Page 82 of The Gentleman's Confession
Miles Jackson was an incredible kisser. If she had not already been seated, she might have fallen over. His touch had the power to melt every part of her. If she had known, she might not have resisted him for so long. When their lips inevitably parted, she settled against him, and they traded stories about their childhood, revealing times when they had felt drawn to each other and the difficulties of hiding it.
“I always came to you for advice as an excuse to be near you,” she whispered, leaning her head against his chest.
“And I always gave you advice as an excuse to impress you.”
She giggled. “I thought you were trying to be a wise older brother.”
He rubbed his thumb over her hand, making her skin tremble. “Trust me when I say no brother could love his sister like I love you.”
She would never tire of his way with words. “What will the others think when we tell them?”
“I cannot say what our families will think, but a few of our friends were witness to some of our progression, if you recall—along with a few select gentlemen at Gammon’s. I told Paul, Tom, and Ian how I felt about you after they discovered I kissed you on the cricket field. Today, I told them I would support you and Mr. Bentley just before you showed up with your sensational kiss. I was planning on leaving Brookeside until I could handle the idea of you and Mr. Bentley together. If you had arrived even ten minutes later, I would have been gone.”
She drew back, meeting his warm, brown eyes. “What would I have done? I am sick just thinking about it.”
He tugged her close again. “It all worked out, didn’t it? And to know Lisette and Mr. Bentley are engaged makes it all the more satisfying. There’s a chance Mr. Bentley and I might even be friends.”
She laughed. “It would be good of you.”
“Yes, well, I did have my reasons for not being thrilled with his presence here.”
“Valid reasons,” she said. “What about the Matchmaking Mamas? How will they react? For the first time, their plans were foiled. They put in such a good effort. I hate to disappoint them.”
“Don’t be too sorry. There is no changing your mind now. After kissing me in public, I am duty bound to marry you.”
“Duty bound.” She smirked. “You will be chasing me to the altar.”
“Shall I chase you there now?”
She giggled again. “Absolutely not. We haven’t even told our families.”
“I agree, but first, I shall meet with your uncle. Despite your negligence of Society’s rules, I intend to do this properly. In fact, there is no time like the present.”
“Five more minutes?” She set her hand on his waistcoat and curled all the closer to him.
“Five minutes will turn into five hours with your claim upon my senses, but why not turn it into a lifetime?” He helped herstand and shook off his jacket. With her hand in his, they made their way to the Manning carriage. On the way, they both agreed that Lisette should be the first to hear their news once Uncle granted his permission.
An hour later, Miles came out of Mr. Manning’s study, both men grinning. Jemma had been waiting in the corridor for him. She wasn’t nervous about Uncle’s response, just eager to be near Miles again.
Her uncle put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. “It is not often a man agrees to a marriage for his daughter and his niece in the same day.”
“Mr. Bentley has come by?” Jemma asked.
“Yes, and if I am right, while we were buried in the study, my wife has gathered the neighborhood in the drawing room to tell them. I believe she sent the footmen with written invitations not long before you arrived.”
“How perfectly convenient for us,” Miles said.
“We’ll do our best to keep the celebrations short because while I’m sure Jemma’s headache is suppressed with all the excitement, she still needs her rest.”
“I will make certain she gets it,” Miles said, setting his hand on the small of her back.
The three of them made their way to the drawing room. The door was open wide, and sure enough, all their friends had arrived, including all the Matchmaking Mamas. Jemma’s eyes naturally went to Mrs. Jackson, her future mother-in-law. To think, she would have a mother again!
She followed Miles into the back of the room, wishing he had taken her hand. Her fingers felt oddly wrong lying against her side by themselves. Her uncle joined his wife in front of the fireplace. A few of their friends raised curious brows at the sight of Jemma and Miles arriving together—particularly the menwho had witnessed her brazen kiss. She did not want to think about how Society would frown on her shocking behavior.
Mr. Manning began clapping to get their attention.
“Thank you for joining us on such short notice. It has been a whirlwind few days, and you have all stood tirelessly by our sides while we’ve nursed our Jemma back to health. It is because of your dear friendship that we have called you to be with us again.” His voice choked up, and he coughed into his hand. “I have never been prouder than I am this day,” he said. “We have brought you all here to announce the wedding of my daughter, Lisette, to Mr. Bentley.”
