Lover Be Mine: A Legendary Lovers Novel (33 page)

Three mornings later
, Jack was leaving his house for an urgent meeting with the Lord Chancellor when Skye
appeared on his doorstep again, clearly prepared to take him to task.

“I am supremely vexed with you, dear cousin,” she announced without even a civil greeting.
“Sophie is miserable, and it is entirely your fault.”

Jack not only readily accepted blame, he could have admitted that he was miserable
himself. Instead, he invited his cousin inside, resigned to having it out with her.

“You know that Sophie is staying with me after she refused to return home to Mrs.
Pennant’s house?” Skye asked as soon as he had shut the front door and dismissed his
footman from the hall.

“Yes, I know.”

“Well, what you may not realize is that she is waging a valiant war against her parents.
I thought you might like a report on her progress.”

Jack’s gaze sharpened. “I would indeed. What has she done?”

“First, I want to know what malady has addled your brain. Sophie thinks you have abandoned
the fight because you don’t love her enough—if at all.”

Jack held back a scoffing sound. “If I didn’t love her, I would not be putting her
welfare above my own wishes.”

Skye wasn’t satisfied. “Then what the devil are you about? If you are trying to spare
her a scandal, this is
not
the time to develop an outsized sense of honor.”

“This is not about scandal or honor. I won’t make her choose between me and her parents.
I want her happiness above all else.”

“I’ll wager Sophie would say
you
are her happiness,” Skye insisted. “She
loves
you, Jack.”

His heart battling a surge of emotion, Jack ran a hand roughly through his hair. “Tell
me what is happening with her parents.”

Skye set aside her vexation long enough to give him a recount. “At first they were
distressed when she broke off her engagement to Dunmore, but Sophie thinks her strategy
in residing with me is beginning to work in her favor. When her father came to visit
her yesterday, he seemed anxious to get her back, perhaps even a bit frantic. He pointed
to her mother’s ill health and tried blackmailing her, claiming that Mrs. Fortin couldn’t
bear to lose their only remaining child, but Sophie said they wouldn’t lose her if
they would accept you as her husband.”

“It surprises me that she stated her position so baldly.”

“It does not surprise
me
. She believes her mother is stronger now than anytime since her brother’s death all
those years ago. Mrs. Fortin has been recovering
her spirits all summer long and is more capable of facing disappointments. You should
have heard Sophie’s retort to her father, Jack. ‘You are welcome to disown me, Papa.
I might become estranged from you and Mama, but I will gain a wonderful family in
Lord Jack and his cousins.’ ”

Skye sent him a penetrating look. “She thinks you need her more than her parents do.”

No doubt that was true, Jack reflected. “How did Fortin react to her declaration?”

“Oh, he sputtered and blustered for a time. Sophie calmly replied that she wanted
to speak to her mother directly before she would agree to return home.”

A faint smile wreathed Jack’s mouth as he pictured Sophie challenging her father.
She had finally set free the rebel he knew was inside her. But confronting her mother
would be much more difficult for her.

When he said as much to Skye, she shook her head. “Love has changed Sophie, Jack.
She is willing to battle for you now, even if it means opposing her parents. And you
should do the same for her.”

He started to reply, but Skye held up a hand. “I want Sophie for my new cousin, but
more importantly, you
need
her for your wife. You can’t deny that she is your ideal match.”

“No, I can’t.”

“Then why in blazes are you giving up!”

“I am not giving up. I am pursuing another course of action.”

“What course?”

“I cannot tell you just yet.”

Skye nearly stamped her foot. “Sometimes you are so maddening, you make me want to
scream.”

Jack sobered. “I regret being overly secretive, love. But I don’t want to give Sophie
false hope, not until I am more confident my plan will work.”

“What plan?”

“Take yourself home, Skye. And tell Sophie that I love her.”

Skye gave him a darkling glance. “You should tell her yourself.”

That would be impossible, Jack thought. In the first place, he didn’t want to raise
Sophie’s hopes only to crush them. And in the second, he couldn’t be close to her
and not be able to touch her, to kiss her, to make love to her. It was better for
them both if he stayed away until the odds were greater that he could convince her
father to relent.

Not replying, Jack opened the door to his cousin.

“I sincerely hope you know what you are doing,” Skye muttered as he ushered her outside.

“So do I,” Jack said in a low voice. “Believe me, so do I.”

Jack received a second bit of surprising news later that day, this time from Quinn:
Prince Raoul de Villars had arrived in London to consult with preeminent physician
Otto Geary, whose care of wounded veterans was unorthodox yet highly successful.

When Jack called at his father’s hotel, he discovered the prince looking even more
ill than when they’d parted in Navartania the previous week. The journey had evidently
been hard on him, but he had still managed to leave his bed and dress in elegant attire.

“So you decided to put your faith in our British
medics?” Jack asked after their initial exchange of greetings.

His father managed a pained smile. “
Oui
. Your cousin, Lord Traherne, is persuaded that I can be helped. The longer I delayed,
the weaker I became. I decided that I would not be content to die just yet, now that
I have found my son again.”

Jack quelled his instinctive emotional protest, merely saying congenially, “You should
have alerted me of your arrival. I would have invited you to stay with me rather than
at a hotel.”

“I feared I would be … how do you say it, pressing my luck? Also, Mr. Geary is to
examine me on the morrow, and if I am to undergo surgery, I will likely reside at
his hospital for a time.”

“You are welcome to recover from the surgery at my home, if you like.”

“
Merci
 … I would be grateful, Jack. Your offer means more than I can say.”

Aware that he was no longer clinging to his enmity, Jack wanted to give credit where
it was due. “You have Miss Fortin to thank for my change of heart. She is eager for
us to put our differences in the past.”

“How is your courtship proceeding?”

He grimaced. “We are at a stalemate at the moment.” Jack quickly explained about her
father’s continued opposition and his own determination not to divide Sophie from
her parents. “My mother was alone without family when she died. I won’t have Miss
Fortin facing the world alone. Nor will I let her be shunned by her loved ones. At
the moment she has left home in protest of her father’s stance and is living with
my cousin, Lady Skye.”

Prince Raoul smiled. “Clara would have made such a protest.” The prince fell silent
for a moment before repeating a previous contention. “Jack … I meant what I said.
I loved your mother deeply, but I was weak and craven. I should have fought for the
right to wed her.”

Jack cleared his throat, repressing the urge to renew his angry charges. After all,
it was partly because of his father’s former cowardice that he knew he had to fight
for Sophie. The contrast between what Prince Raoul had failed to do for Clara and
what Jack was willing to do for Sophie was stark. His love made him even more protective
of her, and he was determined to do what was best for her.

His perspective as an adult was also different from when he was a child. When he was
younger, he hadn’t understood the sacrifices his mother had made to follow her heart,
why she had given up everything to be with her prince. But now he did. And he was
prepared to do the same for Sophie.

Jack might have spoken, but his father was still reminiscing. “I hope you may follow
a different path from mine, Jack. I married unhappily. Our union was not bitter, but
there was no joy, no love, no passion. I wish you to have the kind of love I once
had with your mother.
Vraiment
—in truth … the chief reason I came to England was to extend to you a reprieve. I
have thought carefully about the choice you are facing. You should not be compelled
to become my heir or be forced to live in my country.”

Jack felt a sharp clutch in his chest. “You would release me from our agreement?”

“
Oui
. Your sole reason for accepting my offer was to appease her father, was it not?”

“Yes.”

“You will have a legitimate right to the title of prince, whether or not you rule.”

The tightness inside him eased, as if an enormous burden had been lifted from him—which
indeed it had. “I would be very grateful to be spared the responsibility. And your
country would be better off. You said your throne will go to your distant relative?
Whether you dislike him or not, a citizen of Navartania will make a better ruler than
I could, since I am a stranger to your customs and people.”

“Perhaps.” Prince Raoul sighed. “I am resigned to Louis wearing my crown. As I told
you once before, I do not care about the succession as much as I care about you. If
you are not required to live apart from her family in England, Miss Fortin’s parents
may be more amenable to your suit.”

“That might indeed help to persuade them. I am certain they wouldn’t like having her
so far away.”

“What else may I do to help you, Jack?”

The prince was actually serious, he realized. There was nothing he wanted from his
father, but he couched his reply in softer terms. “Thank you, but I can manage the
rest on my own.”

“What of lands and fortune? I own numerous estates in Navartania and several in southern
France. I could gift your bride with one of my estates as a dowry, or sign one over
to her parents as a marriage settlement.”

“You are very generous, your highness.”

The prince shrugged. “All my lands would have belonged
to you had I been a real father to you. You may do with them as you wish—even present
them to Monsieur Fortin.”

“I suspect he would welcome the largess, but that would not be enough to win his support.”

“I could perhaps create a Navartanian title for him.”

Jack shook his head. “Fortin has a disdain for anything foreign, but rank is important
to him. He is still angry that his line was deprived of his grandfather’s title. The
barony would have made him nobility. I may not succeed in elevating Fortin to the
peerage, but I am investigating the purchase of a baronetcy or a knighthood for him.”

The prince’s eyebrow rose. “A title can be purchased here in England?”

The corner of Jack’s mouth curled. “For a price. Our Prince Regent is such a profligate,
he is always short of funds. It is not uncommon for him to exchange a title for a
form of bribe. Officially I will petition the Crown through the Lord Chancellor. Unofficially,
I will offer Prinny a loan, which will of course never be repaid.”

The prince looked thoughtful. “That might solve your dilemma.”

“I sincerely hope so. Since my return to London, I have been working like the devil
to have Fortin’s name added to the Honors list.”

His father nodded sagely. “I should have expected you to act. I could see clearly
that you love Miss Fortin, from the first moment I saw you with her.”

Jack almost smiled. Even he hadn’t acknowledged his love then. “Was I that obvious?”

“Indeed, yes. I cannot imagine that you would let your love slip away.”

“No,” Jack said emphatically. Sophie was his other half, and he would move heaven
and earth to be with her, even if it had taken far too long for him to recognize his
true feelings. “Fortin’s last rejection of my suit is another setback, but in the
end, I will prevail, no matter what it takes.”

“You are your mother’s son after all. If I may be so bold as to ask … what is the
sum required for this bribe?”

“It is hefty, perhaps upward of ten thousand pounds.”

“Will you at least permit me to contribute the full amount?”

Jack hesitated, but seeing the earnest expression on his father’s face made him relent.
“If you like. Your funds will be put to good use.”

“Yes. It could spur the procreation of grandchildren.”

Prince Raoul chuckled softly at his own witticism—a response he immediately regretted,
judging by the way he clutched his injured rib.

Jack felt more than a twinge of concern. “I am glad your examination is tomorrow,
your highness. And if we are both very fortunate, you will be alive to see your grandchildren.”

A surprising sentiment, Jack realized, shaking his head at his remarkable change of
heart toward his father.

Sophie felt not
only heartsore but despairing. Five days had passed since her painful parting with
Jack, and they were no closer to settling the bitter feud between their families.
It was his apparent surrender, however, that wounded her the most.