The Proposal: Chapter 8

"Is that all my lord?" Maggie stared at Jax's virtually full breakfast dish. "Was it not to your liking?"

"It was fine." He pushed the plate away. "I am just not hungry."

Maggie glanced over at Keesha, and saw she was staring at his plate as well. She took Keesha's and Jax's dishes and left the sitting room.

"Might I inquire what your plans are this day?"

"I have no plans worth discussing." Jax stood, walking over to the window. After just a moment he turned to Keesha once more. "I will be in my chamber."

Keesha nodded. "I think I will go into town."

"Fine," Jax mumbled and left the room.

Keesha glanced at the clock against the wall. She would go into town exactly at noon. That way she had kept her promise to Jax, and she would be where he could see her all morning.

She had promised nothing about the afternoon. She would leave him then.

Jax pulled his golden pocket watch, looking inside. It was almost three?

He had been staring outside of his window for hours now.

Waiting for Garcia to come riding up.

Yet, he had never shown. Which was completely unlike him.

At least Keesha was safely in town. "Yes?"

"Excuse me, my lord," Agnes stated as she opened the door. She glanced down at the floor, unsure of what to do. "Jules asked that this wait until today."

Jax turned away from the window, looking over at Agnes.

"He decorated it himself."

Jax smiled softly, walking over and taking the small package from Agnes. "Thank you." He shut the door, looking at the package for a moment before gently settling it on the desk near his bed.

He would open it when he was with Jules once more. Jax walked back over to the window, sighing deeply.

It was the 26th anniversary of the day of his birth, and Jax was spending it away from everyone who mattered. Jerry. Jules.

Keesha. He finally admitted as he glanced over at the adjoing door. "My wife will be the ruin of me," he mumbled to himself as he decided to go for a horseback ride to clear his head.

Keesha walked into the jewelers, thinking. She had to get out of this town...probably out of England all together, or Jax would surely find her. She doubted he would look past England-why would he? But he would search the country thorughly for her whereabouts-she reasoned he would just to show her he could. She had just been to the old tavern where she had met Jax, wanting to borrow money from her father's friend...yet, his knowing that she was now married to Jax-the man had given her the money for her work earned, plus some added for, what he called, the unnecessary torture he had put her through. Normally she would not have taken the money, but she was desperate. She would pay him back. Yet at least she now had enough to get outside of England. Now she needed money to find a place to stay. Temporarily. She could sell her wedding band...and send the money to Jax from somewhere else once she was able to.

But she did not want to sell her wedding band. Empty promises though they were, those promises Jax had made before slipping the ring on her finger had started to mean something to her...like he had.

However...

"Lady Jacks?"

Keesha furrowed her brow. Who would know her-let alone by that name. She looked up. "Yes?"

"Welcome. We were expecting you."

"You...were?"

"Of course, what better thing to give your husband on the day of his birth than the watch he had his eye on."

Keesha blinked.

Jax's birthday was...

"How is he today? I take it his brother has him somewhere. Every year they end their day's celebration right at that tavern across the street," the old man laughed. "I believe Lord Jericho takes himself, using Lord Jasper's day of birth as an excuse...however now that he is married..."

"Pardon me for interrupting, but I am not here to purchase anything for my husband."

"Oh. Then how else may I help you."

"I wish to sell something."

"Is our lady not coming for supper?"

"Leave," Jax ordered to Maggie; quickly she did.

The sneaking, lying, little...Jax glanced at the clock. Keesha could be anywhere by now. She had been gone all afternoon and part of the evening. It was after 6:00.

Jax had trusted her to return, not even giving it a thought-he believed he had made himself perfectly clear on how important it was to him that she stay-and yet she had no intentions of coming home.

As if he did not have enough on his mind...Jax ran up the stairs. Now he had to find her.

And he was going to find her.

He was not going to give her up as well. He could not give her up...Jax went over to his desk and his eyes focused.

A small package was waiting for him.

"I thought I heard movement in here..."

Jax turned away from his desk.

"So...have you opened it?"

Jax walked over to the open adjoing door. He stared at Keesha, hardly believing she was here. "This is from you?"

"Yes." Keesha smiled.

"What are you doing here?"

"In here? I told you, I thought I heard movement."

"I did not know you were back," he sighed, his anger turning into guilt.

"You were not here. I came home and was completely exhausted, so I rested in there." She pointed back to her chamber.

"You were in your chamber resting..."

"Well...yes. That is where my bed is. What else would I do in a bed?" Her husband was so very odd at times.

Jax dropped his eyes to the floor as answers flooded his mind. He took a deep breath.

He could not believe she was actually here.

Yet, there she was, standing in the doorway, completely oblivious to the anger and panic he had felt just seconds earlier when he thought she had left him. "When did you return?" He looked back up at her.

"An hour ago. Why are you staring at me like that? What have I done now?"

"Supper is prepared," Jax mumbled.

"You are angry because I am late for supper?"

"Yes," Jax muttered again. "It is rude to eat cold food when people have worked hard to feed you."

Jax was in one of his moods again. "Since it is your birthday, I will choose to ignore the tone of such comments," Keesha smiled.

"How did you know it was the day of my birth?"

"Someone told me..." Keesha turned, walking into her room.

"Someone..."

Keesha closed her eyes as Jax followed. Please don't ask...

"Who?"

"Who..." she repeated Jax's question. "The jeweler in town."

"Why were you in the jewelers to begin with?"

"I thought it was rude to eat cold food from those who worked hard to feed us." Keesha turned and looked at Jax.

"It is more rude not to answer the inquiries of your husband."

"I was...planning to sell something..." her voice dropped, yet she maintained eye contact.

"Why?"

"I needed the money of course. Why else would someone sell something...I am very hungry..." Keesha stared to head to the front door, but Jax grabbed her arm gently, pulling her back.

"Why?"

She sighed. "I was leaving town."

"I do not believe this..." Jax let go, his eyes blazing with the anger he had felt minutes earlier. "Do you have any idea of what you just put me through!"

"No," Keesha answered honestly. "How can I have just put you through anything? You did not know I was planning to leave, or else you never would have allowed me to go into town anyway."

"And you will not be going into town again without me!"

"That is rather harsh."

"You should not have planned to run off then."

"I did not. I am here. Does that not count for anything?"

"No." Jax walked back into his chamber.

Keesha crossed her arms, sighing deeply. After a moment she followed. "How can you possibly be so angry over something you had no idea was occuring?"

"Leave it Keesha..."

"I will not. I could see if I had worried you..."

"You did worry me!"

Keesha blinked in shock.

"Only for seconds did I think you had actually left me...and it filled me with a panic I was completely ill prepared for..." Jax dropped his voice to almost a whisper. "Then I felt like a complete fool as I saw you standing before me...telling me you bought me a birthday gift no less. Only to find out you were in fact going to leave. I am not prepared for this..." Jax's voice trailed off.

"For what?"

"All of the emotions you manage to dredge out of me."

"I apologize."

"I do not need this..." Jax tossed his gift on the bed, walking over to the bar.

"I am very sorry."

Jax did not answer, but he looked at Keesha once more.

"I did not leave, however."

"You were planning to."

"I would not have gotten very far," she realized.

"You are correct. Because I would have found you..."

"I would have let you."

"Then why leave in the first place?"

"I do not know. I do not know why I do much where you are concerned." Keesha walked over to his front door.

"What does that mean?"

"I do not know..."

"Keesha..." Jax closed the space between them in four quick strides. He stood behind her. "What does that mean?" he whispered.

"I do not know...I honestly do not know."

She did not know why she cared for Jax. She did not know why his feelings mattered to her. She did not know why it hurt her to see him in pain. She did not know why she came all the way back to the manor, on the slim chance it could hurt him if she left.

She did not know anything...

"You must have..."

"I do...not...know..." Keesha said softly, completely exasperated with him, the topic, and herself.

"All right..."

Keesha closed her eyes, her confusion growing as Jax rubbed her arms softly. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Everything is fine."

"No, it is not..." Her eyes filled with tears as she realized. She did not know how she realized, yet it seemed as clear as day.

She had fallen in love with Jax.

Keesha took a deep breath and tore his arms from her body, leaving the chamber quickly.

Jax went to the doorway, looking as she ran down the stairs.