Kissing the Rake (Howertys #2)

Chapter 36: Wrecking Ball

Jessica watched as Rain looked down at her gloves, moving them from one hand to the other as she pondered her words. Finally, her sister looked up. "Jacob's been to see Lady Hearn."

A wave of relief washed over her. "Oh, I know. We agreed on that together after she contacted him."

Rain visibly relaxed, her shoulders slumping. "Oh, that's great! I was so worried! Why has he been to see her the last few days?"

Days? The relief she'd felt immediately dissipated. He'd seen Lady Hearn more than once? Rain's eyebrows knotted, seeing the distress on her face.

"What's the matter, Jessica?"

"I thought he'd only been once." She swallowed, trying to rid herself of the lump in her throat. What else had he lied about?

"I'm sorry!" Rain reached across the table and took her hand. "I was hoping to dispel any worries you might have, not make things worse. Or find out if she was up to something sinister. I never thought I'd find out that Jacob visits her."

Carefully moving her teacup out of the way of her sister's skirts, Jessica smiled wryly. "It's not your fault. I prefer to know the truth, even if it's an unpleasant one."

Sitting back down again, Rain continued fiddling with her gloves as she watched her with a concerned look on her face. "I also found out that Lady Hearn has investigated both you and Jacob. She was especially interested in his finances."

"That's an odd one." She frowned. Why would she care about that?

"What are you going to do?"

Staring at her sister, she pondered the question. What was she going to do? Jacob had been truthful about Lady Hearn's letter and seeing her for the first time. What did he find out that changed everything?

"I don't know," she admitted. "I need to think. Maybe I'll go for a walk."

"I'll go with you," Rain offered.

"No, you only just came back from one." She stood. It always cleared her head, even if walking in London wasn't nearly as helpful as in the countryside with its clear air and open skies.

"Don't be silly. You should not be alone right now." Rain stood as well, and given that she shared the Howerty stubbornness with their other siblings, Jessica knew she could not dissuade her.

"Very well. Let's walk."

She very much preferred walking alone, but she appreciated Rain's happy chattering as they strolled through Hyde Park a short while later. It served as great background noise to her turbulent thoughts. The park was the closest she could get to the country, but the busy area only reminded her of what she was missing.

"Don't look," Rain suddenly said. "Lady Hearn is over there. Oh, no! She's seen us and is coming over."

Raising her head, Jessica caught sight of Lady Hearn, dressed in a beautiful green dress, coming towards them with a soft smile on her face. Behind her was a young woman, probably a governess as she had a young boy with her.

"Lady Wortham." Lady Hearn curtsied and Jessica nodded her greeting. "I'm so pleased to see you. My sincere apologies for monopolising your husband's time the last few days."

If she'd worried that Jacob was having an affair, this seemed to clear it up. No one would be bold enough to admit such a thing to the wife's face.

"I'm so grateful that you're willing to help," Lady Hearn continued, her voice emotional, a suspicious glitter in her eyes as if they were gathering with tears. "I was so worried about what would happen to him."