Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
“Jane, stop fussing. I've had to do this braid twice now!”
Jane falls still, pressing her fingers into the folds of her dress as her mother continued to pull and twist her locks of her hair into a braid. She tried to shift her attention to other matters, but nothing felt as severe as the fact that she was about to be wed – against her will.
Her father had ignored her pleas, no matter how much she had tried to speak to him. At one point she clung to his coat as she begged and he raised his hand as though he were about to strike her. Jane had fallen to her knees in fear and her father had walked away, grumbling in annoyance.
Her mother had refused to look her in the eyes as they quickly prepared for Jane’s life as a wife – a role she had never wanted and therefore had never imagined she would have to fulfil.
It really did feel as though her life had come to an abrupt end, especially when she learned who it was that her freedom had been signed over to.
“Mother,” Jane started, unable to remain calm for a moment longer.
“Please. I beg of you to convince father to reconsider. At least, let us postpone the wedding until I have gathered my bearings. I do not know what I am to do. I can barely speak with peers my age and now I will be expected to tend to a man I have never even met before. It is not fair –”
“And it is out of our control,” Harriet said in her usual soft tone. “This is for the best. You should be proud that we were able to secure such a prestigious match for you.”
In that moment, Jane was filled with rage.
“Is that so? I should be proud? And I suppose you expect me to be grateful too? Do you really think I can harbor any sort of positive feelings when I have been forced into a marriage with the last person many members of the ton would prefer not to ever cross paths with. I have heard the rumours of the man you and father are trying to marry me off to. A man widely known for being a beast. How could you not be worried in the slightest for my well being?” she retorted angrily.
When her father had eventually told her who she was to marry, Jane could scarcely believe her ears. She had never crossed paths with this man, but much like many others, she had heard the tales of his character and nasty reputation.
The duke of Ravencroft was known to be relentlessly cruel and ruthless. There were whispers that he had once made a living out of killing and never sought to resolve any conflicts with those who crossed him, instead preferring to end their lives.
“I... I might have not lived up to your expectations, but was I so terrible that you and father would prefer to get rid of me no matter what? Was I such a bad daughter to you both? There is a possibility my husband-to-be could be dangerous. Are you not in the slightest bit concerned –”
“Stop complaining, Jane,” Harriet snapped in a tone Jane had only learned to associate with the exhaustion of her father’s patience. “You left us no other choice than to make the decision for you. The duke will be your husband and that is the end of it.”
Jane was quite taken aback by her mother’s words. She had been on the end of her mother’s disregard and ignorance for a long time to have grown accustomed to the lingering taste of disappoint left behind by their fruitless conversations. But her mother had never snapped at her like that.
It felt as though her mother truly shared her father’s sentiment and was not merely going along with his words and actions, as she tended to do. Sadness filled Jane’s heart and her spirits were completely crushed, but before the feeling of despair could overwhelm her, there was a knock at the door.
Her mother beckoned whoever was on the other side in, shocked when Jane’s friend Penelope Wightman, duchess of Westerdale walked in.
“Your Grace!” Harriet squeaked as she dropped into a curtsey. “I thought – I did not expect to see you here! Will you not attend the wedding –”
“Good morning, Mrs Fenwell,” Penelope smiled a little, as she had always been amused by the nervous way Harriet acted and reacted.
“I have every intention of attending the wedding, but I also intended to be by my friend’s side every step of the way.
It is an important day, after all, and it is my duty and honour to provide her with everything she might need. ”
Harriet swallowed, glancing between them. Then she nodded as Penelope fully walked into the room.
“We are the ones who are honoured by your presence, Your Grace,” Harriet said to the duchess, before she addressed Jane. “Remember dear, you must be ready in ten minutes. Not a minute later, otherwise your father will be upset. He hopes to make a good impression on His Grace.”
She then reached for a bouquet of daffodils that she had brought in with her earlier, plucking out one of the vibrant blossoms and stuck it carefully into Jane’s braid.
“It was your husband-to-be that sent these lovely flowers. It would be good to show your appreciation by wearing it. That way, His Grace will know it was well received.” She said before she walked to the door, bowing slightly to Penelope on her way out.
“Are you all right, Jane?” Penelope asked when the door had been shut.
Jane looked back at her friend and shook her head slowly, tears filling her eyes.
“How did this happen? I thought you were going to wait until you had found a love match,” Penelope asked softly, taking Jane’s hands in hers gently.
“I was but... but that was only an excuse I used to buy myself some time. The truth is... I did not want to marry. I have never wanted to.” Jane confessed.
Penelope’s expression was confused for a moment, and then she merely shrugged. “Well, I do not judge you for whatever led you to that decision. I am sure that decision was a difficult pill to swallow if you communicated it to your parents.”
Jane couldn’t bring herself to admit what truly plagued her.
She could not bear to unravel herself now, in front of her friend who had received so much happiness recently, could not imagine cutting herself open to show her bloody heart that beat with echoes of fear.
Fear of living an obsolete, empty life that was dependent on another person’s whim.
“I never did,” She admitted quietly, feeling quite exhausted.
“Because they would not understand my reasons – not that it would have made a difference.
They did not care. My father especially, barely gave any thought to anything that did not benefit him in one way or another.
What I wanted, what I had hoped for never mattered to him.
I had... I'd foolishly thought that perhaps my mother would understand my reluctance and stand by my side but...”
Jane dabbed at the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief, trying to calm herself down. Penelope’s face was wrought with immense sadness and soon she had wrapped her arms around Jane, holding her in a tight embrace.
“Oh, my dear Jane, I wish you had told us that you were this desperate not to go through with this ploy. Surely, we would have been able to think of someway to protect you,” Penelope muttered in dismay.
“It is too late now. They have sealed my fate to that of a monster,” Jane grumbled.
Penelope let her go and when Jane pulled back, she was able to clearly see the frown etched on the duchess’ face.
“I hate the idea of agreeing with them, so please know that I do not in any way think that what they did was right. I am especially cross with your mother about her lack of concern over your well-being. Surely, there were other eligible suitors to have given your hand. I do not understand why the chose the duke of Ravencroft, of all the men in London. Everyone knows how cruel he is. Far too much word about his nefarious character has spread around London for it to see seen as baseless. Why would they do this to you? Give you such a risky task?” Penelope queried.
Jane shook her head slowly. “I cannot think of a single thing I have done to warrant such cruelty. Perhaps they were too desperate to get rid of me.”
Penelope sighed, running her hands soothingly up and down Jane’s arms. “Still this is too much! I really am sorry you’ve had to deal with all of this. I only wish we could –”
“There is nothing that can be done. I must submit to what is expected of me. I am to become the duchess of Ravencroft in a little while and there is nothing I can do about it.”
Penelope shook her head quickly. “Jane, dear, I understand that you are trying to be strong, but you cannot just – marry that man! You cannot give your life away to a stranger with such a reputation! You could be signing your life away. Please, Jane... do not do this.”
Hearing Penelope speak to her so earnestly caused Jane’s fear to reach its peak. She could not believe that this was to be her life, to willingly walk down the aisle and commit to a stranger known as a beast. She could not fathom giving her life to someone who could potentially end it.
“I think that if we leave now and spoke to your parents, we could –”
“No, that won’t work. I need to leave. If I make it to that church, my life as I know it is over.
And I hate this. I hate that I was not allowed a choice, that I could not choose what I wanted.
I cannot do this. Please, Penelope. Please, help me escape.
I cannot marry this man.” Jane breathed heavily, cutting Penelope off.
Her friend looked as though she wanted to say something, but as a single tear rolled down Jane’s face, something seemed to change. Penelope stared at her in disbelief for a moment, then she nodded fiercely.
“Of course! We only need to use our heads for a moment,” Penelope hummed thoughtfully.
“What about a confrontation? You could walk to the altar, point at the duke and declare you have no interest to marry him! Tell him that you never consented and if he was so desperate for a wife, he could offer up his contract to other ladies of the ton!”