“Shut up, Warren,” Clinton hissed. “before you frighten her into dropping it.” And then to his sister, “Now, look, Georgie, you don’t understand what you’ve got there.”
She was looking, but at the vase she still held aloft. It elicited a small gasp from her, because she’d never seen anything quite so lovely. So thin it was actually translucent, and painted in pure gold on white with an Oriental scene in exquisite detail. She understood now, perfectly, and her first instinct was to put the beautiful piece of ancient porcelain down before she accidentally dropped it.
She almost did just that, put it down very carefully, afraid a mere breath could shatter something this delicate. But the collective sighs she heard made her change her mind at the last moment.
With a raised brow that was a perfect imitation of what she had once found so irritating in a certain English captain, she inquired of Clinton, “Valuable, did you say?”
Boyd groaned. Warren turned about so she wouldn’t hear him swearing, which she could hear perfectly fine since he was shouting every word. Drew just chuckled, while Clinton looked extremely angry again.
“That’s blackmail, Georgina,” Clinton muttered between clinched teeth.
“Not at all. Self-preservation is more like it. Besides, I haven’t finished admiring this—”
“You’ve made your point, girl. Perhaps we should all sit down, so you can rest the vase in your lap.”
“I’m all for that.”
When he made the suggestion, Clinton hadn’t expected her to take his seat behind the desk. He flushed a bit when she did just that, his angry look getting worse. Georgina knew she was pushing her luck, but it was a heady feeling to have her brothers in such a unique position. Of course, she just might have to keep the vase they were all so worried about with her indefinitely now.
“Would you mind telling me why you’re all so angry with me? All I did was go to—”
“England!” Boyd exclaimed. “Of all places, Georgie! That’s the devil’s birthing ground and you know it.”
“It wasn’tthatbad—”
“And alone!” Clinton pointed out. “You went alone, for God’s sake! Where was your sense?”
“Mac was with me.”
“He’s not your brother.”
“Oh, come now, Clinton, you know he’s like a father to us all.”
“But he’s too soft where you’re concerned. He lets you walk all over him.”
She couldn’t very well deny it, and they all knew it, which was why her cheeks bloomed with color, especially when she realized she’d never have lost her innocence, or her heart, to an English rogue like James Malory if one of her brothers had been with her instead of Mac. She’d never even have met James, or discovered such bliss. Or such hell. And there wouldn’t be a babe resting under her heart that was going to cause a scandal the likes of which Bridgeport had never seen before. But it was so pointless to bring up should-have-dones. And she couldn’t honestly say that she wished she’d done anything different.
“Maybe I was a bit impulsive—”
“A bit!” Warren again, and not even a little calmed down yet.
“All right, so maybe a lot. But doesn’t it matterwhyI felt I had to go?”
“Absolutely not!”
And Clinton added to that with, “There’s no explanation that can make up for the worry you put us through. That was inexcusable, selfish—”
“But you weren’t supposed to worry!” she cried defensively. “You weren’t supposed to even know about my going until after I got back. I should have been home before any of you, and whatareyou doing home, anyway?”
“That’s a long story, wrapped up in that vase you’re holding, but don’t change the subject, girl. You know you had no business going off to England, but you did it anyway. You knew we would object, knew exactly what our sentiments are toward that particular country, and still you went there.”
Drew had heard enough. Seeing Georgina’s shoulders drop under that load of guilt, his protective instincts came to the fore, making him snap, “You’ve made your point, Clinton, but Georgie’s suffered enough. She doesn’t need all this added grief from you three.”
“What she needs is a good spanking!” Warren insisted. “And if Clinton doesn’t get around to it, you can damned well believe I will!”
“She’s a bit old for that, don’t you think?” Drew demanded, overlooking the fact that he’d been of the same opinion when he’d found her in Jamaica.
“Women are never too old to be spanked.”
