At The Stroke Of Midnight (27 page)

"If your son has done anything
to harm my daughter and jeopardize this marriage, there will be
consequences!"
 
Jane could hear her
father's thundering voice all the way down the hall.
 
Given that he wasn't attempting to hide his anger from the
servants, he must truly be furious.

"If you and your wife had been
honest with me about Jane, then we would not find ourselves in this
predicament!
 
That said, there
is
a solution.
 
And I will have it done
whether you like it or not!"
 
That
came from Sebastian's mother who seemed to be able to give as good as she
got.
 
Under other circumstances, Jane
would have probably liked that about her.
 
At the moment, since she was still determined to keep Jane and Sebastian
apart, Jane was not all that favorably inclined towards her.

Pausing just outside the arched
doorway for a moment, Jane rested her hand on the wall, trying to center
herself.
 
She was not ready for
this.
 
It was Christmas morning.
 
She had just spent the night in the arms of
the man she loved and might already be carrying his child.
 
It should have been a joyous occasion.
 
Instead, all she felt was a mix of fear and
dread, knowing that her actions had consequences and that there was no
marriage, save for one to Laird McKenna, in her future.

Yet she would not trade those hours
with Sebastian for anything.
 
And,
truly, at this point, what did her reputation matter?
 
She would not be returning to society anyway.
 
No one, save for her immediate family and
the countess, would ever know.

"Do not fear," Sebastian
gave her hand a comforting pat.
 
"All is not lost yet."

But it was and Jane knew it.
 
She would pay for her sins.
 
Everyone did.
 
However she would not cower before her stepmother.
 
Not this time.

"Let us be done with this
unpleasant business," Jane said by way of reply and, with head held high,
marched into the room.

 
The scene before her would have been pretty were it not so comical at
the same time.
 
In the far corner of the
room, the Christmas tree glowed with the light of hundreds of candles.
 
Decorations of all types dotted the tree,
including some that would double as gifts for the staff later on.
 
It seemed like another lifetime that she had
been given the task of selecting what type of trinkets the servants would
like.
 
Before she had departed London,
she had agonized over the task.
 
Now, it
seemed so silly, especially knowing that after today, she would never see any
of them again.

A pile of gifts was stuffed under
the tree, one for every houseguest.
 
Each was festooned with a bright red bow, perfect for such a festive
day.
 
On a mahogany sideboard, trays
heaped with sweetmeats, candied fruits and other delicacies sat waiting to be
consumed when the revelers returned from their morning outing.
 
On the opposite wall, a long, high table
lined with punch bowls, as well as a vast array of spirits and wines was set
out, all ready to be indulged in.

Her father, Angeline and Lizzie
were all clustered around one of the red damask covered couches that Angeline
preferred.
 
Low and long, they could
seat several people at one time and were perfect for swooning if a lady was so
inclined.
 
Jane never was but Angeline
and Lizzie indulged.
 
Often.
 

On the other side of the room,
Margaret St. Giles stood with her fists clenched at her sides, her mouth
slightly open, and clearly ready to argue her point.
 
Everyone was impeccably dressed, right down to the high shine of
her father's Hessian boots and the sapphires that winked at Lady Covington's
throat.

And when Jane and Sebastian
entered, they all froze in place, as if playing some macabre game of tag.
 
She watched her father's mouth gape open,
his lips flapping as if he wanted to say something before they snapped
shut.
 
She saw Angeline's eyes narrow in
anger when she saw where Jane's hand rested on Sebastian's arm.
 
Lizzie's nose flared and turned up a bit on
the end, just as it did every time she was ready to launch into a screaming
tantrum when she didn't get her way.

As for Lady Covington?
 
Well, she was the most confusing of
all.
 
When she saw Jane and Sebastian
enter, she smiled.
 
It was not an evil smile
either, but rather one of knowing.
 
As
if she could look at her son and immediately discern what was going on in his
mind.
 
That more than anything
disquieted Jane and she did not know what to say.

The silence didn't last long,
however and immediately, Jane wanted a hole to open in the floor so that she
might sink into it and never be seen again.

"How dare you?" Angeline
shrieked, nearly launching herself at Jane, only Lizzie's hand holding her back
from a physical attack.
 
"How dare
you make a mockery of this family and our good name?
 
You are nothing but a whore and a common trollop, just like your
mother!"

"Angeline!
 
Enough!"
 
Charles Ashford's roar was enough to shake the tree in its
pot.
 
"I will not have you
disparage Catronia in that manner!"
 
Jane noted that he did not mention disparaging his daughter,
however.
 
Seemingly that was
acceptable.
 
It was also a wonder that
the other guests were not making their way back inside to see what all the fuss
was about, given the way he was carrying on.
 
She was certain that he could be heard all the way back to Town.

"You stole my
husband!"
 
That screech came from
Lizzie who was now attempting to separate herself from her mother long enough
to get to Sebastian.
 
It was likely that
she would attempt to cling to his arm, much the way she had with the duke
earlier in the season.
 
"He is mine
and you are merely jealous because you're a spinster!"
 
That was followed by another bellow from
Ashford and yet another shriek from Angeline.

Finally, Sebastian had endured
enough of the caterwauling.
 
Cream of
the
ton
, indeed.
 
Other than
Jane, the whole lot of them were no better than costermongers.
 
In fact, he had seen costermongers with
better manners.

"Silence!" he roared,
louder than anyone else, much to his chagrin, but was gratified when the
cacophony of noise ended.
 
"I have
something to say and I
will
say it.
 
In fact, I should have said it long ago, but I did not, much to my
detriment as well as everyone else's."
 
All eyes in the room snapped to him, including those of his mother.
 
Excellent.
 
He finally had her attention.
 
It
was about bloody time.

"Go on, Sebastian."
 
Those were the first calm words his mother
had spoken, the first calm words in the room at all, actually.
 
"Say what you wish.
 
The rest of us can wait."
 
She glared at the Ashfords for good measure,
though given Sebastian's display of temper, it was unlikely that anyone would
have made a sound.
 
The Earl of
Covington was not known for his temper, so when it was displayed, it made most
people take notice.

At that, Sebastian turned to
Jane.
 
She, more than anyone, needed to
hear what he had to say.
 
He had
confessed his love already, that was true, but he had done so in private.
 
A man truly in love with a woman would have
done so in public.
 
At the very least,
in front of her family.
 
After this was
over, he might still lose her but for once, she deserved to hear someone defend
her.
 
Someone who loved her just as she
was.
 
It would be his gift to her this
Christmas day, the only thing he had to offer.
 
He would give her his heart.

"Jane, from the moment I met
you, I was captivated.
 
I knew you were
meant to be mine.
 
But I was a fool in
so many ways and, when I was forced to choose, I did not follow my heart.
 
I followed my duty."

She shook her head, clearly wanting
him to stop speaking.
 
"You did
what was necessary."
 

He raised a finger to her lips and
she fell silent, her eyes wide.
 
"Necessary perhaps, but not what was right.
 
There are, or there were, other options.
 
At least I believe there could be.
 
While I am still the earl, I could name
another successor, give up the earldom and still have you for my wife.
 
If that happens, you might not be a
countess, but you would still be mine.
 
I did not choose that path.
 
Instead, I turned my back on you, allowed myself to be trapped and cowed
by others, particularly your father, Angeline, and my mother.
 
I followed their dictates, even though, in
my heart, I truly did believe that there was another way."

"By marring me," Lizzie
whined, springing up from her chair like a rabbit, but Lady Covington shushed
her with a glare.

"I would never ask you to give
up everything for me, Sebastian," Jane countered softly, wringing her
hands in front of her.
 
"I am not
worth it."

Sebastian shook his head.
 
"Don't you see?
 
You are.
 
From that very first moment, I knew that you were worth far more than
any other woman I had ever met."
 
He turned and glared at his mother who still had that serene smile
plastered on her face.
 
Then he turned
back to Jane, for she was the one who most needed to hear this next part.
 
"And I don't care if you can't give me
a child, though I pray that you would give me an opportunity, or several as it
might be, to prove that claim wrong."
 

That declaration was met with an
offended gasp from Angeline, not that Sebastian gave a fig what she
thought.
 
Or believed for a moment that
she was actually offended.
 
"But
don't you see?
 
None of it matters.
 
Not without you.
 
I love you, Jane, and last night, I realized that love is the
best gift any of us could ever hope to receive."

He saw the tears sparkle in Jane's
eyes and knew that he had touched her heart.
 
"Oh, Sebastian, no.
 
I am
not worth throwing away your entire life for.
 
I love you too much to allow you to make that sacrifice."

"It is too late," he said
with a smile, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing something small enough
to fit into the palm of his hand.
 
"You have my heart, and I'm afraid that I cannot take it back.
 
I do not want it, not without
you."
 
Then he opened his hand to
reveal her other emerald hair comb.
 
The
one she had thought lost forever.
 
"That first night, I found this on the garden steps after you
departed.
 
For so many months, it was
the only piece of you that I had and I carried it everywhere."

Reaching out, she plucked the comb
from his hands.
 
"I had thought
this lost."

"Not lost.
 
Merely missing for a short while.
 
Part of an incomplete set, just as I am
without you."
 
Then he dropped down
to his knee.
 
"Jane I know this is
sudden, but will you..."

He did not get to finish his
proposal.

"This changes nothing,"
Charles Ashford snapped, reaching out to forcibly yank Jane away from
Sebastian.
 
"You will not marry
Jane.
 
I forbid it.
 
The only daughter of mine you will marry
will be Lizzie and that is final."

Just then, someone cleared their
throat and everyone looked up to see a newcomer, a man dressed in a greatcoat
and looking half frozen and dripping wet, but still rather fearsome, standing
at the entrance to the parlor with papers in hand.

"I am afraid you are mistaken,
my lord.
 
Lord Covington may marry where
he wishes, and you are not in a position to prevent it.
 
No one is."
 
The man stepped forward and shook the accumulated snow from his
shoulders.
 
"Harry Greer, Bow
Street Runner, at your service."
 
He gave a low, formal bow.
 
"Normally, I am employed by the Duke of Enwright but recently, I
was engaged by Lord Covington's solicitor to make some discreet inquiries into
the validity of the previous Lord Covington's will, at least where his son and
a final, last minute codicil to the will is concerned."