Page 54 of The Gentleman's Confession
She pulled her head back inside her room and took several steps backward. She had gone from an intelligent, logical woman to a hysteric fool. Miles was completely to blame. He wasn’t supposed to care for her. Not in that way. Her heart leaped with elation in one breath and plummeted in despair in the next. It was everything she’d secretly dreamed of and her worst nightmare too.
She covered her face with her hands. She had narrowly kept herself from kissing him. She groaned. How could she fix this? Miles had to hate her now, and if Lisette ever found out, she would despise her too. She wanted to put aside her promise to see Lisette happily married and take Miles for herself.
“It is selfish!” she announced to the empty room, dropping her hands to her hips. How could she break Lisette’s heart—her own best friend?
A true friend would bind up her feelings. She had done it once, swearing off love entirely, so certainly she could do it again. What was the point of being born with such willful resolve if she did not use it?
A knock sounded at the door.
Jemma whirled toward it. “Come in.”
Mrs. Manning stepped inside. “I assumed Lisette would be in here. I thought I heard voices.”
“Just me.” She produced a sheepish smile.
“Even better. There was something I wanted to ask you privately.” She pushed her drooping coiffure up, but it fell directly back down to its odd angle when she released it.
“Go ahead.”
“Frankly, I am worried about you. You came home from your walk yesterday with puffy eyes and tearstained cheeks. Is there anything amiss? I do not want you to feel trapped in this house or in your soon-to-be engagement.”
Jemma had managed to hide most of her emotions from the Mannings, but yesterday’s encounter with Miles had left her undone. “I might not be perfectly happy, but I am getting there. And it is all thanks to you and Lisette and this family,” she added quickly.
“So ... everything is well with Mr. Bentley?”
Jemma swallowed. “As well as can be imagined.” She hadn’t meant to sound hesitant, but her tone betrayed her. “It’s just not how I expected it to be. I have much to learn, it seems.”
Mrs. Manning came fully into the room and tucked Jemma into a hug. “Dear girl. Even the most capable humans have much to learn in this life. Remember not to settle for the easy road. Not when the harder path takes us toward a greater happiness.” Mrs. Manning pulled back and gave Jemma an affectionate smile. “We love you, Jemma. And we will support you in whatever you decide.” She released her and quietly left the room. Mrs. Manning’s advice lingered long after her departure.
Even the most capable humans have much to learn.
Miles. He was her teacher ... In fact, he was all of Brookeside’s spiritual instructor. But even he did not know everything. Maybe he needed lessons of his own. She would take the harder path toward Mr. Bentley so they could all be happier. It would be up to her to remind Miles of why he had fallen for Lisette and not Jemma all those years ago. His feelings for her cousin were likely hidden by insecurities. Miles had willingly helped Jemma in her time of need. Could she help him in return?
Jemma rushed back to her desk, pushing aside her sketches and pulling out a fresh sheet of paper.
Dear Miles,
Lesson one . . .
CHAPTER 25
Miles leaned back in hischair, having spent a couple of hours going through clerical business at the church, and slid his penknife into a letter just delivered to him. Once the sealing wafer broke, he unfolded the paper, his eyes naturally dropping to the bottom to see the sender’s name.
Jemma?
What was she doing, sending him letters? He could think of a number of people who would not approve, which meant the contents were likely important enough for her to risk her reputation. He quickly sat up in his seat, and his gaze tore to the top.
Dear Miles,
Lesson one for Mr. Romantic: remember the past.
Lesson one? Had Jemma decided it was time to switch roles from student to teacher?
Since it has been made clear that you no longer remember falling in love for the first time, I thought I would take it upon myself to remind you of the account.
Miles blinked. This is what she had written to him about? And who said he didn’t remember? He humored her and read the tale through. The story of the ice breaking and him saving Lisette was slightly different told from Jemma’s perspective, but the main details were the same.
He set the letter down and stared at it. Jemma was a fixer. She saw a problem and had to address it. Apparently, his feelings for her were such a dire problem that she had to remedy themimmediately. He tipped his head back on his seat and stared at the old church ceiling, crumbling in places. Just like his pathetic heart.
