb sinking deeper than her mother intended.
Yes, she had considered it. At length. Surely if she could fall in love, it would have happened by now.
She had met every gentleman in England, and every gentleman in Spain, and all would chip away at her until she fit the well-behaved mold of a perfect wife.
Only one man respected her mind, captured her heart, and set her soul aflame—and Matthew made his point clear when he slammed a door in her face.
Tonight, he looked ready to devour her, voice rough and seductive, holding her like he wanted her. But they had danced that dance before, and Jasmine didn’t want to play guessing games. She wanted a drastic, all-encompassing love—desperate and wild.
Or nothing at all.
If she didn’t have any choice in the matter, she might as well get it over with.
“I have gone to every event. I have danced my feet sore, talked until my voice cracked, been paraded around like a prize horse, and now I am finished.” Jasmine stood and then turned back to the mansion.
“If you’re going to arrange a marriage, get on with it.
Write your list of acceptable gentlemen and I’ll choose a man from it. ”
Jasmine turned on her heel and walked back to the ball, hiding her stinging eyes behind the mask her mother had chosen for her.
As she did with everything.
“One day, you’ll thank me for all of my meddling,” Mother called out after her as she stomped away.
“A day I am eagerly awaiting,” Jasmine grumbled.