Page 21 of Two Ruins Make a Right

Ten

There are no exits on the road to ruin.

C asting the room in a warm glow, the sun’s rays gently seeped through a gap in the curtains.

James blinked, not at all surprised to find himself in Nell’s bedroom.

How could he forget last night and the story she’d shared with him?

Essentially, her parents had treated her as a puppet, making her do their bidding whenever and however they wished.

But Nell wasn’t the only one affected by this.

Many parents treated their daughters that way, seeking the best possible matches they could find.

But there weren’t many who sold their daughters to the highest bidders to eliminate their debt and start all over again.

It was typical of Nell’s integrity and virtue that she would prioritize her sister’s best interests, even if her perspective was somewhat skewed.

Last night marked a turning point for her.

She would allow Christa and Harry to wed without concern for the wealth Harry brought to the marriage. That was all James could ask for.

He sighed silently and sent a prayer of thankfulness for last night.

Still asleep, Nell turned in his embrace and rested her hand on his chest. As she nestled her head against him, seeking refuge from the morning sunshine, he brushed his finger along her soft cheek.

Her skin reminded him of velvet. An overwhelming sense of rightness washed over him.

What he had felt for her years ago paled in comparison to the feelings swelling within his heart now.

Gently, with his free hand, he brushed away a piece of hair that had fallen across her face. Thank God that he’d never lost the tenderness he’d always felt for her. It still overwhelmed him.

The door opened slightly.

Damnation. He turned toward Nell, using his body to shield her from prying eyes. He should have left as soon as he woke up. Perhaps the morning maid would retreat once she realized Nell wasn’t alone.

No such luck as Valentina’s voice sang through the room.

“Papa? What are you doing with Nell?”

James knew the moment that Nell woke. The flutter of her eyelashes tickled his skin.

He turned, ready to confront his daughter, then flopped back on his back and closed his eyes.

“Good morning, James,” his aunt called out. Her tone reminded him of sour vinegar. A little went a long way. “Lady Whitton,” she added for good measure.

Nell let out a soulful sigh.

“Is that where babies come from?” Valentina asked, making the moment even more awkward, if that was possible.

James sat up and the sheet skidded down his chest. But his position still concealed Nell from inquisitive eyes.

Her Grace raised a haughty eyebrow. “Indeed, child.”

His daughter giggled in response. “I always wanted a sister or a brother.”

“Valentina,” James said with as much patience as he could muster in that delicate moment. “Please wait in the hall?—”

As if it couldn’t get any worse, Harry popped his head in, glancing around with a laugh. “What is going on? Oh-ho, is there a party...” The last word died on his lips.

Right behind him, Christa peeked over Valentina’s head. “Nell? What are you doing? Why is James in your bed?”

“I’d say they’re both showing us how a proper ruination is performed,” the duchess huffed. “I expect to see both of you in the duke’s study in half an hour.” The steel in her voice foretold that her will was not to be tested.

“We’ll be down shortly,” James said with what he hoped was a matter-of-factness in his voice. He didn’t care a whit what his aunt or cousin thought about him. Yet for the world he didn’t want Nell to suffer because they had been caught in bed together.

As soon as the door shut, Nell sat up, using the sheet as a shield against her breasts.

“We should have gone to my room last night.” He ran his fingers through his tousled hair. “No one would have bothered us this morning.”

“I was supposed to have been up and gone by now.”

“Darling, what do you mean ‘be gone?’” Just as he was about to take her in his arms, the connecting door to his suite and Nell’s bedroom opened simultaneously.

His aunt must have issued edicts throughout the entire floor.

His valet peeked his head into Nell’s bedroom from James’s suite, while a maid, who dipped a quick curtsy, stood at Nell’s bedroom door with her gaze glued to the floor.

“Ma’am, Her Grace asked if I’d assist you in dressing this morning,” Lucy, the maid, said sheepishly.

Charles, his valet, shrugged his shoulders. “My lord, Her Grace asked me the same thing.”

James lifted an eyebrow in his most arrogant manner. “My aunt wants you to dress Lady Whitton?”

Charles turned beet red as he shook his head and laid a banyan on the bed. “I meant Her Grace wants me to dress you.” He retreated into the dressing room but left the door open.

“As if I couldn’t do it myself,” James grumbled.

Lucy began selecting a day dress and undergarments from Nell’s traveling case.

With her back turned, James seized the opportunity to grab the banyan and slip it on.

When he stood, he buttoned it quickly. He pressed a kiss against Nell’s lips.

“This was not how I’d envisioned waking you up this morning. ”

With her hair disheveled and a becoming blush heating her cheeks, he’d never seen her more beautiful.

An all-encompassing need unfurled deep in his chest. He craved her.

It would be so easy to climb back into bed and make love to Nell again.

He could show her everything he felt for her in the past, in the present, and certainly in their future.

Based upon last night, he rather doubted he’d ever have enough of Nell.

But with his aunt’s edict to attend her downstairs, Nell’s future along with his would have to wait a moment.

Without another glance at the intruders, James strolled out of the room with a newfound swagger. He knew exactly what to do to get them out of this mess.

* * *

Standing inside the duke’s study as Tipton announced her, Nell smoothed her hand down her midriff. When the kind butler grinned, she could hardly return the gesture. She’d never been so embarrassed in her life.

“Come in, Nellwyn,” the duchess said politely.

Beside her sat Harry and Christa, looking smug and altogether too sure of themselves.

Miraculously, she had arrived downstairs before James. As Christa served tea, James strolled in, looking magnificent without a hair out of place. He didn’t say a word, but he managed to nod at the duke, then bowed to his aunt. He chose a seat close to Nell.

The duchess looked between the two of them, then sighed. The duke had struck a pose of leisure, sitting behind his desk. If Nell didn’t know any better, she’d think he was enjoying this.

After everyone was served, Nell couldn’t take the silence any longer. “I would like to apologize for this morning.”

“I’m not in the least sorry, and I don’t think you should be either,” James murmured as he looked at everyone around the room. His gaze was a direct challenge to anyone who would disagree.

“I see someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” The duchess smiled sweetly.

“Well, what’s done is done.” She looked at Christa and nodded.

“As you can see, there are—how shall I say this politely?” She chewed her lower lip for a moment before a wide smile broke across her face.

“I have it. There are various degrees of ruination.” She lifted her hands in the air as if weighing apples and oranges.

“There are kisses as you and Harry shared. That’s very common between people in love. ”

“What we did was very common between couples in love as well,” James murmured.

The duchess turned her hawklike eyes toward Nell and then James. “And of course, there is a kiss that’s an all-out ruin. It makes no difference how many years are behind you. I must say that you both knew better.”

Nell studied her clasped hands. “I beg your pardon, Your Grace. I apologize that we’ve brought disgrace upon your home.”

The duke chortled, or it could have been a cough; it wasn't easy to tell. One thing Nell had learned over the years, when she’d been a welcomed visitor, was that the duchess did most of the disciplining, if there was a need for it. The duke always allowed her to run the household as she saw fit.

“The way I see it, you have to do the honorable thing, my boy.” The duke straightened himself in his chair. His gaze first directed at James, then to Nell. “You have to marry.”

Before James could answer, she stood abruptly. “I can’t ask him to do that. I won’t ask him to do that. Neither should you.”

Christa’s shock at Nell’s statement melted into anger. “What are you saying? The household staff saw you both together. You’re ruined, Nell.” She announced that statement as if it were obvious. “What’s that saying?” Christa turned to Harry. “What sauce is good for the goose is good for the gander.”

“The goose gander rule.” Harry grinned in her direction.

“Exactly,” Christa exclaimed with a smile.

“Widows can’t be ruined,” Nell declared.

The duchess lifted that aggravating eyebrow. “Oh really? Since when, Nellwyn?”

Nell let out a weary sigh and sat down again. “Let me explain.”

The urge to pace as she talked grew nigh impossible to ignore, but she had to have her say, then leave Redmond Hall immediately before she fell to pieces in front of them.

Last night had awoken her from the nothingness she’d lived in for the past eight years.

But it was time to return to her own world.

Before she left, she would do the right thing.

That meant giving Harry and Christa her permission to marry.

By then, James had crossed his arms as he studied her. His enigmatic expression revealed nothing of his current thoughts.

Nell turned to him. “I did not want last night to be a way of forcing you to marry me. I don’t think I could forgive myself if you believed otherwise.”