Adelaide sat at the far side of the library, flipping absently through a book. It had been an entire day since she had witnessed Leah’s unexpected flirtation at the tea room on St. Martin’s Lane, and she had successfully managed to avoid encountering Jasper. She fully intended to reveal the news to him… she just didn’t know how to broach the subject. It required time and care.

A knock at the door disturbed her. Jasper poked his head into the library, prompting Adelaide’s heart to sink. She did not have the right words yet. She did not know what to say to lessen the pain, whilst somehow protecting their friendship. He would be furious with her for being the one to break the news, his distress blinding his logical mind.

“Adelaide, there you are!” he cried. He looked pale, his eyes bloodshot.

“Jasper, what on earth are you doing here? I did not hear you come in.”

“Ah yes, I happened to arrive at the front door just as Rosemary was departing with your mother,” he replied. “My apologies, I should have announced myself.”

“Are you unwell? You do not look well.”

“Charming,” he muttered.

“I mean it, Jasper. You look as though you have taken sick. See how pale you are.” She rose and crossed the gap between them. Lifting her hand to his forehead, she felt for his temperature. “Well, you do not feel feverish.”

He sighed, the breath scraping through his throat. “I did not sleep well last night, that is all. I had much to contemplate.”

“My father is somewhat under the weather today,” she mused. “Do you think you might have caught his illness? If it is infectious, we ought to call for the physician.”

“I very much doubt it, Adelaide. If he were infectious, you would also be sick. You were in his study alongside me.”

She shrugged reluctantly. “Will you promise me that you will retire early tonight, and have a full night’s rest?”

“I promise… if you will do one small thing for me.” His eyes sparked with sudden vitality.

“What?” Her tone held a hint of wariness.

“Miss Green has arrived at my doorstep, and she wishes to speak with me,” he said excitedly. “I did not quite know how to respond, so I told her we might speak here… with you as a chaperone.”

Adelaide grimaced. The timing could not have been worse. She had all these secrets swimming around in her head, with nobody to vent them to. Ordinarily, that duty would have fallen to Jasper. For obvious reasons, they had been forced to remain inside her brain, unspoken and building in pressure.

“That is a terrible idea,” she complained.

“Please, my dearest friend,” he urged. “This may be my one chance to make amends, and to assure her of my admiration and affection.”

She paused, taking a moment to look into his eyes. It wounded her to see his boyish excitement. The more she thought about it, the more Adelaide wondered how genuine Leah’s affections were. All night, she had tossed and turned, trying to decipher Leah’s true intentions. After all, if she truly loved Jasper, no amount of external coercing or doubts would be able to drive her away from him.

Something did not add up.

Still, she had to give Jasper his chance.

“Fine… you may bring her in here,” Adelaide relented. “I will sit here, with my book, in complete silence. You may converse as though I am elsewhere—I promise I will not interject.”

Although, it will be hard not to, she added silently. You think Reuben is woefully unsuitable. Perhaps, neither of us has made the greatest choice.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” He grasped her hands and lifted them to his lips, planting an excitable kiss on her bare skin. The action took her by surprise. His lips were rough, but not unpleasant. She could feel the grazed tingle long after he’d disappeared back out into the hall.

How bizarre, she mused. Brushing it off as half-crazed weariness, she padded back over to her cozy armchair and returned to her book. There was no way she’d be able to read a single line, not with Leah in the room.

A few minutes later, Jasper and Miss Green entered the library. She barely paid Adelaide an iota of attention, before sinking into one of the deep leather sofas that lay parallel to the fireplace. Jasper, meanwhile, sat on a comically small stool, propriety keeping him from sitting beside her. As woeful as the situation was, Adelaide had to stifle a laugh. He looked like an awkward child, his knees almost up to his chin.

“I hope you do not mind that I have asked Adelaide to chaperone?” Jasper broke the silence. “I know there have been some tensions between you, of late, but I trust such things are behind you?”

Miss Green shrugged. “I do not mind if she is here. She seems to always be wherever you are.” The bitterness in her voice was undeniable.

Oh dear… this is not going to end well.

“That is somewhat unfair, Miss Green.”

Leah shot him a look. “You see, you call her Adelaide, yet you call me Miss Green. It is highly perplexing.”

“My apologies, Miss Green. I do not know you as well as I know Lady Adelaide, though I hope we may continue to better our acquaintance of one another?”

She paused. “You wish to be my friend, Lord Gillett?”

“Why… I rather think I do,” he replied stiffly.

“Only my friend?”

His brow furrowed in confusion. “I do not understand, Miss Green. You must forgive me.”

Adelaide had to grip the side of the armchair. The conversation had barely begun, and already it was unbearable. All she wanted to do was hurry over to him and interpret Leah’s meaning, so he could better understand. The poor boy was entirely baffled.

“I have asked nothing of you, Lord Gillett. I have been quiet and patient, biding my time. In the beginning, I had no doubt in my mind that you were the sort of gentleman that any young lady might be fortunate to marry,” she explained coolly. “As the weeks wore on, doubts did begin to find their way into my thoughts.”

“That I am ungentlemanly?” he replied, still clearly confused.

Let her finish, Adelaide urged.

“No, I still believe any young lady would be fortunate to wed you,” Miss Green went on. “The doubt lies in your affection towards me. I am a shy, modest girl. I have done all I can to convey the depth of my feelings towards you, without causing myself embarrassment or disrepute. And yet, you have done nothing in return. You show Adelaide far greater affection than you have ever shown to me.”

“I do no such thing, Miss Green,” he said defiantly. “I hardly show Adelaide any affection at all.”

Oh, you fool. Focus on her, not me. Please, I beg of you, for both of our sakes.

“You are a closed book to me, Lord Gillett!” Miss Green’s voice cut through the air, shrill and angry.

A stilted silence stretched between them. Adelaide tried not to look, but she could not help it. The awkwardness appeared to have a powerful pull that drew her in. Leah’s cheeks were flushed a furious pink, her eyes narrowed in annoyance. Meanwhile, Jasper continued to wear an expression of complete bemusement.

“I apologize if it seems that way, Miss Green,” he replied at last. “The truth is, I do not know what it is that you desire me to say.”

A strangled whimper slipped from Miss Green’s throat. “My goodness, Lord Gillett, are you really so obtuse?”

“I—”

“I wish to know of your intentions, Lord Gillett,” she interjected coldly. “I hear from Adelaide that you admire and adore me, but I see no hint of that warmth from you. She has even told me that you do not care for societal dogma, so I know you have no qualms about my station. Regardless, your behavior remains almost platonic where I am concerned.”

Adelaide watched him visibly fumble for a reply. “It is my desire to be courteous, Miss Green.”

“What does that matter?”

He grimaced. “It means that… I do not quite know how to express myself when it comes to members of the fairer sex. I am ever-conscious of behaving in a decorous manner.”

“Then, allow me to speak plainly.”

Adelaide braced for what was to come.

“Do you care for me, Lord Gillett?” Miss Green asked, her voice worryingly quiet. A flicker of a warning lingered in her words. Evidently, there was a right and a wrong answer.

He froze.

Answer her! Heavens above, answer her! Tell her the truth of what is in your heart—the truth you have told me often enough when you speak of her.

“It is not as simple as caring for someone, Miss Green,” he began, causing all of Adelaide’s encouragement to plummet.

“Do you care for me?” Miss Green pressed, her hands balled into fists. Her voice wavered as she continued. “Do you think you could love me?”

Time seemed to slow down as the question hovered in the center of the room, heavy and unanswered. Jasper squirmed on his stool, his gaze seeking out Adelaide for help.

I cannot assist you this time, my dear friend. Leah will flounce out of here and never come back if I involve myself. This is one battle you must fight alone. She hoped that, deep within his subconscious, he could hear her.

“I care very much,” he said, at last. “I hold you in the highest esteem. Indeed, you have become a rather dear friend to me.”

“A friend?” The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Adelaide almost ducked for cover behind the armrest of her chair. He could not have chosen a worse word if he had tried. No lady wished to merely be a friend, not when they held feelings of love for a gentleman.

“Yes… you are a very dear friend to me. I relish the time we spend in one another’s company. And I confess, I look forward to the occasions where we might converse and get to know one another better,” he went on, digging himself a larger hole. “In that sense, there is still a great deal for me to discover.”

“You do not seem to understand, Lord Gillett.”

No, my dear Jasper, you do not. Adelaide stole a glance at the couple by the fire and wished she could be anywhere else. She had never seen her friend so desperately uncomfortable.

“Understand, Miss Green? What is there to understand?” A note of panic peppered his words.

“I am a lady of lesser means than you,” she replied. “There are certain things that are expected of me, especially given the station of my family. They have greater wealth than many fine lords and ladies, yet we lack the title to give us our proper place amongst high society. I am expected to make a fortuitous match.”

He frowned. “And you have sought me out to make such a match?”

“Again, Lord Gillett, you do not seem to understand.” She paused, heaving in a shaky breath. “You may think me blunt in my manner of speaking, but I must be honest with you. I have little else to lose. You see, against all odds, I had hoped to wed a man that I could truly love, who might also gift me with the benefits of a suitable title. I do not want to marry a man who does not care for me.”

He stared at her silently.

“And yet… it appears I have been mistaken in where I have placed my affections.” She shook her head slowly. “Perhaps, it was foolish of me to pin such hopes to you. I envisioned a fantasy, but I see that it cannot be attainable. My mother is putting a great deal of pressure upon me, as I am already reaching beyond a favorable age for marriage.”

If you are beyond a favorable age, Leah, where does that leave me? Adelaide wondered, for she was several years older than Miss Green. Although… I suppose I am engaged now. The pressure upon my shoulder has been somewhat alleviated.

“Miss Green, you must understand. I—”

“No, Lord Gillett, it is you who must understand,” she interjected. “I adore and admire you, and I am not ashamed to say it. I thought you might love me. I hoped you would, for then I might have found a sense of mutuality in love that I never thought possible. It appears that I was wrong. You care for me only as a friend… nothing more.”

He gripped the edges of the armrest. “What are you saying, Miss Green?”

“I am saying that I must take some time, where I may collect my thoughts,” she said solemnly. “For I fear a dream may have been shattered this very day.”

Adelaide’s heart ached for Jasper, who looked like a deer facing down the barrel of a musket. The poor fellow had no idea what was happening. Adelaide longed to cross the room and shake him by the shoulders, to get him to admit his true feelings to Leah. However, it appeared that it was all too late for that. Adelaide could not forget what she had seen in the tea rooms. Miss Green was already lining up alternative options, no doubt at her mother’s behest.

For we rarely get to marry for love, she mused. You might have succeeded in achieving that impossible dream, Leah, if you were not so desperate for that title of yours. Jasper is shy. Linger awhile longer, and you will discover that your hopes are not misplaced.

“Perhaps, you would care for some tea?” Adelaide piped up. “Then, we may all soothe our fractured nerves and speak again once our minds have had time to ponder certain matters. What say you, Jasper? Miss Green?”

Leah shot a cold look in Adelaide’s direction. “I fear it is much too late in the day for tea.”

Or too late in the day for Jasper?

“Please, Miss Green. I implore you to stay awhile.”

“No, thank you, Lady Adelaide. I have taken up enough of Lord Gillett’s time, not to mention my own.”

Adelaide rose from her chair. “I must insist, Miss Green. I am certain there is more that Jasper wishes to say.” She cast him a look of encouragement, but he did not move. He sat in his seat, staring into the licking flames of the fire.

“Apparently, there is not,” Miss Green murmured. “If you wish to contact me, Lord Gillett, you may write. However, I shall not expect a note. Indeed, perhaps I shall be the one to send you a letter, to better explain what I have tried to say today.”

She got up from her chair and dusted off the front of her pale lavender gown. Without another word to Jasper, she crossed the library and headed out of the door. Torn, Adelaide rushed after her. She could see to Jasper’s wellbeing in a moment. However, if she let Leah leave now, she did not know if her acquaintance might ever return. It did not seem too likely.

“Leah, stop!” Adelaide called.

She turned. “What can you possibly have to say to me, Lady Adelaide? Can you not see that I am thoroughly humiliated? Do you wish to add further salt to this already stinging wound?”

“No, of course not,” Adelaide replied softly. “I wish that you would stay. Jasper needs time to think on all that you have said, that is all. He does adore you, just as I said he did. He does not wear his heart on his sleeve, my dear friend. You must give him a moment.”

“I am tired of waiting, Lady Adelaide,” was all she said. Turning on her heel, she strode out of the front door and down to a waiting carriage. Adelaide went after her, pausing on the porch steps as the carriage rolled away with a clatter of wheels and hooves.

You foolish girl, Adelaide sighed. You might have had it all, if you had only shown patience.

Nervously, Adelaide returned to the library and sat down in the chair that Leah had vacated. Jasper had not moved a muscle. He barely looked at her as she leaned forward, seeking out his face with her eyes.

“Jasper?”

“What have I done?” he whispered.

“You were yourself.”

He held his head in his hands. “She wished for a declaration of love, did she not? How could I have been so blind? And to call her ‘friend’—goodness, it is a wonder she did not leave sooner.”

“So… you do care for her in a romantic fashion?”

He paused. “I believe I do. Shall I go after her?”

“You must allow her time to calm herself,” Adelaide urged. “She will write once she realizes that you are the only gentleman for her. She will see the error in her ways. I suggested patience to her, and I believe she will come around to the idea.”

“I ought to have said something.”

“You sought to be courteous. She cannot hold such propriety against you,” Adelaide replied. “After all, you have not spoken to her father about a potential engagement. You have not made your desire for a public courtship known. She must allow you that time, just as you must allow her the time to understand better. There is a delicate process to these things that she does not yet comprehend. Is it foolish? Yes. But tradition is the axle on which our world revolves.”

He sighed. “Still… I could have given her a sliver of hope. A hope that I share.”

“I will speak with her tomorrow morning, once she has had an evening to reflect.”

He brightened instantly. “You will?”

“I will. I will explain to her the way things are done, when it comes to romance in the high societies of our nation. If she wishes to be one of us, then she will have to learn that private declarations of love and devotion are not nearly enough.”

“Thank you, my dearest friend,” he gasped. “Thank you.”

“Your happiness is at stake, my sweet Jasper,” she replied. “What else would I do?”