“Good Lord, no,” he agreed. “With all those boys I would never know a moment’s peace in my own home.”
“Jo-seph!”
“Clau-dia.” He set one finger along the length of her nose and smiled at her.
A log crackled in the hearth and settled lower. The blaze began to die down. The little hut was as warm as toast inside, she realized.
“There are some problems, admittedly,” he said. “Wearefrom somewhat different worlds, and it seems that they would make an awkward fit. But not an impossible one—I refuse to believe it. The idea that love conquers all may seem to be a foolishly idealistic one, but I believe in it nonetheless. How can I believe otherwise? If love cannot conquer all, what can? Hatred? Violence? Despair?”
“Joseph.” She sighed. “What about Lizzie?”
“She loves you dearly,” he said. “And if you marry me and come to live with us, she does not have to fear that you will take the dog away from her.”
“It is all quite impossible, you know,” she said.
“But there is no conviction whatsoever left in your voice,” he told her. “I am winning here. Admit it.”
“Joseph.” Once more her eyes filled with tears. “This is no contest. Itisimpossible.”
“Let’s talk about it tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll come over to Lindsey Hall to see Lizzie, and you and I will talk. But perhaps you should have a word with my cousins before you leave here—Neville, Lauren, Gwen. Perhaps you had betternottalk to Wilma, though she would be able to tell you the same thing. They will all tell you that I never played fair as a lad, that I always had to have my own way. I was quite detestable. I still do not play fair when I want something badly enough.”
He had snuggled closer—if that were possible—while he talked, and was now nuzzling her ear and the side of her neck while smoothing his hand over her hip and buttock and along her spine until her toes curled again.
“We had better dress and go back to the house,” she said. “It would be too shameful if everyone were ready to return to Lindsey Hall and I was nowhere to be found.”
“Mmm,” he said into her ear. “In a moment. Or several moments might be better.”
And he moved them again so that this time he was lying on his back and she was lying on top of him.
“Love me,” he said. “Never mind practicalities or impossibilities. Love me, Claudia. My love.”
She spread her legs to set her knees on either side of his hips and raised herself onto her arms to look down at him. Her hair fell forward to form a sort of curtain about them.
“Once upon a time,” she said, sighing one more time, “I thought I was a woman of firm will.”
“Am I a bad influence on you?” he asked.
“You certainly are,” she said severely.
“Good,” he said and grinned. “Love me.”
She did.
24
It was a blustery day. White clouds scudded across a blue sky,bathing the ground in sunshine one moment, darkening it with shade the next. Trees waved their branches and flowers tossed their heads. But it was warm. And it was potentially the loveliest day of his life, Joseph thought as he arrived at Lindsey Hall late in the morning.
Potentially.
It had not been an easy day so far.
His father had quivered with fury even just with the news that Portia had run off with McLeith. He had not excused her actions for a moment—far from it. But neither had he excused Joseph for driving her to take such drastic measures.
“Her disgrace will be on your conscience for the rest of your life,” he had told his son. “If youhavea conscience, that is.”
And then Joseph had broached the topic of Claudia Martin. At first his father had been simply incredulous.
“That spinster schoolteacher?” he had asked.
