James rose from the table.
"Are you leaving?" she asked him, taken aback. Was he really so determined not to share a meal with her that he would leave the table before he had finished eating?
"We're both leaving," he said firmly.
"I'm not done with my meal."
"Come with me," he said. "Come with me now, or I will revoke my agreement to let you choose your own husband."
"You can't do that."
"Of course I can do it. And I will. Unless you come with me now, unless we settle this matter once and for all, Iwillmarry you to whomever I deem most appropriate, regardless of your preferences in the matter.
She didn't want to give in to this. She wanted to stand her ground, to let him know that he had no right to treat her in this fashion. But she couldn't take the risk that he meant what he said, that he would actually marry her off to someone regardless of her choice. She rose from the table and followed him.
He led the way to his study and closed the door behind him. Victoria understood at once why he had brought her here. This was his territory. This was a place that made him feel as if he was in control. She didn't like it, but she understood it. She sat down in the seat that faced his desk, keeping her spine straight and he chin up. He might want to think he was in charge here, and she wouldn't disabuse him, but she wasn't going to be pushed around either. She had had enough of that.
He folded his hands on top of the desk and looked across at her. "All right," he said. "Be honest with me. Why can't you stay away from Benjamin?"
"I've been honest," she said.
He rose and began to pace, clearly agitated by her answer. "You're not," he said. "You're not being fully honest. You're holding back. You may as well just admit it. There's something going on between the two of you. This story about Benjamin marrying is just that—a story. Perhaps something the two of you concocted to trick me."
"And why would I want to trick you?" she asked cooly. "What on Earth do I stand to gain by it?"
"I don't know. Don't ask me to explain the machinations of your mind."
"Can you explain yourownmind, though? I mean, what if I was interested in marrying your brother? Can you tell me why that would be so dreadful?
"You admit it, then!" He sounded triumphant. He stopped pacing and faced her directly, and Victoria found that she nearly felt sorry for him. The way he was behaving was just ridiculous.
"I haven't admitted anything," she said. "I just can't understand why you're so against it, and you haven't given me a reason! If your brother had been the one who had poisoned you, I would understand this strange attitude you have against him. But he wasn't the guilty one. He never did anything to harm you. You don't like him because he reminds you of a painful time in your life, and I understand that feeling. But the part I don't understand is why you feel the need to punish him for what happened, when he wasn't the cause of it."
"I don't need to explain myself. I didn't even have to tell you about my past. You never would have known had he not opened his mouth," James said sharply.
"So that's why you don't want me to associate with him? You don't like the fact that he tells me the truth about things?" Victoria asked. "You don't like the fact that I've found out something you didn't want to tell me. That's right, isn't it? You don't want me spending time with your brother because you're afraid of what he might reveal."
"I'm not afraid. What an idea."
"But I think it's the truth." She rose from her seat. "James, you don't have to be afraid. You don't have to be ashamed. Whatever your stepmother did, none of it was everyourfault. I know that.
"Tell me your intentions toward my brother," James said. "This is your last chance to be honest. I promise you, there will be consequences if you can't do that."
Victoria shook her head. "There's nothing you can say to me," she told him. "There's nothing you can do. I know what's going on now. I'm going to continue my friendship with Benjamin, because he's a good person. A good man. Regardless of your past, he is someone I'm happy to call my friend."
"Your friend," he repeated. "And nothing more, is that right?"
Victoria found she couldn't answer him. Not because of any question in her mind about what Benjamin meant to her. The fact that that was even a discussion felt odd, for she had never had the slightest inkling of any romantic feeling toward him. Nor did she believe he had ever felt that way toward her—she believed wholeheartedly the story he told about his upcoming marriage. He was in love with Lady Katherine.
No, the reason she couldn't find the words to answer James' demand was the way he was looking at her. It was so possessive. She had never imagined a man would look at her in that way. He was furious, she realized. He wanted an answer—he wasadamant on getting one—and the only possible reason for his intensity was that he was jealous.
He had feelings forher.
But could that be true? He had poured all this energy into trying to find her a husband. Would he have done all that only to change his mind at the last minute?
The thoughts whirled in her mind like a storm, but before she could come up with any sort of answer, he reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her close.
Her breath caught.
