Chapter Twelve

"Are you avoiding a scandal, because if you are, then there are better ways to do so than this."

Sarah simply smiled as she dodged her mother. It had been a week since the announcement and both her mother and the Duchess had been formidable in their quest for answers. Truth be told it had been a tiring week and even though

their parents blessing wasn't crucially necessary, it didn't hurt to smooth the frayed nerves of their parental figures, thus leading to Sarah having to put up with her mother's constant complaining.

"Mother, I told you. I'm not hiding from a scandal, you know I don't care what anyone thinks about me. I'm happy with Jonah, he makes me happy."

That wasn't a lie, for the past week Jonah had called on her every day bringing flowers and treats for her. Sometimes they would sit in the garden and just talk or they would go for long walks and spend the entire day together, just like a courting couple. They talked about anything and everything, he told her about his travels and she about her reading. Sometimes she would simply just read to him. It was blissful and Sarah could really admit that she had never been happier. Although it may have started out as a ruse, she could feel herself start to grow closer to him. A deep admiration and appreciation had already formed between them and it made everything a little bit better. Sarah thought with a smile on her face, recalling their last evening together.

"Did he do something untoward to you?" Amelia asked out of the blue and that simple question had Sarah turn around and face her mother so fast she felt dizzy, "Mother do you think so little of me? So little of Jonah, a boy you practically raised!"

Amelia had the decency to feel chastised. "I'm sorry darling I'm just wondering what could possibly make you do this!"

Sarah smiled warmly at her mother , "I like him mother, more than I thought I would. He makes me happy, he makes me laugh and I think I might be falling in love with him." The words fell out of her mouth without her realising but once they did, Sarah knew that she couldn't take them back and she also realized that she didn't want to take them back. She was falling in love. Sitting down to process her thoughts, she felt her pulse racing. Unlike the utter despair she'd thought she would feel if she ever realized her feelings for Jonah, she felt happy, content.

Amelia looked at her daughter, finally convinced she sat next to Sarah. "As long as he makes you happy, you have my blessing." Sarah hugged her mother tears in her eyes and said, "oh thank you Mother, you don't what this means to me."

~

In Holland house things were traveling in a similar wavelength with the Duchess hounding her son. Jonah had decided to return home temporarily until the wedding in order to be closer to Sarah. He called on her every spare moment he had and he really loved spending time with her. She was truly a gem. Beautiful, charming, witty, good company and overall a great catch. One of a kind.

As he sat on his bed, he found himself examining the ring he had bought for her. It was beautifully custom made. A band of white gold with the center piece a beautiful clear cut diamond surrounded by two circles, one bigger than the other.

The first smaller circle was made of small emeralds, the second larger outer circle was made of sapphires. The ring was one of a kind and he had loved it immediately after seeing it, he just hoped she would love it too. He was glad that the jeweller had managed to make his vision a reality. Sarah's engagement ring was as unique and precious as she was.

As much as he would have wanted to give the ring to Sarah, he knew that she wouldn't be home as her mother had informed him of her unavailability that afternoon. He would have to give it to her later on. Letting out a forlorn sigh, he closed the ring box.

Just as he placed it in his drawer, he heard a knock on the door. Walking back to his bed he called out, "Come in."

"Hello darling, how are you doing?" Juliana asked as she got in the room.

"I'm doing fine mother," Jonah lifted his head and smiled distractedly at his mother who was standing next to the door looking very uncomfortable. "Is anything the matter mother?"

He asked, starting to get worried.

Calming him Juliana said, "no, nothing is of the matter. It's just that I haven't been in this room with you in it for a long time." She smiled looking at the room before she asked, "may I sit?"

"Of course."

She sat on a chair right in front of him. For a few minutes they sat in silence, before Jonah let out a laugh. "Mother if you had simply wanted to enjoy my company you could have just called me into the drawing room."

Juliana laughed along with him before saying, "The thought had occurred to me as I was passing by your room but I found myself knocking so I came in." They sat in comfortable silence until Juliana spoke, "now that I'm here, there was a matter I wanted to discuss with you."

Jonah nodded, getting comfortable on the seat by the bed, he'd known the conversation was coming he just didn't know when, now that it was happening he just prayed to God that he didn't mess things up.

Juliana let out a breath before starting, "did you know that the first time I met Amelia was when she was pregnant with Sarah."

Jonah looked at his mother thoughtfully, "I didn't know that."

She let out a warm smile before saying, "Yes, I was a few years into marriage with your father just as she was with George, we were both green behind the ears" she laughed softly, "the first time I saw her was outside the law house down Eden street. She was banging on the front door like a mad woman. When I asked around about her I was informed that she was a Viscount's daughter and that the law house was refusing to hire her husband because of the color of his skin. So she was protesting, rather loudly might I add."

Jonah laughed and asked, "did no one remover her from the premises or were they terrified of her father."

Juliana laughed before saying, "oh they tried. They really tried but eventually her father came to get her and she had to leave. I liked her instantly." She finished with a smile that amused her son. "Of course you did." Jonah said with a smirk.

"Well I have always been one for the occasional political rally."

Jonah let out a laugh, Juliana smiled at her son's obvious joy before she continued.

"That evening I approached your father, I was still quite scared of him but I steeled my spine and demanded that he hire her husband."

Jonah looked at his mother in shock, "you did what?"

"I can still remember the puzzled look on his face from that night. It was as if I'd asked him to bleed water from a stone."

Jonah's interest was piqued further than he had ever expected it to be. "What did he say? Was he angry?"

Juliana let out a laugh before saying, "Angry! Heavens no. He was quite amused, he asked me if I knew anything about law and legislative system. I was merely a debutante who knew frighteningly little about the real world but I stood my ground and pled my case."

"What did he do then?" Jonah cringed when he heard the words come out of his mouth. He sounded like a schoolboy listening to a story by his hand maid.

"Well you know your father, he was skeptical at first but he promised to give George a chance. Of course I didn't know him as George then, I knew him as Lord Sutton. When the day came, he had George summoned into his office. They stayed in that office for three hours till this day I still don't know what they discussed. I tried listening in but that darn door is too thick to listen through."

Jonah laughed at his mother's obvious discontentment, "I never did take you for a peeping Polly mother."

"Why, a duchess does not do such unseemly acts such as eves dropping." Juliana said tilting her chin up but not before she winked slightly in his direction. Eliciting another bout of laughter from her son. "mother you do amaze me at times."

"It's a pleasure my dear boy." Juliana let out a small laugh, "anyway, after those insanely long hours, they both emerged from the office laughing like old chums. Your father then proceeded to tell me that I had found him the best solicitor in all of bloody England. His words not mine." She amended before adding, "after that, Amelia called on me the following day and we had ourselves a nice little chat. Turns out we had a great deal in common. We became friends immediately and when your father bought the townhouse, this very house, he insisted on George buying the house nextdoor."

Jonah nodded, absorbing the information with every word.

" Till this day he won't admit that he just wanted to be near his friend, he claims that it was because he intended to reduce the amount of time I was away gossiping with Amelia. Although that is probably another reason." She added thoughtfully.

Jonah, ever the cheeky one, added his two cents, "that was most definitely the reason."

Juliana tossed the pillow she had been holding in her hands at her son who skillfully dodged it while laughing.

"Sarah was born in that house, a few days after they had just settled in. It was rather unexpected and I was called immediately. They tried to stop me from getting in the room but I insisted and she was born right before my eyes." Juliana said as she remembered fondly, her eyes watering slightly.

"I handed her to her father. But those precious moments that I held her will still be engrained in my mind for as long as I live. She was so small, sometimes I can't believe that she is the woman she is today. I love her as if she is my own."

Jonah could see where the conversation was heading and he cleared his throat. "Mother I can assure you that my intentions are pure."

Juliana nodded before looking at her son right in the eye. "Do you love her?"

Jonah knew that he couldn't lie to his mother, not when she was looking at him like that, "I'm not sure, but I know that I like her a lot. I feel a sort of longing to be with her. Every time we are apart I feel like something's missing and when we're together I feel complete and contentment in my heart. If this is not love I feel then I can assure you that I am well on my way there." Jonah spoke and was terrified to find out that he actually meant the words.

They sat in silence before Juliana asked him, "Do you know why she was named Sarah?"

When Jonah shook his head she answered, "The day she was born it rained all day and it was extremely muggy but the minute she let out her first cry the rain stopped. The minute I laid her in her father's arms he whispered, my little princess. Her mother smiled and said her name will be Sarah."

Jonah nodded in understanding and said, "Sarah in Hebrew means princess."

"Yes, and she always acts like it. She respects both those above her and those beneath her. She always carries herself as such." She stopped before regarding her son, "I don't want you to treat her like a princess, I want you to treat her like a queen because once she marries you she will become just that. I want you to show her the utmost respect and care of a husband who adores his wife."

Jonah nodded and answered in the affirmative but deep within he was conflicted. He wanted to inform his mother of Beth's troubles but he feared that he would be breaking his sister's trust and that of his betrothed.

Juliana then rose, a smile on her face as she straightened her skirt, "now, if you will obey my wishes. You have my blessing. I wish you happiness my child." With that she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before turning to leave the room.

Just as she was about to shut the door he called out to her, "mother, if Lord Sutton called Sarah his princess when she was a baby then where did the name little dove come from?"

Juliana smiled and leaned against the doorframe, her hand on the doorknob. "Do you remember when you were about eleven or so, you and Sarah were having one of your usual spats in the garden and you stumbled upon an injured bird?"

Jonah racked his brain for a few moments until he started to remember, "right, we were arguing about the swings, I'd smeared honey on the one she sat on and she was seconds away from throttling me for ruining her dress when we saw the bird, but it was a woodpecker not a dove."

Juliana nodded, "yes it was and both of you started fighting over who was to nurse it back to health, you of course got mad and told her she couldn't take care of the bird even if her life depended on it."

Jonah laughed, remembering his very words, "I dared her to keep it alive for a week. Little did I know how challenge oriented she was, the bloody thing survived for two weeks!"

"Yes, little Sarah took care of that bird for days on end, feeding it sugar water and worms she dug up in the garden. It probably would have survived had Harold not hid it in a jar with no holes in it while Sarah was away at her grandmother's."

Jonah's smile faded as he vaguely recalled the look on her face when her mother had informed her of the birds death.

"Her father was so unnerved by how saddened she was that he took her to the market the following day and he bought her a pair of doves, turtle doves actually." Juliana remembered fondly.

"I remember those birds, no one was allowed to touch them. You know, come to think of it, messing with those birds was the one line I wasn't willing to cross. Whatever happened to them anyway?"

"After you left for boarding school, Sarah took care of them for a while until they became a bit too big for pets and she had to let them go. They flew off from the garden, right by the swings. Sarah was devastated but George knew that getting her another pet would only be another opportunity for heartbreak so he sat her down and told her that she was his turtle dove but unlike the doves she'd just set free, she would always come back to him."

Jonah frowned and asked, "did she fall for it?"

Juliana laughed and shook her head, "no, they got a dog the week after and two cats after that. George and Amelia figured that dogs and cats last longer. The trick might not have worked but the name stuck."

Jonah smiled softly at the story and waved his mother off as she closed the door softly after her. Falling back on the bed, Jonah stared at the ceiling listening until he heard his mother's footfalls fade away.

Silence, utter silence surrounded him and he felt dread creep into his heart replacing the joy that had minutes prior been present. He was unsure of his next move. With any other woman he would have been cocksure about his next step. But this was a woman he actually cared about, one he considered an equal if not better than him. She was everything he had never thought he needed. He could feel the pit in his stomach grow. He knew, deep down he knew and it was driving him insane. Every day he promised himself to give her a wide berth but he somehow found himself in her presence every single day.

She was slowly becoming his everything and that hurt him more and more every time he saw her. The fact that he was falling in love with her wasn't what burdening him but the knowledge that she would never feel the same way about him. It was all a plan, a ruse, she was using him as much as he was using her.

Jonah felt tears welling in his eyes but he did not dare let them drop. Rising from his bed he walked over to the window. Looking down he could see the joined gardens and the enormous oak tree that stood in the middle of both properties. The tree was the main support of the swings they had all used as children. He felt a vice wrap around his heart. He loved her and that was not going to change. Letting out a bitter laugh he drew his sight from the outside and he focused on the bed, leaning on the window sill.

He loved her, he wanted her in his bed and in his life by his side. For however long it took. When the time ran out he would give her what she wanted. If she wanted him in her life, he would stay but if she didn't then he would leave no matter how much it pained him. For now he would enjoy what little time they both had.

He picked up his coat and boots. Heading out the door, he found himself marching towards the only gentleman's bar that Justice Darwin frequented. If he was to marry the woman he loved then he would marry her as soon as legally possible.