(I've only recently realized that when I upload documents that the spacers between sections are taken out, and I've been trying to correct it in chapters, but for whatever reason the breaks aren't showing up. It's late and I am too tired to fuss over it now. So hopefully I'll get it figured out soon. I apologize for any confusion. Enjoy.)

Chapter 6

London, 1820

Sighing, Elizabeth pressed her forehead against the window of the carriage and clasped her hands in her lap. The morning had been emotionally exhausting, and she'd much rather be lying down for a nap than heading to the home of a man she barely knew.

Technically, she knew Johnny Zacharra and his wife, but it had been years since she'd spoken to either. Johnny stopped by the house from time to time, usually meeting with her father, and while they exchanged a brief hello, it could hardly count as real conversation.

When was the last time she'd had a real conversation?

She and Jason had managed to reach some kind of understanding in the past couple of days. He continued to respect her space and feelings, and she did the same for him. After all, he was right; if they remained at one another's throats this situation would never work. She didn't really understand what he planned on doing, and he wasn't exactly asking for her advice. Instead, he paced and brooded around the house, murmuring about misunderstandings and motives, and she tried not to listen to it, but it was hard.

He just murmured so damn loudly.

It wasn't as if she'd offer up any information anyway. Jason was already in over his head, that much she'd tried to tell him, but she couldn't explain why. The stupid man needed to listen to a woman for once and…Oh, it was all just one mess after the other.

The saddest part of it was that she was genuinely starting to enjoy Jason's company. When he wasn't obsessing over newspaper articles and making lists of tasks for Spinelli – he really was going to work that poor man to death – he actually displayed glimpses of a likeable personality.

He was patient and kind, clearly he had to be considering he'd taken it upon himself to teach her to cook, and even though she burned whatever was in the pan, couldn't cut a damn thing straight, and managed to usually knock the pots off the stove, he never grew flustered. Or maybe he was just so bored that he found all her silly antics entertaining, or he could have been hungry and tired of cooking his own meals.

She had no idea how to read the stupid man.

Sighing again, she smoothed her hand over the soft skirt of her dress. It was one of the new ones Georgie had managed to sew in just a few days. Much to Elizabeth's surprise, she'd come by that morning with several dresses, including her wedding gown, saying that she hoped it fit perfectly, and that if not, Jason promised to give her time to take it in and whatever else it needed. Elizabeth just needed to be ready by noon for the ceremony.

Shifting on the plush bench of the carriage, she peeked at Jason from the corner of her eye and wondered if he was ever going to say anything. It had taken every ounce of composure she had not to blow up at him that morning, or stomp her feet and refuse to marry him without so much as a moments notice. He'd had plenty of opportunities in the past couple of days; over breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They'd even had tea yesterday and spent some time looking through files in her father's study. She had no idea why he needed the files, but figured it kept him sidetracked from any real tasks.

She cleared her throat and leaned in his direction, finally realizing that he had no intentions of speaking first. "I cannot believe you," she whispered, shifting her eyes to the door that led to the front of the carriage. She wondered just how much their driver could hear.

"Excuse me?" he grunted, turning towards her, his elbow grazing against hers.

"Never mind," she replied, closing her eyes as she leaned against the window, her hands fisted in her dress.

The entire day – her wedding day – had been a disaster. She'd woken up and eaten a dull breakfast that she'd managed to cook on her own. Jason had already left, and she assumed he was out doing whatever he considered to be investigating. Little did she know he was rounding up Georgie and paperwork and someone to conduct their ceremony.

"Elizabeth, what is wrong?" he asked politely, grazing her arm with the back of his hand.

Even through her clothing the touch made her shiver, and she found it nearly impossible not to lean into him. Thankfully, she was able to keep her wits about her, knowing that was just the reaction a man like Jason Morgan wanted.

"Forgive me," she replied, lifting her head from the window to look at him, "but I just assumed with all that wonderful note writing of yours, you'd be capable of letting your fiancé know she was going to be married."

"Those notes were apologies," he reminded her, returning his hand to his lap.

"Exactly my point," she said hastily, shifting her gaze to the window. "Dear Elizabeth, I am sorry I am such a fool, but you'll be marrying me this afternoon."

"I would have been cleverer than that," he replied, laughing loudly, which only infuriated her more.

"Do not mock – Oh, ow!" she spat, her head bumping against the window as the carriage came to a sudden halt. "Stupid, bloody-"

"Elizabeth," he warned, shaking his head.

"Oh, don't take that tone with me," she said, rubbing her forehead and wincing as she felt a tiny bump already forming. "This is your entire fault – you and your hasty wedding because the bride doesn't need to know a damn thing."

"We'll be just a moment," Jason called out, holding the carriage door closed as the driver tried to open it. Sighing, he turned to Elizabeth, rolling his eyes. "I explained all of this to you the other night."

She tightened her grip on her skirt, knowing she couldn't be responsible for her hands if she let go of the material. "You said it would be a few days and that you were waiting for Spinelli to get the paperwork together, and you – you just do not let a woman wake up and go about her day as if it is completely normal."

"Today was like any other day," he muttered. He held his grip on the door as if he feared the driver would open it at any second, and be witness to their first disagreement as husband and wife.

There was no doubt that there would be many others.

"It most certainly was not," she replied in disgust, reaching across his lap to push the door open. "I want out of this damn carriage. I've been too close to you for too long."

"There was no time this morning," he said, grabbing her wrist and pulling it away from the door. "You weren't up by the time I left, and I knew Georgie was coming-"

"Leave it to the seamstress to tell me-"

"I did my damnedest to keep this entire marriage under wraps. Isn't that what you wanted?" he growled, jerking her other arm away from the door as she continued to fight him. "Did you want your name splashed across the papers more than it already is? I told you the moment that things were legally prepared, we would-"

"Forgive me for being upset that you're treating this like it's business," she interrupted, jerking her arms from his grasp and slamming herself against the hard back of the seat. "I always imagined my wedding day would be some glorious celebration with my father at my side. I never believed it would be done in secret to prevent any further rumors about the scandal behind it."

She took a deep breath and lifted her eyes to his. "I know you see me as nothing more than some silly girl, but considering with how my life has turned out, all I can do is think about what I'll never have."

"When my father is free, you will choose to end this marriage, and no one else will ever touch me, let alone-"

"Is that not what you want?" he asked softly, sounding as if he truly cared.

"I want my father free," she replied, growing tired of her repetitive answers. "And sadly, if you cannot manage to give me that, I'll still end up alone." Swallowing hard, she straightened up, smoothing a hand over her hair and shaking her head at the wrinkles in her dress. "Please, can we get this dinner over with?"

Jason nodded and started to open the carriage, pausing to look at her. "I understand that you are upset, but Johnny and Nadine are two of my oldest friends, and they are also very dear to your father."

"Meaning?" she asked, arching an eyebrow as he moved out of the carriage, and then turned to give her his hand to help her down. She heard someone call down from the house, and she wondered if his oldest friends had seen how long it'd taken them to come out of the carriage – or worse, if they had discussed the possibilities as to why.

"They were kind enough to invite us into their home for dinner, and I want you to respect them," he murmured quietly, nodding to the driver as he motioned for her to slide her arm into his.

She flashed him an amused grin. "Don't worry, dear husband, I have no intentions of embarrassing you, especially when you're quite capable of that on your own."

"If I may be so bold, you're far too kind for him," Nadine said, adjusting the baby in her arms as she walked beside Elizabeth through their garden.

"Sadly, I know this," she replied, relieved when the blonde snickered beside her.

She'd only really known Nadine for a couple hours, but Elizabeth already liked her very much. She was witty and sharp, never failing to keep the men on their toes during dinner. Elizabeth spent most of the meal trying to keep up with the old friends, who clearly had a banter all their own. It was obvious Nadine had carved out a place as a strong woman, and that while it would bother most men; neither Jason nor Johnny seemed to mind. Elizabeth wasn't surprised that Jason appreciated the woman. After all, he'd been putting up with her tongue lashings for nearly a week now, and he always appeared amused when she called him a fool.

"Jason said you were old friends," she stated, feeling the need to say something.

"Yes, very old friends," Nadine murmured nostalgically, but didn't offer anything further, so Elizabeth didn't press.

"Well, at least you know how frustrating he can be." She paused as one of the boys came running towards them, a bouquet of roses in his hands.

He was the youngest of the three boys, dressed in his brother's hand me downs that Nadine said he insisted on wearing. At four years old, he longed to be grown like his brothers, who were only six and seven, but apparently that was all the difference in the world to the young boy.

"Tony, those have thorns!" Nadine scolded, shaking her head as he stopped in front of Elizabeth, and held the roses out.

"Nate picked 'em, 'cause he says you're pretty," the little boy said, and she couldn't help but laugh as she took them. "And Dante doesn't like girls, 'cause they smell nice, but that's 'cause he stinks."

"Thank you very much," she chuckled, leaning over to tousle his thick, black curls. He blushed at her touch, and she couldn't stop herself from pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "I'd tell you to take that back to your brothers but something tells me you don't want to pass it along."

"No way. It's all mine," he exclaimed, turning around and heading back in the direction of his brothers, who were peaking out from behind one of the rose bushes.

"I have no idea what I'm going to do with those two," Nadine sighed, patting the baby on her back. "They are just like their father, and taming him was challenging enough."

"They're absolutely adorable," she said, laughing as the older boys tackled Tony to the ground and loudly teased him about the flowers.

"Oh, sure," she replied, glaring as they neared her sons. "Just wait until you have a house full of them, and they are breaking things and pinching one another – and oh, now he's crying. I swear, I could strangle Johnny for ever knocking – You two get off of your brother now!" Sighing, she looked over at Elizabeth and held out the baby. "Would you mind? I have to go collect my lovely angels."

"Of course," she said, carefully tucking the roses in the crook of her arm. Thankfully there weren't too many thorns. She sucked in a breath as Nadine placed the tiny girl into her arms and immediately took off at her the boys. "Well…" She smiled down at the baby who looked back with bright blue eyes. She instantly cooed and kicked her legs, causing Elizabeth's heart to melt. "I can honestly say that I don't envy you, Amalia. All these brothers, and if you're father is as overbearing and annoying as my new husband…Well, I promise to keep you in my prayers."

It had been years since she'd held a baby. She'd forgotten how soft they were and how sweet they smelled, and she found herself growing teary-eyed at Nadine's previous comment. Unfortunately, she would never had what Jason's friends did, and knowing that made her heart hurt.

"I've managed to get you the meeting with Jeffrey," Johnny said quietly, leading Jason out onto the terrace and glancing over his shoulder to make sure none of the staff was listening.

This was exactly why Jason disliked having people in his home. Even in Italy, his staff consisted of just a couple of people, most that he'd known for years, and sometimes he wondered if he could trust them. People would do anything for the right amount of money or the wrong kind of threat. Being who he was, people always wanted to know his secrets, which was why he couldn't blame Elizabeth for sending everyone away after her father's arrest.

"When?" he asked, thankful that his friend had managed to use his connections so he could see Jeffrey. He wasn't sure what he expected to get out of a visit, but he felt compelled to see him, especially seeing as he'd wed his daughter earlier that day.

"Tomorrow evening," he replied, swirling a glass of whiskey around in his hand. "Richard is going to be out of town, so you'll be able to slip in and out without him knowing. The guard owes me a favor as do several other people, so I'm hoping they'll come through and Lansing will never know you visited him."

"Thank you."

"Any idea what you'll say to him?"

Jason shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't want to tell him that I want to prove his innocence."

"Why not?" he asked surprised.

"What if I can't?" he asked seriously, his eyes sweeping across Johnny's land, and coming to a stop on Elizabeth and Nadine. "I don't want him to get his hopes up."

"Elizabeth is already hopeful," he reminded him, as if Jason could forget. "Have you thought about what will happen if you don't free him?"

"You mean what will happen to Elizabeth?" he asked, shifting his gaze to his friend. "She expects the marriage to end either way, and I honestly believe she's praying for the day that I leave her alone."

"You're such a fool," Johnny replied, shaking his head. "There was a time when Jason Morgan could read any woman and get exactly what he wanted."

"She's not just any woman," he said, meaning it more than he meant to, but it was true. She was unlike anyone he'd ever met, and it both infuriated him and lit a fire of yearning.

"Which is why you should fight like hell to hang onto her, Jason," he muttered, taking a sip of his drink. "I know you don't trust people and you don't like them getting close, but this could be different. This could be good." He arched an eyebrow, a slow grin spreading across his face. "And just maybe she'll surprise you by wanting you too."

"You marry one beautiful woman and you think you know everything," he grunted stiffly, knowing that while his friend meant no harm, he still couldn't help but take his words to heart.

"She's far too kind for you," Johnny murmured, leaning against the railing of the terrace and watched Nadine dragging his two oldest sons by their arms. "Polite too, and very cute, and you're too much of a fool to notice."

"You haven't been fortunate enough to receive a tongue lashing," Jason said, shaking his head as Nadine howled for Johnny to come help her.

"Like you don't deserve one," he replied, waving his glass at his wife, and eliciting a long string of curse words that caused all the boys to look up at their mother in disbelief. "See? She knows how to rally them up just fine on her own."

"She's going to hurt you," he laughed.

"Don't talk about my wife," Johnny said playfully. "You're the one who didn't even tell Elizabeth you were getting married until you were standing in front of the-"

"Well, I had to make sure she wasn't going to get away," Jason muttered, noticing that Elizabeth was carrying Amalia in his arms, and Tony was clutching her skirt and huddling closely. It was an odd sight, one that almost shook him, and at the same time, something about it felt so natural.

"You should take her with you," he murmured suddenly, starting towards the opposite end of the terrace, where Nadine was dragging their sons.

"Take who?" he asked, following after him, knowing that while the boys would have to be separated, the husband and wife might need to be too.

"Elizabeth," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "When you go to see Jeffrey, you should take her."

"Why?"

"Because he's her father," he answered dumbly, "and also because she'll appreciate the gesture."

Jason nodded, contemplating the outcomes of extending her the option to visit, but he worried that Elizabeth would tell her father what he was up to. Or worse, that she would tell the man Jason tricked her into marrying him, and Jeffrey would be upset. It was too much of a risk, and he knew if he gave her any kind of rules she would buck immediately, but if she found out that he'd gone, she'd be upset anyway.

He glanced towards the end of the terrace to see Elizabeth steering Tony away from his brothers, who were now being scolded by the father, while Nadine scolded Johnny in return. Amalia was still in her arms, and she paused long to talk softly to the baby as she fussed, grinning down at Tony when she quieted immediately, as if the two of them were sharing some kind of secret. He couldn't help but smile when he caught her eye, wondering if he would ever get anything right with her.

Not sure how to feel that he actually wanted to.

Sighing, Jason shifted uncomfortably in the carriage and looked over at his wife, who was sitting just as she had the entire ride over; her forehead pressed against the window, her hands fisted in her dress, and he wondered what had her wound so tight. He supposed Johnny's awful joke as they were leaving about wedding nights being life-changing hadn't eased the tension that existed between them, and he wondered if Elizabeth was still thinking that Jason expected something of her. Granted, wedding nights were probably the only time a woman willingly submitted, but Jason knew nothing of the sort was going to happen.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked, needing to fill the silence with something. They'd ridden the whole way over without so much as a word, and he couldn't handle doing it all over again.

"Yes," she sighed, lifting her head with a gentle smile. "They are wonderful. Johnny is very funny, which amuses me greatly. You rarely ever laugh, but you did tonight. It was rather nice." His eyebrows arched at her compliment, and he wasn't sure how to reply. "Nadine is so kind and sweet. She says whatever she wants without thinking and…"

"She's a lot like you in that aspect," Jason commented, not surprised when she glared at him. "It isn't a bad thing, Elizabeth. She fits Johnny's personality well because she constantly challenges him, and she doesn't simply fall to her knees when he tries to charm her."

"They do fit well together," she agreed, relaxing her grip on her skirt. "And their children – they are absolutely beautiful."

"Did we see the same boys?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Well, they were rowdy, but Tony was a sweetheart, and Amalia…I hadn't held an infant in so long. I forget how good they smell and how soft their skin is," she murmured, grinning widely. Her eyes fluttered closed as if she were replaying the entire evening in her mind. "It was nice to be in a place that was so busy, yet peaceful, and just all around happy."

"Do you want that?" he asked, the words leaving his mouth before he even realized it.

"A family?" she asked, her eyes flashing open as she shifted awkwardly beside him. He nodded, unable to find any words, knowing that for a new husband to ask his wife that was normal, but their circumstances weren't. "I suppose. Doesn't everyone? Don't you?"

Clearing his throat, he shrugged and looked out the window, never having thought about such a possibility until now. "Johnny enjoys it, and when I think about who he used to be…"

"You think you could have it too," she stated, not allowing him any room to argue. "I used to think I could – or that I would. I imagined a home so full of love and laughter, just like where I grew up, but things are different now, of course. Some dreams have to be replaced by others."

He nodded, knowing she meant her father's freedom in exchange for wedded bliss, and he ached knowing that she was giving up something that meant so much to her. "You would give that up for your father?" he asked, knowing that she would honor her father until her last breath.

"He's my father," she answered, making it simple as she dropped her eyes to her lap. "Regardless of the circumstances, be my father free or not, I still won't get to have a family. That is just how things are – maybe even how they were supposed to be." She nibbled her lower lip and clenched her eyes closed. She grew quiet, but didn't turn away, and she remained still even when a tear slid down her cheek. "So much has changed."

"I'm seeing Jeffrey tomorrow," he said, shaking his head when he realized he was going to take his best friend's advice.

"You are?" she asked eagerly, sitting up beside him. "But how? Sure, money could get you what you in, but I would have thought Richard-"

"He'll be out of town…Johnny arranged the entire evening, and if all goes well, Richard will never know we were there…I thought you would like to come."

He watched intently as the offer settled over her face; first disbelief, then hope, and lastly, completely and utter excitement. "Really?" she asked, clutching her hands to her chest. "I'll get to see my father."

"Yes, I think you need to see him," he replied, truly meaning it and disliking that he'd tried to talk himself out of it before. "Consider it a…wedding gift."

"Thank you," she cried, suddenly bursting into tears as she flung herself against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you so much."

He couldn't help but press his cheek to hers as he slid his arms around her, breathing in as much of her as he could. "It's my pleasure."