"She may be a dowager, but she is still a duchess," James said angrily. "And she is a lady. I overheard the things you said to her. I will not permit you to speak to a lady that way under my roof. You will never marry her. Walk out my front door before I throw you out."
He would do it, Victoria thought wonderingly. In this moment, he truly did seem to be on her side.
Lord Blackburn stared at him for a moment, saying nothing, doing nothing.
"I mean it," James warned. He started toward Lord Blackburn. "Get out of my house right now. If you don't, I will make you regret it."
The message seemed to sink in. Lord Blackburn turned and hurried from the room. A moment later, Victoria heard the front door shut.
She and James stood staring at one another. After a moment, James broke the silence. "Are you all right?" He asked her. "I heard the things he was saying to you. They were highly inappropriate, and I take responsibility for having brought him into the house."
"It wasn't your fault," Victoria told him. "I'm just so very grateful that he's gone."
CHAPTER 16
"Sit down," James suggested, walking with Victoria into the sitting room.
She was still shaking. He had his hands on her shoulders and he could feel it. He didn't blame her a bit. The things Lord Blackburn had been saying… James was shocked. He couldn't believe he had invited that man into his home.
Victoria sank into a chair, her eyes fixed on the fire.
"I'm so sorry about all of that," James said, sinking into a chair opposite her. He did his best to meet her gaze, but she didn't look away from the fire. "I wish I had never invited him here. I had no idea he would behave in such horrible manner."
Victoria shook her head slowly and said nothing.
An unwelcome thought occurred to James. "He didn't try anything, did he? He didn't put his hands on you while I was outof the room? I thought it was safe to leave the two of you on your own… I was sure one of the footmen would step in if something untoward was happening."
"No," Victoria murmured, her voice low and hoarse. "He didn't do anything."
That was a relief. But even so, it was clear that Victoria was deeply upset over what had happened. James leaned toward her. "You won't have to see him again," he assured her. "He will never be invited here again. I won't be pursuing any sort of marriage with him. He has proven himself deeply unworthy."
Victoria looked up slowly. She made eye contact with James only briefly before looking down again. "I wouldn't have believed that you had any standards at all when it came to who I should marry," she whispered. "I thought the most important thing was simply to find me a husband, regardless of who he was."
James was staggered. "You thought I would marry you to someone like that?"
"You were going to," Victoria pointed out. "If he hadn't revealed himself today the way he did, you would still be considering him for me."
"I would never have considered him once I saw him for what he was," James said firmly. "You must have no doubt of that."
Victoria said nothing.
"You did doubt it," James realized.
"I thought it didn't matter to you," Victoria replied. "Everything you've said to me since we met has been all about how important it is to you that I marry as quickly as possible. You seem to believe it's the only way to restore my reputation. And the restoration of my reputation is what matters most to you. You say that your business practices have been tainted by the gossip about me, and that the only way you can recover is by linking me to another gentleman."
She was still trembling. James could see tears forming in the corners of her eyes. This had been more upsetting for her than he had realized. He rose to his feet, crossed the small space between them, and sat carefully down on the sofa beside her.
He wasn't sure what to do — how to handle the moment and make her feel better — so after a moment he reached out and gingerly put an arm around her shoulders. He half expected her to pull away, but to his surprise, she leaned into him instead. Her shoulders shook slightly, and he understood that she was crying.
James felt awful. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I should have seen what kind of man he was. I should've taken the time to learn more about him before inviting him back here. I should never have promised him anything without speaking to you first."
Victoria looked up at him. "I didn't think you cared what I thought," she said.
"I care," James told her, and realized that it was true. "I understand that I haven't acted as if I cared. I do believe I know what's best for you, but I certainly don't want you to be unhappy, and I would never want to abandon you with a man who was abusive or unkind. I shouldn't have left you on your own with him tonight. I should have realized that would be unsafe — or, at the very least, that it would have the potential to make you uncomfortable. That will never happen again. I will never leave you alone with any man. At least, not until you are married."
Victoria laughed through her tears. "Aren't those just empty words? What if the man I marry is dreadful?"
James pondered the question briefly. It was the kind of thing he would have ignored until now, written off as idle complaining. But after tonight's events, he could see that she had a valid point. He had thought he had found a promising match for her and he had nearly made a dreadful mistake. Any young lady would be anxious after such an event.
