The fact her sister had been found was only the first stage. Eloise knew that and had to remind herself not to get carried away. Alice might not have wanted to be found. She might have been found but wanted nothing to do with Eloise – or with Jackson. The note was not cause enough to rejoice, even as Eloise’s first reaction had been to do so. Her heart was beating fast, and tears welled up in her eyes – tears of joy and tears of sorrow.
“What does it mean?” she murmured to herself, as a sharp call came from beyond the curtain.
“Eloise? Hurry up,” Penelope called out.
Eloise pulled up her dress and laced it hurriedly. She scooped up the wedding dress in her arms and pulled back the curtain to find Madame Jonquil waiting for her on the other side.
“The dress is to your liking, Mademoiselle,” she said, and Eloise nodded.
“Oh, yes. Thank you, Madame Jonquil.”
The modiste took the dress and folded it neatly on the counter, instructing her assistant to wrap it in tissue paper. Penelope and Claudia were waiting by the door. Eloise had slipped the note from Jackson into her pocket. She tried her best to compose herself, clearing her throat, as the two Crawford sisters looked up.
“Come along, Eloise. We haven’t gotten all day,” Penelope said, and as soon as the dress was wrapped, Eloise was marched out of the door.
“Send the bill to our brother, Madame Jonquil,” Claudia called out.
The carriage was waiting outside, and Eloise was bustled in, whilst Penelope and Claudia continued to extol the virtues of the dress.
“Marvelous, quite marvelous. I knew we’d find something in ivory. I’m sure George will think it very fine,” Penelope claimed, as the carriage pulled off.
But as they set off along Bond Street, Eloise glanced out of the window, and to her amazement, standing on the other side of the street, his arms folded, was Jackson.
CHAPTER28
Jackson watched as the carriage containing Eloise and the Crawford sisters trundled away down the street. He smiled to himself, catching sight of Delphine, who had just emerged from Madame Jonquil’s shop.
“The wedding dress?” he asked, as Delphine hurried over to him.
“That’s right. That’s why they were there. I made some comment about having just seen the Crawford sisters, and Madame Jonquil told me they were planning their brother’s wedding. It’s taking place next Tuesday morning at Saint Martin’s in the Field,” Delphine replied, shaking her head.
Jackson nodded. Today was Saturday, which meant they still had time to make their preparations. Earlier, he had endured the tape measure of Monsieur Jonquil whilst listening to the shrill voices of the Crawford sisters coming from the other part of the shop.
“You may try them on, Monsieur. The changing rooms are just through here,” Monsieur Jonquil had said after Jackson had selected several waistcoats to try on.
It had been a terrible risk, but one Jackson had been willing to take. He had been following Eloise’s movements for several days ever since arriving back from Draycott. And whilst he had observed her through the windows of her father’s house, there had never been an opportunity to get near her. That morning, he had watched as Eloise, Penelope and Claudia had left the house and followed them to Bond Street with Delphine at his side. They had waited in their carriage before Jackson had struck on a bold plan.
“Thank you, Monsieur,” Jackson had said, and he had made his way through to the changing rooms, where he had spied those of the ladies further down the passage connecting the two parts of the shop.
Waiting behind one of the curtains, Jackson had listened for the rustle of Eloise’s skirts. He had hardly been able to contain his excitement, wanting only to reveal himself to her and take her in his arms. But he had known such a gesture would be folly and had instead waited until he was certain she was changing into whatever hideous dress the two sisters had chosen for her. He had scribbled hastily on a piece of paper the words “I’ve found her” and tossed it over the curtain just before Madame Jonquil had appeared and shooed him away.
“The waistcoats are not to your liking, Monsieur?” Monsieur Jonquil had asked, and Jackson had made an excuse about fabric colors and left.
His heart had been pounding in his chest, and he had hardly believed his luck in getting away with such a fantastic ruse. But it was the sight of Eloise through the carriage window that had most overwhelmed him. For a moment, their eyes had met, and it was as though nothing between them had changed. Jackson still loved her – he loved her more, in fact – and in her gaze, he could see that same love reflected back at him.
“There’s still time, then. We need to get a message to Alice and have her come up to London,” Jackson stated, as he and Delphine climbed into their waiting carriage.
“Will she really interrupt the wedding, Your Grace?” Delphine asked, as she sat down opposite Jackson and the carriage pulled away.
“It’s the only way. We can’t do it in private. You know what Lord Crawford is like. He’ll turn the tables on us. He’ll make it out to be a lie. He’ll silence us. No, it’s got to be done in public. But I wanted to give Eloise hope. She needs that. She needs to know we’ve found her sister. If she doesn’t have that hope, then… I fear for her.” He shook his head.
“Did she look… unhappy, Your Grace?”
Jackson nodded.
“Wouldn’t any of us if we were forced to endure the company of the Crawford sisters on an excursion to buy a wedding dress for a wedding we had tried to resist with all our might?” he replied, and Delphine nodded and sighed.
“My poor mistress. I’d do anything to make things right for her.”