“She died four years ago.”
“So you had an adult residing with you. Now it’s just you and Clara.”
“I am an adult, Captain. I’m twenty-four.”
“Yes, but you’re such a tiny little thing. You look as if you’re ten.”
“I don’t know if that remark should flatter or annoy me.”
He dipped down and kissed her as she’d been hoping he would since he’d sauntered in.
He’d shown up without warning, and it had been a thrilling surprise. He was quickly training her to pine away for his sudden appearances. Anymore, she could barely concentrate. She constantly thought about him and wondered if he was thinking about her just as intently.
“Could I ask you a question?” he said.
“You can ask me, but I can’t swear I’ll answer.”
“What is your opinion of Kit Boswell?”
“Should I be candid? Or should I lie?”
“Your response matters to me. I’m at Ralston Place so rarely, and when I am, people fawn and fib to make me happy. I’m never positive I’m receiving a clear picture of what’s occurring.”
“I understand, and no, I don’t like Mr. Boswell, but don’t you dare tattle to him. I wouldn’t want to ever be on his bad side. He can be very spiteful, and I wouldn’t ever like his malice directed at me.”
“He’s malicious?”
“Yes, as well as lazy, pompous, and unlikable. He’s probably corrupt too.”
He gazed up at the sky, her words sinking in, and she regretted being so frank. Then he said, “What is your opinion of Sandy?”
“I love Sandy. He’s kind, generous, and incredibly diligent. He’s actually the one who runs the estate for you.”
“What does Mr. Boswell do?”
“Drink? Loaf? Chase trollops?”
He smirked with aggravation. “Perhaps I shouldn’t ask you questions. That might be more information than I truly sought.”
“Sandy works, and Mr. Boswell takes the credit. It’s the rumor circulating anyway, but isn’t that the way it always is with men?”
“I suppose.” He kissed her again, leaving her even more bewildered about her conduct and choices, then he said, “What about the party on Saturday? Shall I send a carriage?”
It was the topic she’d been dreading. “No, no carriage. I’ve been pondering your invitation, and I shouldn’t rub elbows with your snooty friends.”
“My snooty friends are in London. Saturday at the manor will be a collection of neighbors, and I predict you’ll be acquainted with every guest. You’ll fit right in.”
“I never fit in, so I shouldn’t join you.”
She’d like to bluster in merely to poke a stick at Roxanne Ralston’s pride and audacity, but she had no desire to quarrel with the vicious termagant. Miss Ralston was the type of vengeful person who would get even, and her methods would be devastating and impossible to fight.
“Will I have to enlist my sister to nag at you?” he asked.
“I’m not easy to persuade or dissuade. When I settle on a course, it’s hard to convince me to change my mind.”
“You’re being ridiculous. The carriage will pull in around seven. You’ll have to walk out to the lane though. My driver couldn’t maneuver a vehicle through the foliage to your door.”
“You’re being a bully.”
“How am I being a bully? Margaret and I tendered a perfectly valid invitation, and you are being a snot to claim you’re not interested.”
“If I came, what would be your plan once I arrive? Would you flirt with me the entire evening? Would you hover by my side until we stirred gossip? I’d rather not endure such a hideous debacle, and you shouldn’t provoke it either.”
“By refusing to attend, you’ll be saving me from myself?”
“Basically, yes. I’d be saving me too. I don’t want to ever be a spectacle.”
He assessed her, and he was much too astute. “What is this really about? We discussed it previously, and you didn’t have any reservations. What’s happened?”
“Could I just not explain?”
“No. What is it? And again, please be frank. I don’t like to tiptoe on the edge of an issue. I like to delve to the heart of a problem and solve it.”
She stood very still, yearning for a hint of inspiration to drop onto her tongue.
From reading his cards, she’d discovered that Roxanne Ralston wouldn’t be his bride, but she wasn’t always correct in her estimations. What if she told him about Miss Ralston, and he wound up wed to her? Joanna would have created an eternal enemy.
Or what if her reading was accurate, and he didn’t wed Miss Ralston? Was Joanna meant to be the wrench that was thrown into that situation? Was she the catalyst that would tear them apart?
Unfortunately, wisdom and insight were never conveyed when she desperately needed them.
“Will you promise not to become angry?” she inquired.
“How can I promise that when I can’t imagine what you’re about to tell me?”
She decided to leap into the inferno. “Your cousin visited me.”
It took him a moment to deduce which cousin. “Roxanne was here? Why?”
“She pretended it was to buy a potion, but in reality, she ordered me to stay away from all of you. She believes I’m a charlatan, a fake, and a fraud, and I shouldn’t be treating your sister.”
“Roxanne doesn’t speak for me or Margaret, and it appears I have to bluntly clarify that she doesn’t.”
Joanna winced. “You can’t talk to her about this! If you breathe a word, she’ll realize I complained to you. I would hate to ignite her enmity, for I can guarantee I wouldn’t like how it would rain down.”
“I’m trying to figure out why she felt free to harass you.”
“People are compelled to harass women like me. It’s why I live quietly and separately from everyone else.”
“You’re being absurd. You make Margaret happy, and if you ceased caring for her, I’m certain her condition would deteriorate.”
“Maybe.”
She was particularly glum and kicking herself for mentioning Roxanne Ralston. What had she been thinking?
“Don’t be sad,” he said.
“I’m not sad. I’m furious over her gall. I’m not a weakling, and she’s lucky I didn’t turn her into a toad.”
He laughed. “Can you do that?”
“I’ll let you wonder.”
He dipped down and kissed
