Page 9 of Two Ruins Make a Right

James rubbed a hand down his face as he contemplated how to deal with this latest disaster.

“Both of you. Inside.” As the couple obeyed him and walked past, James took Nell’s hand and led her back to the study.

He escorted her to a sofa that faced the one the couple had settled into. Harry slipped Christa’s hand into his.

James lifted a brow at the show of affection. Harry answered with one of his own.

“Come, Valentina,” the duchess said persuasively as she took his daughter’s hand.

“Will they have a baby now?” Valentina tilted her head to look at the duchess. “Margorie, the upstairs maid, said that kisses lead to making babies. I’d like to have a baby around the house, wouldn’t you, Auntie?”

The duchess’s gaze shot to James. “Darling girl, that’s not what happens. Ask your father. He will explain it all to you later.”

Blowing out his breath, James heard the click of the door as he strolled to the side table where the brandy and sherry bottles stood like soldiers at attention.

The entire room was blanketed in silence except for the sound of liquid courage being poured.

James served the ladies sherry, then poured Harry and himself a brandy.

After James handed Harry a glass, he settled next to Nell. Her hands shook, upsetting the liquid in the cut crystal glass.

Her gaze met his, and the sight nearly brought him to his knees.

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “I’m suddenly chilled,” she said to no one.

“Has the room grown cold or is it me?” She turned to James, and without a hint of antagonism, asked, “Are you cold as well?”

The sound of agony on her lips when she said his name made his insides twist into an untamable knot. Though she had hurt him in the past and he had done the same to her, he would do anything to alleviate her suffering.

Because he was a fool. A fool for her.

“I’m not cold.” He scooted closer, then lowered his voice. “Take a drink. It’ll help.” He didn’t waste a moment on the couple who sat across from them. All his attention was solely devoted to her and her pain.

She nodded, then forced a sip.

“Take another,” he said.

She did as he directed, then closed her eyes and straightened her shoulders. This was the Nell he’d discovered that magical summer, a strong, resolute woman who was a force within her own right.

“Thank you.” Her gaze dipped to her sister’s hand, the one Harry was holding. She drew a deep breath and released it slowly. “What in God’s teeth were you thinking?”

Harry cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak, but James shook his head slightly. It was a warning that it would be best for him to hold his tongue for a moment or two.

“Did either of you consider the ramifications of your ruinous behavior?” she asked and stood slowly.

“Before I answer that question, I want to ask you one,” Christa announced as she matched her sister’s exact movements. “Otherwise, we’ll be like two people unable to converse in the same language.” She lifted her chin to stare at her much taller sister. “Have you ever really kissed a man?”

The two women faced each other across five feet. Their tension practically sparked with energy. It reminded James of two gladiators ready to battle without concern about who the crowd favored. Their focus was entirely locked on each other.

“What kind of question is that?” Nell asked curtly. “This isn’t about me, but you and your actions here today.”

“Have you?” Christa challenged.

“Of course I’ve kissed a man,” Nell said, a little of her earlier anger vanishing. A red-hot blush crept up her cheeks. “I’m not the one...”

Christa shook her head. “You’re going to say you’re not the one ruined. I’m not talking about pecks on the cheek or on the lips. I’m talking about when you pour everything you are into the other person, and they can’t have enough of you. You become lost in him, and he’s lost in you.”

Carefully, Harry scooted closer to the edge of the sofa, then stood next to Christa and took her hand. A sign of solidarity between the two of them.

Christa placed her other hand on top of his. “Nell, I’m talking about when you kiss a man and there’s no beginning or end. No stopping. No starting. It’s everything. Meaning everything you’ve ever wanted or hoped for in your life. You become one with the other person.”

Harry smiled at Christa in reassurance before he turned to Nell. “Lady Whitton, I will not jeopardize your sister’s reputation or her future. I beg you to permit me to ask for her hand in marriage.”

Nell swiftly sat on the sofa as if she’d been hit in the chest. Her hand flew to her forehead. “Absolutely not. She’s to wed the Marquess?—”

“No, I’m not.” Christa’s voice was as sharp as newly forged steel. “That’s what you want. I’ve seen what marrying for money does to a person, particularly when it’s for the wrong reason. I will not allow it to happen to me.”

“I understand you are perturbed and quite distressed. We all are.” Nell clasped her hands together with a deep sigh like a weary governess trying to wrangle her charges.

“Give me a chance to discuss this with Mr. Knollwood and Mr. Richardson. We’ll find a way to avert this crisis.

” Nell softened her voice. “Christa, I’ll not see you ruined because of one mistake. ”

“It’s not a mistake, and I meant what I said.

” Christa rose from the sofa, and with the bearing of a lady of quality, she strolled to the door.

With her hand on the door handle, she turned to face them with such force that the skirts of her gown wrapped around her legs, locking her in place.

“You’re the one who’s ruined, Nell, by not living for yourself but for others.

I’ll not allow that to happen to me. I’ll not waste my life.

” She nodded once to all of them. “That’s all I have to say. You can find me in the library.”

When the door clicked closed, Nell buried her head in her hands. “We should have never stopped here.”

“Nell,” James chided. “Your carriage had a broken axel. How far down the road do you think you could have traveled?”

“I’ve never seen her like this,” Nell confided to no one. “This is all my fault.”

“I take full blame.” Harry returned to his seat.

“If you’ll allow me to explain, Lady Whitton.

” He waited until Nell lifted her head and nodded.

“Christa and I were introduced last Christmas at a holiday party in London.” He looked toward the door and smiled sheepishly.

“We talked for hours. It was as if we were old friends. As soon as I met her, I knew she was the one.” He looked at James, then shifted his gaze back to Nell.

“That’s why I stayed in the city for over a fortnight.

Christa and I attended the same events. When she wrote that she was traveling to Whitton Priory, I told her I would call on her when she arrived at your home.

Then, like a gift falling from the sky, she appeared today. ”

Nell shook her head so vehemently, James feared she’d become dizzy. “But she knew that Lord Mounthaven wanted to court her. I arranged it personally.”

James lifted a brow the same time that Harry did.

“Did anyone ask your sister what she wanted?” James asked. When Nell’s gaze shot to his, he continued, “My lady, your sister obviously knows her own heart. I’ve discovered that’s a very admirable trait.”

“I beg of you, please don’t.” A tortured sigh escaped her. “This is Christa’s future we’re discussing.”

Harry clasped his hands as he studied the floor for a moment. Slowly, he lifted his gaze to James. “May I share with her my employment prospects?”

James nodded permission to discuss their confidential business.

“I’m going to be James’s land steward, perhaps his estate manager, when he inherits the dukedom. I’m about to serve as an assistant to the duke’s steward, who will retire in approximately five years. I have other offers of employment as well.”

Nell lifted her gaze to Harry’s. “Does my sister realize how her circumstances will be reduced?”

James hissed under his breath. Money. It always came down to that simple denominator for Nell. He’d be damned before he’d let Harry’s lack of wealth keep the couple apart. His cousin was obviously head over heels in love with the woman.

“Harry, I think it prudent if you see how Miss Ellison is faring. Will you ask Her Grace to accompany you? I need to have a conversation with Lady Whitton.” Nell was about to protest, but James held up his hand.

“It’ll be all right. My aunt is probably standing guard outside the library as we speak. ”

Harry nodded his farewell to Nell then looked at James with a pleading look in his eye. When the door closed, he finished his brandy then regarded her. “Another drink?”

She shook her head.

“If we’re to find a way out of this mess, then the time has come to lance the wound that has festered between us for the last eight years.”