“Fine.”
“I missed you.”
She didn’t reply in the same vein. She simply stared, looking impatient and irked.
“Why are you here?” she inquired. “It’s obvious you’re distraught, but I’m in no mood to soothe your woe. What is it you need?”
“I’d like to chat for a bit.”
She bristled with exasperation. “This can’t be how we carry on. From the first moment we met, you took advantage of my generous nature, but once our relationship became inconvenient for you, you ended it.”
“I was awful to you. I realize that.”
“I’m delighted to hear you admit it.”
“I’ve never been very astute.”
“That is the biggest understatement ever uttered in my presence.”
He snickered. “If we keep conversing, I’m sure I’ll spout something even more ridiculous.”
“I was hurt when you severed our bond, but I convinced myself it was for the best. There is no benefit for me to be involved with you, so why are you bothering me? You can’t flit in and out of my life, depending on your level of boredom. I have no idea why I opened the door to you.”
It was clear she was about to toss him out. If he didn’t hurry and offer a viable explanation for his appearance, he’d be evicted like the scoundrel he was. Margaret had accused him of harboring their Father’s worst tendencies. Was she correct? Would he do any foul thing to a woman, despite the consequences she might suffer?
He was terribly afraid he might. Previously, he’d never believed he possessed unruly passions, but perhaps he did.
She was ready to throw him out, while he was over by the hearth, coaxing her dog to be friends again. Evidently, he needed to expend his energy on the human in the room.
He marched over to her, coming so close that the tips of his boots slipped under the hem of her skirt. She didn’t step away, and he liked that about her. She wasn’t impressed by him, wasn’t cowed or awed.
“I shouldn’t have told you we had to part,” he said.
“Yes, you should have. It was the logical conclusion. This is a very small area, and there are no secrets.”
“I don’t want to avoid you. I can’t.”
“You are such a child, Jacob. A spoiled, coddled child. You demand that the world spin in your direction and that I should gleefully agree to let it. As you are posturing and informing me of what you intend to have happen, I should like to apprise you that I don’t wish to continue on with our flirtation.”
“Liar.”
“You think you’re very grand, and I concur. You are grand, but I’m quite grand myself—although the prospect never occurs to you. I can trace my ancestry back a thousand years on my mother’s side. Can you?”
“No.” He likely had a good shot at two hundred.
“And my father is an earl’s son. He was a fourth son—and a libertine and spendthrift—so it’s not much of a heritage to brag about, but you treat me as if you are the superior personage in our association. Well, Captain, it may be that I feel the same. I deserve every ounce of respect that is ever shown to me, and I won’t tolerate snubs from anyone. Not even you.”
She gave a pompous shake of her auburn hair, and it dawned on him that she was the most stunning female he’d ever met. She’d also just delivered an enormously thorough dressing-down. He’d never been so completely put in his place.
The Ralston name was famous throughout the land, producing a lengthy line of sailors who’d valiantly served the Crown for centuries. Women loved them. Fathers sought them out to be husbands for their daughters. Doxies begged to be their paramours.
Only Joanna James wasn’t enthralled. Only Joanna James viewed herself as being above him in every way. She lived in a tiny, decrepit cottage and was so poor she wasn’t required to pay rent. She brewed potions and supplied them to gullible ninnies like Margaret who needed someone to tell them how to be happier.
She had strange powers, and when no one was watching, she probably cast spells and practiced all sorts of heathen magic that would make any devout Christian ripple with alarm. Had she cast a spell on him? Was that why he was so captivated?
The universe had hurled her into his path, and no matter how he tried, he couldn’t be shed of her. What was a healthy, red-blooded man supposed to do?
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. For a second, she remained stiff as a board, acting as if she wasn’t interested, but it was a very brief second. She couldn’t resist, and she leapt into the fray with incredible enthusiasm.
It was impossible to ignore the sparks that ignited when they were together. She could pretend to be angry, but she wasn’t. She was as insanely besotted as he was.
The embrace swiftly spiraled out of control, and he was eager to discover how wild it would grow. He yanked away and headed for the stairs, dragging her up behind him. With Clara gone, they didn’t have to be quiet, didn’t have to tiptoe.
They were giggling like lunatics who belonged in an asylum, and as they raced to perdition, he was struggling to deduce his purpose. It was dark and they were alone. They rushed into her bedroom and straight to the bed. He tumbled onto the mattress and drew her onto it with him, and he rolled them so he was stretched out atop her.
She didn’t complain, didn’t scold him or scoot away.
“I hate you,” she suddenly said, erasing any confusion as to what she was thinking.
“No, you don’t.”
“You chase me relentlessly until I decide to like you. Then you break my heart and leave. Now, without any warning, you’re back. I’m so incensed.”
“You’re glad I came. Admit it.”
“No, I’m not. I’m disgusted with myself. I typically consider myself to be very strong-willed, but it’s obvious I have
