The Resilient Lady Collins

Chapter 22: Special relationship (1)

"That was careless of you. You have a child to care for. You should have listened to me."

"I know, but," Beth stopped to cry once more. She was yet to calm Jack down after she failed her plan. "I wanted to apologise for revealing that I am with child. Think of how she must feel when she can’t have one."

"You don’t need to apologise for that. It has nothing to do with you that she couldn’t give me a child. She should be happy that someone else was able to. Never approach her again," Jack said as it only led to bad attention. "You’re not going to get close to my mother if there is always something about you going around."

Beth didn’t care for what Dorothy thought when it came to attention as she craved it. She had never had the town speaking of her before. Beth liked Jack’s money, but she loved the attention. Beth was certain she could get some sort of job from all this attention.

"I know. I still pity her," Beth confessed. "It must be hard to see others congratulate me. She must want it to be her so I wanted to apologise again and be done with it. Then there was apologising for being part of the reason her marriage is ending."

"But I don’t have to now," Beth said, smiling as could no longer be viewed as a mistress. "Scarlet has that man and they seem quite close. Perhaps, she had him all along? You said she wouldn’t let you touch her. Not that I minded. You should only touch me," she said, palming his face.

Beth winced as Jack’s hold on her aching foot suddenly became painful. "J-Jack."

"Sorry," Jack apologised, letting go of her foot. "Scarlet didn’t have a man during our marriage. She isn’t the type to."

’I’m sure she once believed that about you,’ Beth thought.

Once again, Beth noticed the lingering feelings Jack had for Scarlet. The child wasn’t enough to have him move on from Scarlet. Again, did he wish that Scarlet would stay alone so he could go back to her at any time? Or was it that he just did not want to see Scarlet with another man because she should always love him?

Beth didn’t enjoy one bit of Jack’s behaviour these days. The only way she could feel safe that he wouldn’t leave her with nothing was for them to get married soon.

"Sometimes you don’t know people as well as you thought. Why else would she be dancing with him? Unless she was doing it to make you jealous? Would you," Beth took a deep breath before continuing. "Leave us if she wants you back?"

Jack watched as Beth placed her hands on her flat belly. "There is not enough money in the world to make me go back to Scarlet and abandon the two of you. I am not that much of a brute. You have nothing to worry about," he promised.

Jack finally had the family he wanted. It came at the cost of losing a good business partner and someone with a status like his own, but he could no longer put up with the marriage he had with Scarlet.

Still, it bothered him to think that Scarlet might have had a man all along. Was it why she would not let him touch her? Because that man was doing it? Jack needed answers but he would not make a fool of himself by going to ask Scarlet.

"I wonder who that man is. I’ve never seen him before, but doesn’t he remind you of someone?" Beth questioned. She hoped that Scarlet had not found a man better than Jack. One that had more wealth than him.

Jack nodded his head as the man seemed familiar. "I think I have seen him before but I can’t recall where. Don’t bother yourself with him. He’s not important."

Beth thought differently. This man was important to her as he would keep Scarlet busy while she worked on getting Jack to marry her.

...

Outside the ball, Scarlet led Ian around the garden, giving the best tour she could do.

"This must have been a fun place to run around to play as a child," said Ian.

The palace garden was large, almost like a maze. He hoped to stumble upon a few couples trying to make the most of the dark corners and see Scarlet’s reaction.

"It was fun," Scarlet replied.

On days when some of her fun relatives came to visit or old family friends, they all gathered here for the children to play.

"It sounds like you had a good childhood. I hope that you did."

"I did. My parents made sure I was happy," Scarlet answered whilst looking up at the statues of a former queen and king in the middle of a fountain. "Many think because of the way I am now, I wasn’t happy in my youth. I wouldn’t change anything about my childhood."

Scarlet’s parents had raised her instead of letting servants do it.

"Is there a portrait of a young Scarlet smiling?" Ian questioned, wanting to see it if there was one.

"There are many," Scarlet answered. "My family has a love for making family portraits and hanging them up on a wall in my estate. Only the relatives I care for are displayed there."

"The Collins are quite close. I am not fond of family portraits," said Ian. They were of no use to him.

Ian could only think of one portrait he did when he was young but it was quickly tossed out by Layla. His mother fished the trash for it and kept it. freewebnovёl.ƈom

"I admire that you have not pried and asked about my issues with that woman," Ian said, turning to Scarlet. He would love a portrait made of her now with the flowers in the background.

"It is not my business. I wouldn’t appreciate you prying in my family concerns. We don’t know each other well," Scarlet responded. She treated him as she would want to be treated. He wasn’t sharing so she wasn’t asking. Not that she wanted to know. freewebnøvel.coɱ

Scarlet had too much family trouble to be adding Ian’s to her plate.

"It is good to know that despite being raised in a town which thrives off of gossip and ruining someone, you are not like the masses. It is why I like you," Ian confessed.

"You must take a look at my family history," Scarlet said as her family had plenty of reasons to ignore gossip.

"One day I will. How long do you intend to stay at the ball? Care to get away from all the watchful eyes inside and have fun?" Ian asked.

Scarlet looked away from the flowers to Ian. "Are you asking me to leave with a man I’ve only known for two days? I hope you are not thinking that my divorce is terrible that I would want to grab the nearest man and take him to bed."

"That would disappoint me if you did," Ian honestly answered. "Even if the man was me. I enjoy the chase and wouldn’t like it if you made it easy. I am proposing that when you leave, I will give you a special treat by having tea in my business with no one to trouble you."

"I don’t enjoy tea every day. It is more of a treat from time to time. To court me, you must find other methods to convince me to be near you," Scarlet said then walked ahead of Ian.

Ian smiled, watching as she walked away. He was not disappointed with her rejecting his offer as the chase continued once more. He followed her further into the garden.