Page 61 of Tamed By a Passionate Lady
“My poor Adaline,” he said, in a fervent voice, gathering her up in his arms. “It has been so very hard for you. I am so ashamed of everything.” He stroked her hair gently, kissing the top of her head. “All I can promise you is that everything changes, from now on. And that includes Reuben Montgomery. I have finally seen the light about him. It has been a long time coming…”
She gazed up at him. “What are the circumstances of your friendship? You never told me.”
A faraway look came into his eyes. “Reuben and I have been friends since we were young lads,” he said, his voice catching. “But it was a friendship forged in difficulty….”
“How so?”
He sighed. “My father and Reuben’s were old friends,” he said slowly. “Mr. Montgomery owned a shipping business, which was struggling, in the early years. From what Father told me, it was mismanaged, and he was drowning in debt. The little profits he made were all swallowed up by the repayments on the loans he took out to keep the business afloat.”
“What happened?”
James sighed again, heavily. “Mr. Montgomery was in danger of losing everything, including the family home. The whole family would have been drastically reduced, forced to sell all their assets and live in genteel poverty.” He paused. “My father stepped in to save them. He paid off the company debts so that his old friend could get on his feet again. He also invested a large sum of money into the business, so that it could stay afloat.”
Adaline gasped. “How very generous of your father.”
James nodded. “That was just the type of man he was,” he said slowly, tears in his eyes. “Fiercely loyal, to his friends. He was also a very astute and talented businessman. He worked so hard, Adaline, and our business was very successful. He had the money to do it, and he did not begrudge giving some to his old friend, so that he and his family would not lose everything.” He paused. “But there were problems, afterwards, that he could not have foreseen. Problems that filtered down to Reuben…”
“What problems?”
James took a deep breath. “While my father was happy to bail out Mr. Montgomery and never made him feel beholden to him, there was resentment on the Montgomery side.” He paused. “Mrs. Montgomery was always ashamed of it, and resentful, in some way. I suppose she felt bad that it had been necessary, and that her family needed to take charity. She would quietly harangue her husband, telling him that he was not good enough, and so on…”
“That is awful,” said Adaline quietly.
James nodded. “Reuben would tell me about it, shame-faced, and it started to affect him, as well. He grew defensive about it. It was as if my father’s generosity became a burden to the Montgomery family, in some way.” He hesitated. “I believe that Mrs. Montgomery was always jealous of my father’s success, and her own husband’s lack of business acumen. She always thought he was a failure, that it should never have been necessary to take such charity if he had been a better man. And her attitude became Reuben’s.”
Adaline looked sorrowful. “And so, he became jealous of you…”
James nodded again. “He always compared himself to me. At school, he would get furious that I got better grades than him. His father would harangue him about it, saying he needed to do better.” He paused. “Because we were better off than his family, he would become resentful if Father bought me something that he did not have. A pony, or a toy…anything, really. He would sulk, muttering to himself, saying it was not fair. That he wanted the same thing, as well. He always coveted what I had.”
Adaline frowned. “Jealousy is a curse, my mother always said.” She sighed. “It sounds like it became difficult for all of you. It was not your fault, that circumstances happened the way that they did, nor was it Reuben’s.” She paused. “But resentment can be a powerful thing, and Reuben definitely suffered from it…”
“Hestillsuffers from it,” said James slowly. “I have been blind, my love. His pursuit of you is the same thing as when he wanted the pony that I had. It is because you are mine that he has been so persistent with you, Adaline.” He took a deep breath. “I have no doubt he genuinely admires you – you are a stunningly beautiful woman, after all – but it runs far deeper than that.” He looked troubled, his face dark.
Adaline grew pensive. Itdidrun deep; she had thought as much, when Isabel had told her about Reuben’s jealousy of her husband. The man had been especially persistent with her because she was James’ wife. He wanted what James had; by the sound of it, it had always been that way. He was resentful that things had been easier for James in so many ways. His contempt for her husband was real, and it was worrying.
“Although I was aware of his jealousy, it did not overly concern me,” continued James slowly. “Reuben was always quick to mask it, to go back to his usual high spirits with me. I thought it was something that he could control, and that it wasn’t a big issue when all was said and done.” He paused, grappling for words. “You must understand, we have always been so close. We grew up together, side by side. In some ways, he was more of a brother to me than my own. But now, everything is different.”
Adaline nodded. There was such pain in his voice, such sorrow. He was so deeply hurt, that the man he had always called friend seemed not to care about him in the same way. That the contempt and disrespect Reuben had for him was indeed powerful, and real. It wasn’t something that could be just glossed over, or made light of anymore. She could tell by the look on James’ face that he was taking it very seriously indeed.
“I never thought he would go to such lengths,” he said, his voice shaking slightly. “To try to seduce my wife, so blatantly, underneath my very nose…”
“What are you going to do?” Her voice was a whisper.
He took a deep breath. “I will handle it, Adaline. Trust me. I realise that it cannot go on as it has done. He will not bother you ever again.” He gazed at her beseechingly. “I ask for your patience with this. Reuben will be dealt with. Hemustbe dealt with. There are other things, as well, that have proved to me that he is not the steadfast friend I always thought he was…”
She stared at him, frowning. “What other things?”
But he shook his head. “It is better that I do not speak of them, at the moment.” He ran a hand through his hair. “The truth is, Icannotspeak of them yet. It is still too shocking, and besides, I do not want to burden you with it before I must. You have endured so much already at that man’s hands.”
“James,” she said slowly. “Please. You are pale, and distraught. Whatever is going on, I can share it with you…”
But he shook his head again. Adamantly. There was a determined, steely look in his eyes, and his mouth was drawn into a thin line.
“This is my mess,” he said, in a quiet voice. “I helped to create it. And I shall be the one to clear it up. I will not involve you in it any more than necessary. For the first time since we have been together, Iwillprotect you, my Adaline.”
She felt a glow of pure joy at his words. How she had longed for him to feel this way about her. For him to love her, and cherish her beyond measure. The way that she had always felt about him, from the moment that she had first laid eyes upon him.
He cursed underneath his breath, pulling her into his arms again. For a moment, they were silent, relishing being so closely connected. Enjoying that they were able to do this, without saying a word. She felt like she was breathing through his lungs, that her heart beat to the same rhythm as his own, that their skin was joined by tenuous fibres. She had never felt closer to another person in her life.
