eyes flashing at his insinuation. She gave him a haughty look. “No, of course not. I was simply thinking aloud. Nathaniel is honorable, something you know nothing about. But our wedding date isn’t even set. Where does Robert expect us to live in the meantime if he’s sold both houses?”
Alex was silent, looking at her as he sipped his drink. Lord, it was late, he was damned tired, and all this should not have to be his problem.
Jessica took an audible swallow of brandy and finally asked him the question he’d been dreading. “Where is Robert, Alex? If he’s sold everything, even the estate, where is he?”
Oh, how he hated telling her.
Heavily, Alex confessed, “He’s gone.”
Jessica blinked. “Gone? Where?”
“To America. Selling everything wasn’t enough. He escaped his creditors by leaving the country. He…can’t come back, Jess. He’s gone for good.”
Silence. It stretched onward. She looked more than shocked. She looked damaged. Her fine features blanched and her slender throat worked in protest.
Bloody hell. He needed to say something, hopefully the right thing. How he wished his sister-in-law, Ariel, were there to soothe Jessica’s wounded feelings, to offer her the right consolation. He was sure as hell the wrong substitute. For the past four years he had lived with hardened soldiers, not innocent young women.
In lieu of the right words, he said nothing. The short silence was an eternity.
“He left me here all alone.” It was a statement, quiet and hopeless and full of aching dignity. “Our parents are dead, he’s my only family, and he just left me.”
Alex felt his heart tighten at her obvious anguish. “I’m sure he didn’t want to do it, but you know Robert—”
Her head came up. “Damn you, Alex, don’t defend him. Not now, not after this.” One small fist smote her knee. Her glare would have melted icebergs.
“Only if you won’t measure your self-worth by the selfishness of one weak man,” he shot back, irritated by her open hostility.
“My self-worth,” she said heatedly, “is perfectly intact. Unlike some people I know who have to have everything in skirts to assure themselves they are a man.”
So, they were back to that. She might be homeless, she might be destitute and hurting, but she was still unforgiving. There was certainly nothing wrong with her memory.
Well, he thought defensively, she needed to learn that if verbal sparring was her choice, in that arena he was much, much more experienced. He gave her a calculated amused stare. “Not everything in skirts,” he rejoined pleasantly. “But thanks for the vote of confidence. I simply haven’t had the time. If you recall, I’ve been fighting a war.”
Her face whitened. “Go to hell.”
“I once warned you about your unladylike language. Don’t swear in front of me again, Jess. And believe me, I’ve been to hell.”
“You have no right to tell me anything about manners. Or anything else, for that matter.”
“I do, when you are in my house.”
It was an unfair shot that certainly hit home. She seemed to freeze, to go very still. Her eyes were huge pools in the pale oval of her face. Her breasts heaved under the very demure material of her plain gown.
A twinge of guilt shot through him but he ignored it.
“I am going to bed.” She set aside her empty brandy glass and got to her feet a little unsteadily. “Feel free to leave now for Grayston.”
“I am not going anywhere.” He made the declaration in a lazy voice.
“We can’t stay here together.” Her outrage was a tangible thing.
“You shouldn’t be here alone either. What if I had been an intruder?”
“Better alone than with you. It is most improper.”
“Depends on your point of view.”
“My point of view is that you should leave right now.” She stood there in regal dismissal.
“My point of view is that this is my house and I’m staying.”
“Then I’ll leave.”
“Not in the middle of the night, you
Alex was silent, looking at her as he sipped his drink. Lord, it was late, he was damned tired, and all this should not have to be his problem.
Jessica took an audible swallow of brandy and finally asked him the question he’d been dreading. “Where is Robert, Alex? If he’s sold everything, even the estate, where is he?”
Oh, how he hated telling her.
Heavily, Alex confessed, “He’s gone.”
Jessica blinked. “Gone? Where?”
“To America. Selling everything wasn’t enough. He escaped his creditors by leaving the country. He…can’t come back, Jess. He’s gone for good.”
Silence. It stretched onward. She looked more than shocked. She looked damaged. Her fine features blanched and her slender throat worked in protest.
Bloody hell. He needed to say something, hopefully the right thing. How he wished his sister-in-law, Ariel, were there to soothe Jessica’s wounded feelings, to offer her the right consolation. He was sure as hell the wrong substitute. For the past four years he had lived with hardened soldiers, not innocent young women.
In lieu of the right words, he said nothing. The short silence was an eternity.
“He left me here all alone.” It was a statement, quiet and hopeless and full of aching dignity. “Our parents are dead, he’s my only family, and he just left me.”
Alex felt his heart tighten at her obvious anguish. “I’m sure he didn’t want to do it, but you know Robert—”
Her head came up. “Damn you, Alex, don’t defend him. Not now, not after this.” One small fist smote her knee. Her glare would have melted icebergs.
“Only if you won’t measure your self-worth by the selfishness of one weak man,” he shot back, irritated by her open hostility.
“My self-worth,” she said heatedly, “is perfectly intact. Unlike some people I know who have to have everything in skirts to assure themselves they are a man.”
So, they were back to that. She might be homeless, she might be destitute and hurting, but she was still unforgiving. There was certainly nothing wrong with her memory.
Well, he thought defensively, she needed to learn that if verbal sparring was her choice, in that arena he was much, much more experienced. He gave her a calculated amused stare. “Not everything in skirts,” he rejoined pleasantly. “But thanks for the vote of confidence. I simply haven’t had the time. If you recall, I’ve been fighting a war.”
Her face whitened. “Go to hell.”
“I once warned you about your unladylike language. Don’t swear in front of me again, Jess. And believe me, I’ve been to hell.”
“You have no right to tell me anything about manners. Or anything else, for that matter.”
“I do, when you are in my house.”
It was an unfair shot that certainly hit home. She seemed to freeze, to go very still. Her eyes were huge pools in the pale oval of her face. Her breasts heaved under the very demure material of her plain gown.
A twinge of guilt shot through him but he ignored it.
“I am going to bed.” She set aside her empty brandy glass and got to her feet a little unsteadily. “Feel free to leave now for Grayston.”
“I am not going anywhere.” He made the declaration in a lazy voice.
“We can’t stay here together.” Her outrage was a tangible thing.
“You shouldn’t be here alone either. What if I had been an intruder?”
“Better alone than with you. It is most improper.”
“Depends on your point of view.”
“My point of view is that you should leave right now.” She stood there in regal dismissal.
“My point of view is that this is my house and I’m staying.”
“Then I’ll leave.”
“Not in the middle of the night, you
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