An Earnest Favour

XXXIII

Just as Arthur had taken everything from Claire once, she felt him ripping this life away from her, too. Jack didn't trust her, and there was nothing she could do to change it.

Claire was resigned, and yet her heart didn't waver. "I love you, Jack," she whispered. "I don't know if that means anything to you, but if it does, I ask, nay I beg you not to fight him tomorrow. Please. I can live with you not trusting me. It will kill me, but I can live with it. But I cannot live with the thought of you dying because of something so foolish as jealousy."

Jack's eyes widened and he stared down at Claire, seemingly searching her face for a sign of something. Claire looked up at him with furrowed brows, unable to discern what he wanted. But then, Jack brought his hands up to cup her face and a smile, a relieved smile spread across his face.

"You don't know if it means anything?" he asked in disbelief. "My God, Claire. It means everything. You mean everything to me. You are my life now. No one ... no one has said that to me before."

"Well, now they have," breathed Claire.

Jack brushed away a lingering tear with his thumb. But then one of his hands dropped to her stomach. Just as he had done so many times before with their name game, Jack began to write. Only this time, he spoke aloud.

"I," he began, tracing a straight line on her belly. "Love," he continued, and Claire's chest tightened. "You," he concluded, finishing with the letter "u", the letter that had her so convinced Jack was coming up with the most obscure name on earth.

But had he been writing that declaration this whole time? Claire trembled as she tried not to stammer. "You love me?" she repeated.

"I do," Jack confirmed.

Despite having heard a declaration before, this felt like the first time someone had ever spoken those words to her. They loved each other. It had been declared, and before God. Near God. They were adjacent to his house, after all. Surely, surely this could only mean that they might move forward. Perhaps all hope was not lost as she had thought only moments ago.

"You won't fight tomorrow?" Claire asked it as a question, but she really meant it as an order.

Jack shook his head. "No, I won't fight tomorrow," he complied. Jack leaned down but stopped himself just shy of Claire's lips. "I love you," he whispered. "And I trust you."

Claire's breath caught in her throat as he finally closed the distance.

***

Claire wasn't sure what had woken her up, but her eyes fluttered open sometime in the early morning. She reached out across the bed to feel for Jack, as perhaps he had woken her up, but Claire soon realised he was not there, and that his side of the bed felt quite cool.

It took a moment for Claire's sleep fatigued brain to realise what that meant, and she suddenly sat bolt upright in the bed. She anxiously searched their dark bedroom for any sign of Jack, but she didn't see him.

"Dear God, no," she whispered as she threw back the bedclothes. Claire raced as quickly she could possibly carry herself into the dressing room, and found it empty, though she saw Jack's night shirt strewn over the back of a chair. He had already been in to dress. He was gone. "No!" Claire cried. She nearly broke the mantle clock as she read the time. It was just before six. When she threw open the drapes, she saw the morning fog and the lightening sky as the sun prepared to rise. "No!" Claire cried again, nearly screaming the word. Claire dropped the clock on the floor as she ran to the door. She forced herself to run, and she clutched at her belly as she moved as quickly as she could towards the family bedrooms.