A/N: Well, the chapter didn't get finished for a bonus gift for the anniversary, and I didn't have time to write yesterday because my friend got married yesterday. :D It's still kinda weird to think about it; we've been friends since seventh grade and now she's gone and grown up and gotten married. *sigh* Anyway, here you go! I hope you enjoy; please leave a review with your comments! I love hearing (reading?) them.

Chapter Twelve

The young man rubbed a hand across his face, pulling and massaging the weary skin. A wheel hit a dip in the road and jolted him; his head smacked into the glass pane of the carriage. He groaned, the sound quickly turning into a yawn. He hated travelling: the carriages, the early mornings; it was all demmed uncomfortable. But, he was going to visit Jenny which made the journey bearable.

With a sigh, he adjusted the coattails underneath him and crossed his arms over his chest. It had been almost a month since Jennifer had been married to that inky bastard. Almost two months since it had started to feel like he was losing control of everything going on in his life. Try to protect his sisters, his best friend gets hurt. His eldest sister falls in love with a man appearing to be every bit as entranced with her as she was with him only to have him pushed away from her by his dear family—quite possibly his friend, too. Jackson would rather not think about that man in particular. He was the worst part of this whole situation—an absolute, bloody bastard and he liked to act as if he wasn't.

Mr. Overland rattled his lips. He raised a hand and pushed pack the curtain with a few fingers. Sunlight filtered in through the exposed glass. Verdant hills rolled out in the distance away from the road he was on. Tilting his head, he strained to see ahead of the carriage. Off a ways he spied what could possibly be a white manor; it looked too big to belong to the Blacks. Perhaps it was the house of that Mrs. Gooding Mr. Black could never seem to have enough praise for.

The driver whistled and a quick whip was heard before the horses led the carriages down a small lane off to the left that he hadn't seen before. At the very end of the narrow road sat a modest house; ivy clung to the white exterior that was surrounded by a near impenetrable wall of hedges and flowers. As the carriage pulled to a stop in front of it, Jackson spied a woman bent over the garden snipping the colorful blooms and laying them in a basket at her knees. She turned to look up, her hand blocking the sun's rays. A smile stretched across her face as she ripped off her gloves and tossed them into the basket along with her pruning shears.

The young man opened the carriage door—nearly smacking the driver—and jumped out. Jennifer stood and walked over to him and grasped his hands. "Jackson, it's so good to see you. I've missed you."

"And, I you. We have much to catch up on. How is married life treating you?"

"As well as it'll treat any woman. You must come inside out of this sun; you're pale skin could never take too much."

"Sir, your bags," the driver stated as he set Mr. Overland's bag on the ground.

"Ah, thank you. If you leave now, you should make it back before dusk."

"Yes, sir. Enjoy your visit." Without another word, he climbed back onto his seat, clicked his tongue and was off.

Just he disappeared from view, a black mare raced down the road until she cantered to a stop in front of the house—an inky man perched on her back.

"Ah, Mr. Overland. I see you made it safely," he greeted as he swung his leg from the stirrup and dropped off his horse. He went to work slowly pulling off his riding gloves. "It's a pleasure to see you again," he said with a smirk.

"As always," Jackson pushed out through gritted teeth.

Mr. Black rested his hand on his shoulder as he stooped to grab his bag. "My wife has been most eager for you to visit, and I must say I second her sentiments," he said, leading him into the house. "Coming, dear?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Yes, sir."

"I wish to hear how my cousins are faring, but I have work to attend to before this evening."

The gentleman placed the bag in the hall and handed his gloves off to Mrs. Black. "Mrs. Gooding was gracious enough to invite us to dine with her this evening; her nephews are visiting and she wishes to introduce us," he said with a small smirk.

"Of course."

"You should wear the cream dress, dear; it covers you wonderfully. Mr. Overland, I hope you brought a nice suit. The carriage will be read at five. You two have until then to catch up and do what you will. Just leave time to change. Oh, dear, perhaps you could make a nice bouquet from the flowers you cut today; they did come from the bulbs Mrs. Gooding gifted to us after all." And, with that, he turned to leave so quickly that Jackson doubted he had heard Jennifer's meek, "Yes, sir."

Once the door to his study shut, the young woman turned to him with a wide smile as she stashed her husband's gloves away. "I shall take care of that later."

Her eyes drifted to the small clock on the hall table. "We have a good two hours to ourselves before we have to worry about such things," she said as she led him into the sitting room. With a small sigh, she relaxed into a stiff chair by the empty fireplace before sitting up.

"It certainly is warm for this time of year," Jackson said as he sat down on the couch.

"Hmm, I suppose. It's better from yesterday; I feared it was going to snow. The weather here is quite drastic. Enough of the weather, I have a month of gossip to catch up on now that we have a moment alone."

"How scandalous. Jennifer, you are a married woman now," he teased.

"It's Mrs. Black to you," she smirked playfully. "And that's what makes it fun."

He chuckled.

"Anyways, tell me, how is everyone doing?"

"Where should I start? Emma's left for Corona."

"Why?"

"Father's sister came for a visit a few days after the wedding, and after learning of the situation in its entirety, she decided that Emma could do with some time away from the house. So, she left a week before I did with her and her husband, Mr. Clause."

"I hope she's able to relax and enjoy herself; we both know how shaken she was after Mr. Liely left so quickly. He left several unanswered questions; perhaps this will allow her to accept that she might not get answers."

"Yes. I wish the same; I just fear that she may run into him."

"Hmm?"

"Emma received a letter shortly before she left from Ms. Vickson detailing that they had made it safely to Corona and were easing back into the busy city life which is quite different from the lull and drone of the country. She wrote back explaining that she would be in Corona in a few days and that she may be able to visit; any more than that I do not know."

"What of Sarah and Mary?"

"Mary has been bored out of her mind since the most recent batch of soldiers left. She tried to convince Aunt that she should come along, too, and visit the camp just outside the city. Thankfully, that idea was quickly dismissed in the charming, though less-than-soft, way that only she can produce."

Jennifer laughed.

"And Sarah, well, she's the sweet girl she's always been, following Mary around day in and day out—partly out of admiration, partly out of worry," Jackson said.

He paused for a moment before saying, "In all honesty, I'm surprised your husband accepted me here."

Mrs. Black's smile dropped slightly before she clasped her hands on her lap and said, "He knows we are close. He said that after snatching me away so quickly, I deserved to have a bit of what I left behind."

"You see, Mr. Overland. I am the most caring husband," the man in question said from where he leaned against the doorframe. He caught Jackson's eye, and the young man didn't appreciate the fire he saw flickering behind the amber irises.

"Yes, it does appear so."

"Such a shame wouldn't you say?"

"Hardly. My friend has been given a suitable life; I have no complaints."

Mr. Black's lips pursed together. "Dear, shouldn't you be arranging the bouquet? It will take some time to make a presentable one, and you will still have to dress after."

"Yes, you're right," Mrs. Black said as she excused herself from the room.

"And you, Mr. Overland, perhaps unpacking your bag would be wise. It would allow you to settle into your room before leaving; you'll be much too tired after dinner. Also, be sure to find your best suit; I have a feeling you're going to need," he finished with a self-satisfied smirk.

As Jackson entered the sitting room of Mrs. Gooding's manor and met a familiar pair of green eyes, everything clicked into place. He could feel the smug smirk of Mr. Black on his back.

"Mr. Overland." He said it in such surprise and wonder it sounded like a question.

"Mr. Haddock," he greeted stiffly.