Chapter 35 #2
“There is some sick paternal bond between Finch and my son that goes beyond that man’s rage at Wells and Jasper stealing Li.
Because to marry your sister is to tie himself to Jasper for good, force him into a relationship again.
As if Jasp were the son Finch never had, or the heir he hoped to raise.
But you mustn’t let Finch take your sister, Elizabeth.
He will do unspeakable things to her. Unspeakable. ”
Elizabeth believed her mother-in-law, and finally believed her husband did have Annabelle’s welfare uppermost in mind. His intentions had been noble from the start: to protect Bella from Finch. And by not revealing more, to protect her, his wife, from Finch too.
“Thank you for confiding in me, Mary, for your trust.”
“Be patient with him, Elizabeth. Jasper’s borne much and done much to protect others. Too often he fails to protect himself.” Her smile was sad. “I imagine he’s not been easy on you, dear, but what you do not realize is—”
“He has a heart.” Elizabeth’s own ached with this new knowledge. “I am beginning to understand him better, Mary, though he remains at times most frustrating.” She gripped her mother-in-law’s hand once more. “I will try to be a better wife to your son.”
“You’ve been exceptional thus far.” Mary patted Elizabeth’s hand.
“My boy can be a domineering arse. But he’s loyal, Lizzie, and he chose you for his wife.
It may seem his choice was arbitrary, but do not be fooled.
He cares for you, else he’d not have tested you as he did, nor try to protect you and your sister as he now does. ”
Did she care for him too? Elizabeth buried the idea, to be explored later. She was not done seeking answers. “Mary, is Milton’s father the Duke of Lennox? Because I danced with the Duke’s heir, Lord Mathers, at a ball just last week, and he looked remarkably like—”
Her mother-in-law’s face pinched. “Jasper asked me never to reveal his sire, dear, but your assumption is not without grounds.”
Elizabeth had her answer. Still, a thought niggled.
“After all you’ve endured, all you’ve just told me of your past, Mary, why do you continue to work with Miss Li? Why not live with your son instead? Surely he would welcome the chance to keep you in comfort now that he—”
“Can?” Mary Audrey’s eyes were startlingly bright. “I’m sure he would, dear, but I swore long ago never to be dependent on any man, and that includes my son.” Her face hardened. “If I can keep other women safe from demons like Finch, improve their circumstance—”
There will always be a market for sex, Milton’s words whispered in Elizabeth’s mind.
“—I will continue to support them and their children as best I can.” She stared at Elizabeth. “For too long I had no freedom. It is more dear to me than life. Freedom is life.”
Milton surely felt the same. His need to free himself from Finch—and his father, the Duke’s, shadow—must have driven him to amass his wealth, to wish to build a dynasty of his own.
But where did she, Elizabeth, fit into her husband’s plans?
Not as a means to his ends but as means to her own? What of her own need for freedom?
As if reading Elizabeth’s thoughts, Mary Audrey rose from her seat.
“You’ll find your way yet with Jasp, dear.
His priority now is to keep your sister from Finch, but once that threat is gone, you must earn Jasper’s trust. And you will.
You must both learn to trust. Insist he see you, Elizabeth, and he will.
He found in Li his equal, and will find it in you too. ”
The lady let herself out, leaving Elizabeth to sit a while longer in her husband’s drawing room.
She was as worthy of respect and freedom as Miss Li.
She must simply prove this to her husband.
Love was not an option, but she could gain his trust. She could become his family in more than name alone, and Elizabeth realized she wanted this.
No, she needed it.
She made her way back to her chamber, mulling over Mary Audrey’s words, her steps echoing through the halls.
When she closed the door behind her, she stared a moment at her collection of books now lining one wall.
Her beloved volumes looked lonesome next to the surrounding bare shelves.
Perhaps she should have added them to her husband’s library, but here they welcomed her like old friends.
She pulled her manuscript from a drawer and decided to read over her unfinished work, from the story’s very beginning. For too long, she’d let it languish, but now she made notes in the margins as she read, recognizing her characters’ motives had since changed.
Elizabeth pulled a blank sheet from her stack and dipped her quill in ink.
The brooding baron remained a scoundrel and a villain, but he must be recast. This time he would entrap the lady in his snare yet be cloaked in mystery and intrigue.
And in the end he’d save her from an evil greater than himself.
The heroine, however, must see through his dastardly disguise. If she did not, they both would perish. If she did…
Elizabeth was not sure how her story would end. She knew only that her words, this time, flowed with hope.