He nodded, his lips tight. “Maggie insisted on coming along. For her daughters, and so that I’d have a friend along the way.”
“I didn’t know. I thought, well I’d heard…nobody knew where you’d gone.”
“Her staff knew,” he said. “I wrote to you straight away. Sent it with a reliable footman.”
“I didn’t get it. I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what could have happened to it.”
“I might have an idea about that. Lass, we need to talk.”
“About what?”
“Declan. We were wrong. It’s not him.” James raked a hand through his hair. She could feel his hesitation. “It was Shane, lass.”
“Yes, I know.”
She could see the shock on his face, but it was no greater than her own had been when she figured it all out.
“He’d been investing…no, let’s be honest,stealingmoney from Fletcher’s accounts since his death. He’d lost his own fortune when the market crashed and thought to rebuild it with my funds without me knowing.”
“And Leachman was in on it?” he added. “There had to be a reason.”
“Yes, he’d dipped his fingers in before Shane even. It’s what gave Shane the idea. They intended to gain full access to my fortune via marriage to Leachman. They’d divide it between them and hide their crime. I would never have known if they’d gotten their way with the marriage and all.”
“What did Declan have to do with it then?” he asked. “It’s the one detail I hadn’t been able to figure out.”
“Declan figured it out and confronted Shane, who promised to pay it all back,” she explained. “Declan was trying to cover it all up in the meantime, trying to spare me knowing how my brother betrayed me.”
“But he pushed Leachman at you, too.”
“He wasn’t aware of Leachman’s involvement,” she explained. “He only wanted me to have someone to watch over me. Someone he thought he could trust. He was devastated when he found out.”
“And you weren’t?” James asked. “Your brother took advantage of you. Using your love for him to cover his crimes. I knew something was wrong. I’m sorry I didn’t figure it out sooner, save you from such misery.”
Prim’s lips trembled at the emotion each word bore. He really did care. She hadn’t been wrong about that.
“But I guess you saved yourself, didn’t you?” He peered down at her, that pride once again shining in his eyes. Still, there was a hint of sadness as well. “I guess you didn’t need me after all.”
But she did. She always would. Without him, she would never have found the strength to demand her family’s respect. It’d been difficult while he was gone not to lose ground without him there to encourage her, to have faith in her. Coming out today to a local protest where anyone might see her had initially been terrifying.
She was a better person with him, one she could be proud of. She loved him for helping her discover the strength she’d never known she possessed. Loved him for the affection he’d shown her children. For his humor. For his…
Ah, blast, she simply loved him .
And he’d asked her to marry him before he left. For whatever reason. She’d hesitated, not because of the reason he’d obviously thought—that she didn’t want a husband—or that the thought of marrying him didn’t thrill her, but because she wanted him to ask for the same reason she wanted to accept.
She wanted his love.
* * *
James looked away, wondering if he should just take the shot or not, ask her once more to be his wife. This setting was even worse than the first. She might reject him, probably would, but he couldn’t walk away without taking his future into his own hands.
Better or worse, his visit home had taught him that. To seize life with both hands, for no matter how long it lasted.
“Listen, lass, I know you’re not in the market for a husband, but I find myself very much in want of a wife. Not just any, but you. And only you.”
She gaped up at him, but remained silent…again.
“I asked you once before, but never received an answer. Will you marry me, lass?”
