Jasper squeezed his eyes shut. If Juliana pushed, if she pried until the truth came out, that would only be just another scandal, minor or major, for him to deal with. This one of his own making because he had so little self-control around the woman who would be his wife.

And then he made it worse as he drew in a breath, along with some of the dust particles beneath the bed. His nose tickled and he clasped a hand over his nose and mouth, trying to hold back the sneeze. He couldn’t and it bubbled out, muffled by his hand.

“What was that sound?” Juliana’s voice came again.

Thomasina made a sound that was in no way similar to his sneeze. “Just me.” She repeated the little noise. “Bit of a scratchy throat, that’s all. What was it you wanted, Juliana?”

“Thomasina—”

“Honestly, my dear—” He heard her frustration in every word. “—I am simply so tired with all the excitement. It has been such a long week. I would love to just go to bed and start over tomorrow.”

Juliana let out a gasp that was clearly of displeasure. “Oh, I hate to think of you so upset at this terrible turn of events. But what can we do? How can I save you and fix all this?”

Jasper tensed at the question and the true fear and anguish that laced Juliana’s voice. She feared her sister’s future with him. But was that just because of the shocking circumstances of their engagement or because Thomasina had voiced similar concerns?

Would those worries change now that they were so intimately connected? He didn’t want her to fear him, certainly. He wanted her to be…happy, he supposed. Though holding the happiness of another person in the palm of his hand was certainly not what he had ever sought to do in his life. It was a dangerous thing, after all. Something he could easily make a mess of and end up destroying such a gentle soul as Thomasina Shelley.

He rested his forehead against his hand on the floor and fought another sneeze that rose up in him. This was impossible. They were certainly going to be found out.

“You needn’t fix anything,” Thomasina said, and their voices were fading now, as if she were guiding Juliana from the room into her adjoining chamber. “I promise you I don’t—”

She was gone then, he could no longer hear whatever she said to comfort her sister. No longer eavesdrop on her inner feelings about their impending marriage. He remained under the bed, twitching his nose. He had no idea if Thomasina had shut the connecting door or if the sisters would return. Until he was certain, he wasn’t about to reveal himself.

After a few moments, the door to the chamber shut. “Jasper?” Thomasina whispered. “Are you still under there?”

He pushed himself from under the bed and rose to face her. She was standing with a hand clasped over her mouth and tears were lit in her eyes. His heart ached at the sight of it.