“I’ve only known you a few days.”
She smiled. “I suppose, but let me tell you this. I have known many men in my lifetime, and Jasper Wolfric is the best of any of them. Any girl would be lucky to marry him, and he will be just as lucky to marry you.”
I wasn’t sure if she knew it or not, but she had given me the answer to at least one of my questions. I smoothed my hands down the front of my dress as she pinned my hair up. Annabelle scooped up Daniel and we were headed downstairs, through the same hallway under the stairs. This time, she brought me to a set of double doors leading outside.
When I stepped out onto the balcony, Jasper didn’t notice me at first, but he was the first thing that caught my eye. He was staring out over the gardens, his hands clasped behind his broad back. The old men from yesterday sat at a table a few feet away, eating their breakfast and looking over their newspapers. They glanced up at me as I exited the house, but they didn’t say anything. I swallowed hard. My hands were shaking so badly it seemed impossible to steady them, so I clutched my skirts. I moved forward slowly, joining Jasper at the railing. He continued to look straight ahead, his jaw squared as if he were deep in consideration.
Below us, the gardens were beautiful and expansive. A large fountain anchored the center, with colorful blooms surrounding it. Thick lines of trees created the perimeter to the left. To the right was a tall, iron gate. A brook babbled through the gardens, finding its outlet in the lake on the far side of the garden.
“It’s lovely,” I murmured.
Jasper glanced at me, surprised. I don’t think he realized I was standing next to him. He had seemed to be lost in thought.
“Good morning, Christine. How did you sleep?”
“As well as could be expected, I suppose,” I said. My hands were clutching the railing, the knuckles turning white.
“Would you like to take a walk with me?” he asked, extending his arm.
Did I want to? Did I want to walk with him in the gardens? Did I want to become his wife? Did I want this to be my new life? I had no answers, but I took his arm anyway.
There were two sets of staircases leading down to the gardens, and we took the one that was on the other side of the old men. I suspected that they were there as chaperones, to keep everything proper and appropriate. The idea of us behaving otherwise made me flush.
“I suppose you have a lot of questions,” Jasper said as we reached the bottom of the stairs and began to stroll through the flowers.
“I do.”
“What would you like to ask me?”
I paused. I had so, so many questions, and I wasn’t sure which was the most important. I considered, biting my lip as the questions scrolled through my head.
“Did you pay for my father’s funeral?”
His mouth twitched, and I thought I might actually see him smile. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“I knew your father. He was a good man.”
“I don’t see how that’s possible,” I told him. “I mean, he was a good man. I’m not disputing that. However, I was by his side every moment of every day when he got sick. I never saw you once. I would remember.”
He looked at me. He was quiet for a long while, and I held my breath. Finally, he seemed to have his words planned.
“How much do you remember of your life before you moved to Ervine?”
This question surprised me. “Almost nothing. I was very young.”
“Four or five?”
He was just full of surprises, apparently. “Yes, and my mother had just died. It was very traumatic for me.”
“Did your father ever talk about what life was like before you moved?”
I shrugged. “He didn’t say much. He was very affected by my mother’s death. He never remarried.”
Jasper looked down at the ground. “The death of a spouse is very difficult,” he agreed. He was quiet again, and I looked up at him. His face was stoic, and it was not easy to tell what he was thinking. Perhaps that was why his next words shocked me so much.
“When I was only a few years old, I fell ill with scarlet fever. Your father was a physician for a friend of my father and came highly recommended. My father brought your family here. You were small then, just a baby. I remember the day you arrived. I wasn’t allowed to leave my room, but I watched out the window as you pulled up. Your father stayed by my bed night and day for weeks, long after any other doctor would have given up hope. He kept me alive. My father was thrilled, and asked your father to stay on as our family’s personal doctor.”
“I don’t remember any of this.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to, you were so little. I adored your father. He had to check on me often to ensure that there were no complications from my illness, but he always made me smile and laugh. And of course, I owed him my life. You probably don’t remember, but as you got older, we played together. There weren’t many other children in the house. I was very sad when you left.”
I was struggling to process all of this. I hadn’t known any of this before, although things were starting to make more sense now. “When you heard that my father had passed, you wanted to do something nice?”
“Exactly.” He nodded. “Really, it was the least I could do. I wish I had known about his condition earlier. Annabelle told me of the state she found you in. I wish I could have prevented that.”
“It’s all right,” I said. “I can take care of myself.”
“I can sense that, but, Christine, I don’t want you to have to.”
“Jasper,” I said quietly, “I hope you didn’t choose me just because you felt obligated.”
Butterflies fluttered through the flowers as well as in my stomach. I was thankful the duke was holding my arm. I wasn’t sure I would be steady on my feet otherwise.
Again, his mouth twitched. I wondered how long it would be until I saw a full smile. “Christine, why don’t we sit?”
He led me to a stone bench beside the fountain. I was curious to see the rest of the garden; I wanted to go to the shores of the lake or to find out what was behind the iron gate. Propriety dictated, though, that we needed to stay within view of our chaperones. I could still see them on the top of the balcony, though it didn’t seem they were paying much attention anyway.
Jasper took my hands in his. For the first time that day, and only the second time since we met, our skin touched. It was like heat, a spark, and for a brief, silly moment, I didn’t want him to let go.
“Christine, I never want you to think that I chose you out of obligation.”
I could only nod. I thought perhaps my throat was closing. I couldn’t breathe.
“We haven’t known each other for very long,” he started, then paused. He chuckled, and for a moment I saw a glimpse of a real smile. A shy one, sheepish, but genuine nonetheless.
“I suppose that’s not true,” he finally said. “We’ve known each other since we were children. What I meant to say was, we no longer know each other well.”
“I wasn’t going to correct you,” I murmured.
He smiled again, if only for the briefest moment. “Christine, even though we are almost strangers, in the last day since you’ve been here, I’ve discovered that you are one of the most remarkable people I have ever known.”
My face flushed as I looked down at our hands, but he wasn’t done. “Your strength amazes me. You are selfless. You cared for your father for so long, and last night you helped the cook without a second thought.”
“I thought that perhaps that might have knocked me out of the running,” I admitted.
“On the contrary. I made my decision then and there.”
I had no reply for that, but I was sure that my face was as red as the roses beside us.
“Christine, you are a kind and intelligent woman who has been taking care of others for her entire life. Will you let me take care of you? Will you marry me?”
Tears sprang to my eyes. My head was swimming like it was underwater. This was all to
o much. How had my life changed so much in just a few short days?
Jasper reached into his coat pocket and revealed a ring. It was stunning, a beautiful blue sapphire surrounded by small, round diamonds. I had never seen such a large gem, and I suspected that it cost more than my father used to make in a year.
“Please don’t feel like you need to answer right away,” said Jasper. “I’m aware that Annabelle brought you here under false pretenses, and that you might not be prepared for this. I’m willing to give you as much time as you need.”
I tore my gaze away from the ring and looked up into his grayish–blue eyes, a sort of blue like the sky just before it stormed. My life had changed, and it was an irreversible change. There was no going back to the way things were. I had no family, no money. In front of me was a man who seemed to genuinely care for who I was. A man far above my station who didn’t seem bothered one bit that he would be marrying beneath him. A man who could choose any woman in the world to be his bride, and yet here he was, a ring in his hand, asking me to be his. Perhaps we didn’t know each other well, but if the last two days were any indication of what was to come, I suspected we would get along well. Even if we didn’t, where was the harm? Staying here at Wolf’s Peak, I had food and shelter and perhaps even a friend in Annabelle. That was far more than I would have if I turned him down.
“No,” I said.
Chapter Eight
He was quiet.
“I see.” His face fell, and he pulled away from me.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “That’s not what I meant. No, I don’t need more time. Jasper, as you said, we don’t know each other well, but you seem to be a wonderful man. At the very least, Annabelle says you are.”
He gave me a small smile, although he still seemed unsure of what I was trying to say.
“We don’t know each other well, but I would love the chance to get to know you better. I would be happy to marry you.”
For the first time, I saw a real, genuine, happy smile on Jasper’s face. He slipped the ring on my finger, and after a moment’s hesitation, my new fiancé gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek.
I was going to be married.
Somehow, things became even stranger the next day.
“Hold still!” Annabelle chastised me as she wrapped the tape measure around my waist.
“I’m sorry, it tickles,” I said, squirming away from her cold hands.
“Got it!” she said. “Goodness, your waist is so small.” She looped the tape measure around my bust. “Maybe I should tell them to add some padding.”
“Rude!”
“I’m only joking.”
“Are you done?”
Annabelle leaned over my bedside table and scribbled some numbers on a piece of paper. “Yes. All done.”
“I can put my clothes back on?”
“If you want to.”
I rolled my eyes and climbed back into the dress I had picked that day. It was a sort of rosewood color. I thought it looked pretty with my hair. It brought out the reddish tones that lingered in my locks.
“What is this for, again?” I asked her as I reached back to do the buttons. Once again, she helped me.
“We’ve got to get you a maid,” Annabelle muttered before turning to me. “The measurements are for a few things. We’re ordering in some dresses for you, so you don’t have to keep wearing my old things.”
“They’re lovely,” I protested.
“They don’t fit you,” she said. “They’re too big and too long, and it won’t do for a duchess to wear someone else’s clothes. In addition, we’re sending a copy of these to Madame Dupont’s in Paris.”
“Paris? Why on earth would you send them to Paris?”
She finished the last button and went to chase after Daniel, whose fingers were just a few inches away from the flowers on my table. “For your wedding dress.”
I sat down on my bed. “Oh, yes. Of course.”
“You don’t sound excited.”
“I’m a bit overwhelmed.” I always seemed to become sarcastic when I was stressed.
“Well then, I suppose you won’t want to see the mockup of the invitations.” She was smiling slyly.
It piqued my curiosity, I admit. “I wouldn’t mind.”
She went to her handbag and pulled out an envelope, and I took it from her and examined it. The envelope was made of a heavy paper. I pulled out the invitation and couldn’t help but gasp. It was a lovely ivory paper, heavy with just a slight touch of shimmer to it. Lilacs and filigree created a border around the calligraphy.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed.
She beamed. “I thought you might like it. Simple, yet refined.”
Something caught my eye midway down the card. “Wait a moment, the wedding is in two weeks?”
“Not exactly,” she said, looking down at the floor.
“Less than two weeks!”
“That’s correct.”
“That doesn’t seem to be rushing things a bit?”
Annabelle shook her head at me. “Christine, you’re living here in Wolf’s Peak, the duke’s home. People will begin to talk if the wedding doesn’t happen soon.”
I knew she was right. I didn’t care much about my image, but as a duchess, I was going to need to start. Still, the emotions hit me, and my head was spinning.
“Does it really have to be so soon?” I asked.
“It’ll be fine.” She was smiling at me, but the smile sat only on her lips and didn’t reach her eyes. It was a look that told me to stop asking questions. Still in shock, I stared down at my hands.
“Are you all right, dear?” Annabelle asked me.
“I’m fine,” I lied as I brushed a tear away from my face. “You know, I haven’t even seen Jasper since he proposed. I hardly know him.”
Annabelle looked down at Daniel, not meeting my eyes. “Well, you know he is quite busy. I’m afraid that over the next few weeks, I will be too. You aren’t going to see much of me either.”
I furrowed my brow. “Don’t you live here?”
She laughed. “Oh, heavens no.”
“I’m sorry. Every day since I’ve been here, you all have as well.”
“I supposed we have, so I can see why you might think that. Do you remember your trip here? You took the road from Ervine, then just before you got here, there was a fork.” She made a V–shape with her hands and wiggled the left one. “The left fork took you here. There’s nothing but woods around here for several miles. But if you took the right one”—she moved her right hand—”it takes you to the nearest town, Weylyn. Stephen and I live down that road, about halfway between Wolf’s Peak and the village. Most of the others live in that area as well. Of course, you’re free to visit if you’d like, but Jasper has put me in charge of planning the wedding, and as you know, I don’t have much time to do that.”
She picked up Daniel and put him on her hip. “I’ll be here as often as I can, but unfortunately, that won’t be as often as the last few days. I’ve got to get these measurements in as soon as possible, but I’ll be back in the next day or two.”
Without Annabelle, I got restless very quickly. I ate meals in my room, and I rarely saw Jasper. I never knew when he was home or when he was away on business. When he was home, he was locked away in the library or the hall or the study. If we saw each other, he gave me nothing more than a tight smile and a nod.
Every time I saw him, I was tempted to stop him, to talk to him, to get to know him. He always looked so stern, so focused, and I always lost my nerve. I was becoming more and more worried about our union, but what other options did I have? Still, the loneliness of the mansion began to crush me.
To fill the time, I decided to explore Wolf’s Peak. I didn’t dare venture too far from my room in case I got lost, but if this was going to be my home, I ought to get more acquainted. I spent an entire day on the same floor as my room. I knew the room across the hall was Jasper’s, but I was’t going to invade his privacy by
going in there. Many of the doors between his and mine were locked, although I did find the olive room Hazel was in, just next to mine.
The floorplan up here felt like a labyrinth as I tried to navigate through the halls. I turned down one hallway to see that many of the rooms were wide open as maids bustled in and out trying to clean everything before the wedding. To prevent myself from getting underfoot of the maids, I ducked down a hallway without really looking where I was going. No one was down this way, so it was poorly lit; the only light came from a stained–glass window at the end of the hall. I wished I had thought to grab a lamp, but I was curious to explore and desperate to become familiar with my new home, so I pressed on.
The doors set in the paneled walls were locked tight. A few portraits were hung this way, portraits that were over a hundred years old, judging by the dates scrawled in the corners. All the names underneath read “Wolfric,” and I had to assume these were Jasper’s ancestors. They all were obviously relations; each had the same high cheekbones and strong jaw and penetrating gaze that my husband–to–be had.
The paintings weren’t the most interesting thing in the hallway, though. About halfway down I came to a stop in front of a massive tapestry, at least as long and as tall as I was. Embroidered on the tapestry were scenes of castles and battles…and wolves. These weren’t gentle, nice wolves. They were massive, but they showed off their size while stretched on their hind legs, claws sharp, engaged in a fight with others. Somehow the artist had managed to weave expressions of menace and anger onto their faces. Staring at it for too long in the dim light made me uneasy and began to give me a headache, so I turned the corner.
A little ways down I found a small lounge area, with the windows looking out over the garden. The tall windows brought in more sunlight than almost anywhere in the house, and the furniture was lovely, patterned with pale flowers. There were a few books in there, and I spent the rest of the day sitting and reading poetry.
The next day, I dared to wander the halls of the main floor. I had some of the house mapped out already. I started in the parlor, where the girls and I had sat waiting for our interview. The hallway leading from this room had several doors. One led to the great hall, a massive room with high ceilings and a large, stone table that stretched from one end of the room to the other. A glistening chandelier hung overhead. I knew that Jasper held meetings in here, but I had no idea what other use it could possibly have.
The Wolf's Wife (The Wolf's Peak Saga Book 1) Page 7
