"Anytime, Cowgirl." : Arthur Morgan X OC

Chapter 23

Everything had seemed so simple then. The days of fooling around with him were long gone, but her heart longed for them to come back.

The corset was completely buttoned, so the maid grabbed her dress and put it over her head.

This one was very simple, which made Jane have to hold back a sigh of relief. She couldn't quite tell if it was grey or pink. There was a lace hem at the neck and cuffs, and the shoulders were slightly poufy.

The maid then put her hair in a simple bun on the back of her head, and helped her put her shoes on.

She hoped that her mother was truly on her side. That was the only shot she would have at getting the cure.

Jane, fully dressed, made her way down to the parlor, where her mother and father were already sitting.

He was sipping on a cup and flipping through a newspaper.

A smile was given to Jane by her mother. Her father just peered over his newspaper.

"Good morning, Mother. Father." She sat on the couch opposite of them.

"Morning, Jane," her father said. "I believe Stefano is taking you out this morning?"

Why did everyone know her plans before she did?

"Yes," she answered.

He set his newspaper down, his reading glasses resting at the tip of his nose. "I trust you will have enough sense to not try anything?"

Jane fiddled with her shawl. "I will do as expected of me."

"Good. Now," he said, taking his glasses off, "Who is Arthur Morgan?"

Jane froze, her eyes wide. How does he know? Was it Matteo? He promised!

"What do you mean, Father?"

His gaze was unwavering. "I had an interesting conversation with Mr. Bronte at the dinner party. Now, who is Arthur Morgan?"

"Well, he... he- I met him while I was... away. He helped me out, and I... he was a friend. But I've lost contact with him."

"Hm. Well, from the way Mr. Bronte said it, it seemed that him and two other men were looking for you. That doesn't sound like lost contact."

"I-"

He cut her off, leaning on his knees. "Oh, you've always been an awful liar, Jane. Now, I only want to know one thing. Was he your beau?"

Jane's hands were clasped so tightly her knuckles were white. "Father, I..."

He interrupted her with a sigh. "Goddammit, Jane," He said, his voice raising as he hit his fist on the table.

The action made her jump. All the familiar feelings of being home came flooding back.

"This was all working out perfectly. I swear, if that prick gets in the way of this marriage, I'm going to-"

"Enough," She said, resulting in an surprised expression from both of her parents. "I'm getting really tired of all this. You know what I want to know?" She was getting braver by the second. All of her instincts screamed at her to stop, but she ignored them. "I want to know why you want this marriage so much. Obviously, it's not cause you care about me. So why, Father? Why?"