Page 49 of Three Weeks with a Princess
“I do listen to you,” he said, his voice now gone almost somber. “I may not always agree with what you have to say, but I do listen.”
“Blast,” she said. “Now you’re just trying to make me feel like a wretch. It’s too bad of you, Jack. I have enough to worry about without you heaping guilt on my poor head.”
“If I didn’t make you feel guilty, you’d never listen tome.”
“Nicely done,” she said with reluctant admiration. “I think you’ve won this round.”
“It’s not a boxing match,” he said, “and I have no desire to win anything. I simply want you to return to Stonefell to your grandmother. I promise all will be well if you do.”
She took in the stubborn expression on his handsome face and struggled for patience. He meant well, but she suspected his blasted male pride was now involved, too. It was difficult for him to accept that he couldn’t afford to take care of her. “That’s no solution, Jack. You know the reason for that better than anyone.”
“I don’t,” Dominic said. “Perhaps you could explain it to me.”
Lia had all but forgotten that Dominic and Chloe were in the room. “Well, it’s a bit difficult to explain.” It was also embarrassing.
Jack grimaced. “It’s a rather private conversation, best discussed only with family.”
“But we are Lia’s family now, my lord,” Chloe pointed out. “Or have you forgotten that?”
He gave his hostess a rueful smile. “I walked right into that one. But it doesn’t make me any less responsible for Lia’s welfare.”
“Jack,” Lia said quietly, hating to point out the obvious, “you are my dearest friend, but you are not family.”
“Thank you for the reminder,” he said. “But in every way that matters, Iamyour family. I cannot believe you would think otherwise.”
He hid it well, but she caught the whisper of hurt in his dry tone. She wrinkled her nose in a silent apology. Still, it was time Jack realized once and for all that he was no longer responsible for her future.
“Lia’s brother now has a greater claim to protecting her,” Dominic said. “Although it’s to your credit that you wish to do so.”
“Captain Endicott is not here, so I hardly think that applies,” Jack said. “The fact remains that the best course of action for Lia is to return to Stonefell, where everything will remain as it always has been.”
“No, no, and no,” Lia said through gritted teeth.
Chloe’s puzzled expression cleared. “You’re worried about what will happen when Lord Lendale brings home a wife, aren’t you?”
Lia nodded, relieved that her aunt had guessed it. “It would be rather awkward, you must admit.”
“Indeed it would,” Chloe said. “The future Lady Lendale would have to be exceedingly tolerant. To have not one but two Notorious Kincaids living down the lane would test any newly married young woman.”
“To repeat, there is nothing at all notorious about Lia,” Jack said, clearly annoyed by Chloe’s blunt assessment. “And Rebecca is in her sixties. Her past is ancient history.”
“That’s not exactly true,” Dominic said. “No one can deny that your uncle installed Rebecca Kincaid as his mistress on his estate. Because of your close association with the family, it seemed natural to you. But no one else will think so, especially not the parents of any respectable young lady you should wish to marry.”
“With someone as pretty as Lia in residence,” Chloe added, “no wife in her right mind would put up with such a state of affairs. She would be bound to think she was your mistress.”
“I’ve been telling Jack that for weeks,” Lia said. “But he refuses to admit to the realities of the situation.”
The high color on Jack’s cheekbones signaled how embarrassed—and annoyed—he was by the frank conversation. “It’s nobody’s business who I allow to live on my estate. And it’s yourhome, Lia.”
She reached over and took his hand, wriggling her fingers between his. He resisted for a moment, but finally returned her clasp. “Jack, you are the soul of generosity, but you know how important it is for you to marry well, especially given Stonefell’s wretched finances. You can’t afford to have me hanging about like an old piece of fish that’s gone bad. All of the tenant farmers and most of the villagers are depending on you.”
The idea of Jack wed to someone else made her feel positively ill, but she refused to be selfish. He needed to make a good marriage and she could not be an impediment to him achieving that.
He snatched his hand away. “May I just say that this is one of the most awkward conversations I’ve ever had?”
“You may,” Dominic said. “But it is informative for all that. I was aware that your uncle was rather lax in his financial affairs, but I hadn’t realized matters had grown desperate.”
“I’m sure I’ll be able to turn things around in no time,” Jack said stiffly.
