by Cheryl Holt
Her choices with regard to him had all been wrong ones. She hadn’t warned him about Roxanne or Kit Boswell, hadn’t told him they were Clara’s parents. She’d like to contact him through the navy to inform him of how they’d burned down her cottage, but she’d moved away from the estate and wouldn’t ever return, so how could any of it matter?
It might be years before he was home again, so why would he care about her or her cottage?
Caro glanced over at her and asked, “Why are you smiling?”
“I was just pondering how ridiculous I am. I make awful decisions.”
“I disagree. You showed up at Barrett when we needed you most.”
“My arrival was an accident brought on by catastrophe. It didn’t occur because I was being shrewd and pragmatic.”
Clara ran in and announced, “Miss Caro! A footman sent me to fetch you. Mr. Caleb has been sighted. He’s about to ride up the lane.”
“He didn’t abandon me after all,” Caro said. “Is he alone?”
“No. There appears to be a whole group with him.”
“A whole group? Who could it be?”
Joanna said, “Maybe it’s some wedding guests.”
“That would be lovely.”
”Will you come down?” Clara asked Caro.
“Definitely.” Caro stood and looked at Joanna. “Will you come too?”
“I’ll be there in a minute. I should pack my medical bag. I left my supplies scattered on the floor.”
Caro rested her palm on Joanna’s head, and she grinned oddly. “I’m betting everything will be fine now. In fact, I’m sure of it.”
“In my view,” Joanna said, “everything is already fine. How could my life get any better?”
Caro and Clara hurried away, and Joanna dawdled, listening as their strides faded. It dawned on her that she was very despondent, which was idiotic. What was there to lament?
Yes, she’d lost her cottage, and yes, Jacob had departed without a goodbye, but it was futile to bemoan that sad conclusion. He’d been very clear that he’d never wed her, and she had insisted she wasn’t interested anyway.
Their split was so recent though, the loss of him so raw. She felt wounded and bereft, as if she’d never recover, but she would. She was with Caro and Libby. Clara and Mutt were safe, and Luke had invited her to stay at Barrett forever if she wanted. He was trying to locate a house for her.
With those blessings raining down, what reason had she to complain?
Suddenly, Mutt rose to his feet, and his tail was wagging like mad. He gave a woof of welcome, and he was practically quivering with joy.
“Who is it?” she asked him.
He seemed to say, Just wait until you see!
Footsteps sounded, two pairs approaching, and one of them belonged to Clara. She was giggling, whispering, then she peeked in the door and said, “Guess who’s here?”
She was being so sly that Joanna was a tad alarmed. “I can’t imagine.”
“Surprise!”
Clara eased away to admit her companion, and when Joanna peered over, if an angel from Heaven had been standing there, she couldn’t have been more astonished.
“Hello, Joanna,” Jacob said. “I hear you weren’t expecting me, and you’ll be so stunned by my arrival that you might faint.”
Mutt woofed again, demanding to be noticed, then he hobbled over. Jacob leaned down and petted him. “Let me look at you, you poor boy! How are you?”
Man and dog engaged in some extensive male bonding, then Jacob straightened and said to Clara, “Would you take Mutt out in the hall? I have to talk to Joanna.”
Joanna’s pulse raced. She was nervous about being sequestered with him. She was still overly besotted, so he might coerce her into any insane conduct.
“You and Mutt don’t need to leave,” she told Clara.
“Yes, you do,” Jacob countered.
Clara motioned to Mutt, but he wasn’t keen to miss the excitement, so Jacob motioned too, and he limped over to Clara.
“When can we come back in?” Clara asked.
“When I have good news,” was Jacob’s answer. “It might be awhile though. I have to explain some things. I’ll fetch you the instant it’s arranged. Don’t go far.”
Joanna had no idea what he meant, and before she could seek clarification, Clara shut the door. Jacob turned to her, and his expression was very cunning.
He was more handsome than ever, his color high, his hair tousled by the wind on the trip to Barrett. She was so glad to see him, and she yearned to fall into his arms, but that would be humiliating.
From the moment they’d met, he’d pursued an amour. She’d allowed herself to be seduced, but he didn’t really want her. No, he wanted from her what her father had wanted from her mother. He craved a physical affair with a paramour who was exotic and out of the ordinary.
For a brief interval she’d toyed with the notion of permitting him to treat her that shabbily. It’s how her ancestors had typically dealt with men, but she couldn’t continue down that shameful road. Not when she’d been reunited with Libby and Caro.
Though it was disgusting to accept, she was jealous of the wonderful men they’d found, men who loved them, men who would move the world to have them. What had Joanna found? Naught but a coward who’d been scolded by his sister for kissing her under a rose arbor. Once his sister had complained, Jacob had severed all ties.
What woman would tolerate such a feckless swain? Not Joanna James. That was for certain.
He sauntered over and plopped down on the chair Caro had vacated. He repositioned it first, so they were facing each other, their feet and legs tangled.
“Aren’t you curious as to why I’m in England? It’s obvious you’re dying to be apprised.”
“I might be curious,” she blandly responded.
“You were informed that I was recalled to duty and that I left immediately.”
She nodded. “I may have been told a story like that.”
She wasn’t about to stagger into a discussion of Kit Boswell and how dangerous she viewed him to be. She was no longer a resident of Ralston Place. Any issue he had with his family was none of her business.
“I wasn’t recalled to duty. Would you like to know where I was instead?”
“I suppose.”
“I’ve been in Scotland.”
She scowled. She truly couldn’t bear to be dragged back into his life, but she couldn’t keep herself from asking, “Why were you there?”
“Do you remember the last time we spoke? My sister, Margaret, was anxious to wed Sandy.”
“Yes, and you were a complete ass about it.”
“They agreed with you and eloped.”
Joanna laughed. She couldn’t help it. He was so pompously convinced that he was better than Sandy, but Sandy was the nicest person ever. Margaret was lucky she’d glommed onto him when she had the chance.
“It serves you right for being such a beast about it,” she said.
“I figured you’d feel that way, but when I initially learned of their plan, I was livid. I chased after them, and I would have stopped them, but on the lengthy journey, guess what occurred to me?”
“I don’t know. Your mental wrangling has always been a total mystery to me.”
“I realized I didn’t care who Margaret married. When my mother sold her to Mr. Howell, I should have intervened, but I didn’t, and I’ve always regretted it. Sandy is a terrific fellow, and I decided she should have the opportunity to be happy with him.”
“That’s big of you.” Her tone was very snide.
She wasn’t concerned about Margaret or who she wed, and she was still smarting from how Margaret had pressured Jacob to end their flirtation.
Had either of the snooty siblings noted the obvious? Margaret had been intent on preventing Jac
ob’s liaison with a female she deemed inferior, but then, she’d run off with a man just as unsuitable. They were such conceited idiots, and Joanna was sure the hypocrisy would have escaped them.
“Thank you for telling me about them,” she said. “Will there be anything else?”
“Oh, I have a ton of items to address. First off, I apologize for racing to Scotland without sending you a message that I was leaving.”
“There’s no reason you would have notified me. It’s not as if I had a connection to you that would have warranted any courtesy.”
“I was simply so furious that you never crossed my mind.”
“Well, that certainly makes me feel special.”
She wished he’d finish and go away, but he was very obtuse. He wouldn’t recognize her pique or her annoyance.
He continued, undeterred. “I wasn’t pondering you when I departed, but as the miles sped by, you gradually became front and center in my musings.”
“Meaning what? You could be speaking in riddles.”
“I was reflecting on Margaret and how she’d forged ahead with Sandy after I’d warned her she shouldn’t. I actually had the audacity to claim he wasn’t worthy of her.”
“You’ve always been a bit blind.”
“After thinking about them constantly, I began thinking about you and me.”
“There is no you and me,” she churlishly retorted. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“When I returned from Scotland, I went by your cottage—before I proceeded to the manor. You can’t imagine how shocked I was to stumble on the rubble.”
“You can’t imagine how shocked I was to have lived through the inferno.”
He grinned slyly. “I know who started the fire.”
“So do I.” Or at least she had her suspicions.
“It was Kit,” he said, confirming them. “He’s admitted it too. Were you aware that Mutt attacked him in an altercation? He nearly wrenched Kit’s leg off.”
“Good.” She wasn’t usually vengeful, but she was delighted that Kit had suffered. “He almost killed Mutt. He almost killed me and Clara. I’m not sorry if he was injured.”
“He was more than injured. His wound is infected. He may die from it.”
“I hope he can find a skilled doctor to tend him.”
Jacob chuckled. “I told him he was stupid to have chased you away. You’re the one person who could have nursed him back to health. He was quite feverish though, so I doubt he grasped the irony.”
She recollected how she’d hexed him, and it was gratifying to discover that her power had been so effective—and that it had worked so fast too.
“What will happen to him?”
“He’s been arrested, and once I’m home, he’ll be tried for attempted murder.”
She frowned. “Who did he try to murder?”
“You, you silly girl! He insisted he simply planned to terrorize you, but I’m not sure that’s true. I’m betting his motive was more felonious than that.”
“I hadn’t really considered his actions being that dire, but he could have easily murdered us. I woke up and smelled smoke, so we escaped before the flames grew too intense.”
“He’s committed other crimes I should point out. He’s been embezzling from me for years.”
“He’s a fiend, so I’m not surprised. Who will run the estate for you now?”
“Sandy has agreed to it, but I’ve been debating whether I shouldn’t retire from the navy and manage the property myself. I’ve never been interested in it, but that was because my mother’s presence kept me away. With her not being there during my recent visit, I enjoyed myself very much.”
“You should take an interest in it. You’re lucky to own it. I’ve never thought you were grateful—about anything.”
He snorted at that. “My cousin, Roxanne, has been arrested with Kit, and she’ll be prosecuted with him.”
“On what charge?”
“I believe she was out in the woods that night when he threw his torch through your window. If she wasn’t, I figure she sent him over there, so it will be arson and attempted murder.”
“Could I tell you something about them? Something awful?”
“I don’t suppose it would be the fact that they’re Clara’s parents?”
She blanched. “How did you find out?”
“You don’t seem to realize that your chum, Caroline Grey, had Caleb fetch me here. Actually, he rode to Ralston Place to see if I’d been recalled to duty. They were worried I seduced you, then rid myself of you by having Kit lie and claim I’d fled England. While Caleb was with me, he blabbed your secrets.”
“I thought Caleb had an emergency in town.”
“He had an emergency all right, but it was with me. He had to discover my opinion on several issues.”
“What issues?”
“I’ll get to those in a minute. First, how long have you known about Kit and Roxanne? Why keep the information to yourself?”
“I found out a few weeks ago when Roxanne stopped by my cottage. Clara was there too, and they look exactly alike. I was suspicious.”
“You didn’t know before then?”
Joanna shook her head. “My Aunt Pru, the woman who delivered Clara? She wrote me a note about it, but she begged me not to peek at it unless there was an important reason. Once the truth was revealed, I was conflicted about my role. I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me or that you might kill the messenger. I was also afraid of them and how they might retaliate.”
“Fair enough.” He nodded. “I’ve been wondering about this: Would you have let me walk down the aisle with Roxanne? With what you’d unearthed, could you have?”
“Well, Captain Ralston, I’m certain you’ll deem me mad, but I was positive you wouldn’t be marrying her.”
“How could you be so sure?”
“I read your cards and learned that you would wed someone else—and wind up very happy.”
“You’re so convinced that your talents provide correct answers. Have you ever been wrong?”
“Not very often. Humans have free will, but they end up where they’re destined to be. Occasionally, they take a circuitous route to where they belong.”
“Did the cards tell you who I’m meant to marry? If it’s not Roxanne, who will it be?”
“I have no idea.”
The notion left her very sad. Now that she was with him again, she was being bombarded with affection. They’d had such a brief amour, but they’d grown so close. Her potent feelings hadn’t had a chance to wane. Where was she to put the fond sentiment rolling around inside her?
“I broke off my engagement to Roxanne,” he said.
“I should hope so. You couldn’t wed a woman who’s been charged with attempted murder.”
“You don’t seem to be aware of what this indicates.”
“You’re a bachelor again.”
His sly grin popped out once more. “Yes, and I can start searching for another bride. I’m very excited about it too. When I decided to proceed previously, I had my mother deal with it for me.”
“Since she picked Roxanne, I can’t laud her for her choice.”
“I heartily concur, so now, I can select a candidate who I view as being perfect for me.”
He was staring at her like the cat that ate the canary. Or maybe it was more like a wolf toying with a mouse. She couldn’t bear it. She was so in love with him that she felt sick with regret.
She pushed back her chair and stood. “I can’t discuss this with you.”
“Why not?”
“Because it hurts me, you dunce.”
“Why does it hurt?”
He reached out and tried to hold her hand, but she yanked away and staggered off. If he touched her, she couldn’t focus, and she might utter any humiliating comment.
“I’m a very proud woman, Jacob Ralston, and you chased me until you caught me. You used me badly, then tossed me aside. You bluntly and brutally apprised me I could never be worthy of you, and I can’t dawdle as you wax on about your next fiancée. All the while, I’d have to remember that you would never have considered me!”
His grin became even more sly. “Why, Joanna James, I could have sworn that you told me—over and over again—that you would never marry.”
She was aggravated to have him hurl her own words back in her face. “I might have mentioned that once or twice.”
“But what if you met a kind and loyal man, one who loved you madly? What would your opinion be then?”
“I . . . I . . . can’t answer a hypothetical question.”
“Why not? Are you afraid your attitude about matrimony just might be ridiculous?”
He stood then too, and he stepped toward her. She lurched back, and they moved across the floor in a sort of awkward dance. Finally, she bumped into the wall and could go no farther. He swooped in and slapped his palms on the plaster, trapping her between them.
“You, Miss James, are the most infuriating female.”
“You believe that because I’ve never been in awe of you.”
“No, you haven’t ever been, but why is that exactly? I’m handsome, rich, and renowned. I’m landed and important, and I have a famous name and ancestry. The only thing I lack is a fancy title, yet none of my qualities appeal to you.”
“I don’t care if you’re landed and important. Those traits don’t interest me in the slightest.”
“What would interest you then? I’m so curious to hear.”
“If I ever broke down and wed, it would be to a man who adored me, a man who couldn’t live without me. He’d have to be my friend, my partner, my confidante. He’d have to be secure enough in his own ego to let me be me, but as I’ve discovered, there are very few men like that out in the world.”
“So you’ll remain a spinster.”
“Yes.”
“You’ll be content with that conclusion.”
“The women in my family always have been. I’m sure I will be too.”
