She gave a triumphant nod at her own reasoning.
Louise rolled her beautiful sapphire eyes. “They willabsolutelymind his businessbecausehe is a duke. Oh, my darling sister, you are playing with very serious fire.”
She leaned back in her chair, refusing to be crushed under the weight of how wrong everything had gone. “Fire is important to this life, Louise. Without fire, we wouldn’t be able to eat cooked food or be warm. We’d all be shivering about eating vegetables. And while I think a carrot is positively marvelous, I still enjoy a good bit of meat every now and again. And so I think a bit of fire is—”
“Cease, Jack, you are speaking nonsense, rationalizing your poor behavior, behavior which could cause a great deal of scandal to the whole family.”
“You’re truly concerned about my behavior affecting the family?” she whispered.
“Of course I am,” Louise replied tersely, before softening. “Don’t be foolish, darling. You know how important reputation is. You’ve seen how badly Father’s actions played out for all of us over the past year. If you do something untoward…”
Jack swallowed as the ramifications began to unfold before her. She was taking too many chances. One chance was acceptable, perhaps. But chance after chance? “It could affect you, couldn’t it?”
“Not just me,” Louise said softly. “I’m sure Deptford would marry me anyway. But there are all our siblings, and even Mother could be terribly affected if the family was ruined. I don’t think we’re all prepared to go live in poverty in Baden-Baden.”
“Naples, Louise. Naples is where people go when there’s scandal.”
“Naples, then,” Louise sighed before reaching across the table and taking her hand. “Only be careful.”
She nodded. The last thing she wished was to drive her family out of London. “I will do better. I promise.”
“Good,” she announced with another squeeze. “And, Jack, Stone is a very beautiful man. I can see that it would be easy for a lady to be tempted to engage in certain activities with him. But you have always struck me as a far more practical individual than that. Do not be tempted.”
Jack cleared her throat. “I am practical,” she said. “But I am human also. I feel the flames of excitement as well as any other person.”
“Ladies are not supposed to feel flames of excitement,” Louise pointed out, picking up her napkin and touching her lips.
“Don’t you for Deptford?” she demanded, shocked.
“I have a very high estimation of him,” replied Louise.
“A high estimation?” Jack echoed. She esteemed Stone, but she also longed to have his mouth upon hers again.
“Yes, he makes me happy.” Louise beamed as she set her napkin back down. “We have wonderful conversations.”
“Have you not kissed him?” Jack queried, surprised she had never thought to ask before.
Louise’s mouth dropped open, and she gasped with shock. “Of course I have not kissed him. He has kissed me upon the cheek, and that is more than enough.”
“Do you think so?” Jack asked, frowning. “Don’t you think that you should see if you enjoy kissing him, since that’s something that you’re going to have to do until you both are old and gray and wrinkled?”
Louise’s eyes widened, and she grabbed her cup of tea and drank a fierce amount. “I shall not hear such things. You’re putting terrible ideas into my head, and I’m not allowed to think those kinds of thoughts until we are wed.”
“Whyever not?” Jack burst out, fed up with the way ladies were supposed to be so ignorant of passion. “It seems incredibly silly to me. If he likes you, then, well, why not see if—”
“Cease, Jack,” she said. “You’re far too bold. Perhaps you and Stone have a different view of the world, but it is not a practical one, my darling. You cannot behave as a married woman or as a wanton. You are an unmarried young lady with no fortune and a dubious family reputation at present. You must be above reproach.”
Louise poured more tea into her cup, as if that could settle all ills. “Tell me you have not kissed Stone.”
Jack was silent.
“Oh God, you have,” Louise lamented. “You have kissed him in his rooms. Have you done anything else?” she whispered, suddenly horrified. “Because if you have, then we must be very careful. And you never know, my dear, you could be with…”
“What?” Jack said.
Louise leaned forward and said on a breath, “With child.”
“I couldn’t possibly be with child,” she assured her. “We only kissed, nothing else.”