Fury such as Prim had rarely encountered in all her years welled up inside her, leaving her shaking at the knees. “How dare you,” she rasped unsteadily.
“Shane, really,” Dennis joined in, sounding just as appalled by their brother’s implication. He set his cup aside and stood, rounding the desk as if to physically shield her from the verbal attack. “That’s no way to talk about your sister.”
“Did Jeremy tell you they went ‘out’ last night?” Shane asked, facing Dennis and flinging his arm out. “Just picked her up and off they went without a word of explanation.”
“I’m a grown woman, Shane.”
“A grown woman who left her children alone to go off gallivanting with a known womanizer.” He jabbed a finger at her with a scowl.
Prim’s cheeks burned. She would not be ashamed of leaving her children in the care of her brother and in a fully staffed household. Nor would she explain herself.
“Jeremy said you didn’t come home until the early hours of the morning,” Shane went on, pacing the room again. “Where were you all that time?”
“What a prick you’ve become, Shane,” Dennis cut in. “Leave off…or would you like to provide an equal accounting of how you spend your evenings?”
An awkward silence fell and Banks cleared his throat, reminding them all of his presence at the door. Prim’s face heated again, but this time in rage toward her brother.
“Please show Mr. MacKintosh up, Banks.”
The butler nodded and faded away while Shane gaped at her. “You can’t be serious.”
“You may leave, Shane,” she told him, gripping her chair back with both hands. “And leave those files behind. I’ll have one of my footman call at the bank tomorrow for the rest of them.”
“Prim—”
“Enough, Shane. This is simply enough.” Her knuckles whitened. “You cannot come into my home and treat me like a child. Or worse. Talk to me like this. Not any longer. Whatever I choose to do and by God, whomever I choose to do it with, is my choice. Mine alone. Do you understand that?”
Shane only shook his head. “Yes, but I don’t understand what’s come over you.”
“I am saying nothing I haven’t said a hundred times before. This is merely the first time you’re hearing me,” she said with a sigh. “For what it’s worth, I don’t understand what’s come over you, either. When did you become so hateful?”
“When did you stop trusting in me?” he shot back. “I love you. I’ve only ever tried to do what’s best for you. To take care of you as Father would have wanted.”
“It’s not your job to look after me,” she told him, taking a seat behind the desk once more. She smoothed her palms over the blotter, gathering her resolve. “It never has been and from now on, I’ll be taking care of myself.”
“Prim…”
Prim drew a deep breath. It was so hard to do, but she knew she must if she were to maintain any of the headway she’d gained this afternoon.
“I may invite you back after a proper apology for your harsh words, but until then, you are no longer welcome here.”
“Damn it all, Prim!”
“You may go.” Prim shooed him away like a child since he was behaving as such.
“I’ll be back when you’ve had a chance to calm down,” he said, walking toward the door.
“You’ll be back when I’ve asked you and not before.”
CHAPTER 25
The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.
~ Henry David Thoreau
James overheard a good deal of what was going on above. From Banks’s mien as he came back down the stairs, he knew the whole house was privy to the insults one of her brothers was heaping on her head.
His blood burned with rage at the accusation of what a widow would be doing with him. Not only because it demeaned her, but because he could hear the hurt in her voice if not the words when she responded.
