“Are you certain about that? Your conduct is terrifying me. Evidently, you have quite a bit more of Father’s blood flowing in your veins than I ever imagined.”
“I’m nothing like Father,” he vehemently claimed.
“Aren’t you? I am sick at heart over this discovery.”
“I met Miss James after I arrived home on my furlough. We simply have . . . a spark, I guess, and it’s altered my view of Roxanne. I have no spark with her at all. It’s dawned on me that I don’t want a wife with whom I share no affection.”
“Isn’t it a little late to realize that?”
“Probably.” He looked incredibly forlorn. “I have no idea how to proceed.”
“First off, you must stop lurking in secluded arbors with Miss James. It’s stirring your desire for her, so it can’t be helping matters.”
“No, it’s not helping.”
“I can’t believe I’m suggesting this, but maybe you and Roxanne should take a trip together. Go to Bath or to London for a week or two. If you spent a private interval with her, it might reorder your assessment.”
At the prospect, he actually shuddered. “I couldn’t abide the notion of loafing in Bath with her. It’s why I’m vacillating.”
“I wish we had some competent adults to advise us. I’d like to confer with an older, wiser person who could yank you to your senses.”
“If I was yanked, where would I end up? Are you encouraging me to wed Roxanne all of a sudden? I could have sworn you weren’t keen on the match.”
“My opinion about Roxanne is irrelevant. You made a commitment to her. I grasp that it’s not official yet, but she deems it to be. I’ve always assumed you were an honorable man, and I can’t accept that you’d treat her this way. And have you thought about the problem you’re creating for Miss James?”
“What problem?”
“She’s been here since she was a child. If you marry Roxanne, how could Miss James continue in residence? If she’s your paramour—”
“She’s not my paramour,” he testily insisted.
“You can’t guarantee that will be true in the future. If your liaison grows any hotter, she’ll have to move away from Ralston once you have a bride in the manor. Could you force that conclusion on her? Could you ruin her life like that?”
“This will sound stupid, but I feel as if I have a destiny with her.”
“What sort of . . . destiny?” She spat the word as if it were a curse.
“With her being a Lost Girl, it seems as if she and I were meant to cross paths.” More wretchedly, he muttered, “It seems as if Father’s ghost is hovering and urging me to involve myself.”
“You’re correct: It sounds very, very stupid. We barely knew Father, and he’s not guiding your steps. Don’t imbue this situation with justifications that don’t exist. You’re lusting after Miss James. You shouldn’t ascribe a higher motive to it.”
He whipped away and went over to the window to stare outside. She’d lit a fire to his temper, and she could practically see heat wafting off his rigid shoulders.
Ultimately, without glancing around, he said, “Could we consider this conversation finished? I have to dress for supper.”
She threw up her hands. “How can we sit at the supper table with Roxanne and Kit while this contentious issue is floating between us?”
“We’re British and we’re Ralstons. We can keep a stiff upper lip through the entire meal. I’m sure of it.”
He peered at her over his shoulder, and she scoffed with disgust. “So that’s it? Our discussion is over? What about Miss James? Will you leave her alone? If you won’t promise me, I’ll be so afraid for her.”
“Don’t be absurd. I would never hurt her.”
“Spoken like the scoundrel you appear to be. What about Roxanne? If you don’t intend to engage yourself, how long will you dangle her on your hook? You don’t appreciate how thoroughly she’s wedged herself into the running of the manor. It’s clear—whatever you’re thinking—she’s not on that same page. If you tossed her over, what would become of her?”
“I haven’t thought that far ahead. For the moment, all I can focus on is that you’ve stuck a knife in the middle of my affection for Miss James.”
“Someone should have. You’re being an absolute idiot about her.”
“You’re making my relationship with her seem sordid and wrong, but it’s not.”
“I’m sorry then—for you and for her. I’m sorry for Roxanne too, and I don’t even like her.”
He chuckled miserably. “We can talk more later, but for now, I can’t dwell on it.”
They glared forever, then she sighed with defeat. “All right.”
“You go downstairs. I’ll follow you in a few minutes.”
“Don’t you dare mope up here. You can’t abandon me to Kit and Roxanne. They fight like two gladiators in the ring, and I can’t be their referee.”
“I’ll be there shortly. I swear.”
She hesitated, then left, and as she marched away, she decided she had to have a humiliating chat with Miss James, and in fact, Miss James probably shouldn’t ever visit the manor again. Margaret would have to be the one to tell her the awful news. How would she bear it?
“Jacob and I had a little chat before he left for town.”
“And . . . ?”
Margaret had just come in a rear door and was approaching Kit’s office when she heard him talking to Sandy. She paused, eager to reveal her presence, but debating whether she should. She’d never been fond of Kit, and Kit and Sandy had the status of boss and employee.
She figured she should tiptoe away, but she hadn’t spoken to Sandy since she’d proposed. After her quarrel with Jacob about Miss James, she was feeling extremely anxious, and she wanted their engagement to be announced. Sandy had claimed he would confer with Jacob when the time was right, but when would that be?
Her nerves were spent, and she couldn’t bear much more delay.
As usual, Kit was complaining. “Evidently, we’re repairing that stupid roof for Widow Barnes and her brats.”
“Oh, good,” Sandy replied.
“I could have sworn I told you we wouldn’t
