She reverted to Italian.
“She tells me most families would be honored to hire the housekeeper of the Contessa. She’s probably right.” Their would-be housekeeper gave Nora a knowing look.
“Thank you for your time, Signora,” Nora began. She should send the woman on her way.
“We will be in touch tomorrow,” Jamie interrupted.
He escorted the woman out.
“We can’t possibly hire her,” Nora said when he returned.
“She’s qualified. She’ll manage the staff for you.”
“But she’s the count’s person!”
“The next one likely will be, too, and less brazen about it. Hire her,” he told her.
Suddenly the weight of it descended on her, and she collapsed back into her little chair so hard it rocked. “Jamie,” she said, “I’m afraid.”
“Fear is good, Nora. Fear will keep you vigilant.”
“Not for myself. I don’t want to lose Isabella, but I don’t want to put her in danger. I can’t be alone here.” She caught his eyes, urging him to understand. “You said it didn’t have to be a real marriage.”
“We can fix the locks,” he repeated.
“But Isabella. We need to move her here. We need to keep her safe,” she said.
“You need a butler,” he told her.
“Butler?”
“Wat Jones may not look like one, but you need him inside your household to keep an eye on things. You need a servant loyal only to you.”
“Butler?” she asked, trying to picture it.
“Butler, footman, gardener, whatever pleases you,” he replied.
“We can do that, but it isn’t enough,” she said. She knew it would help, but not as much as a husband. She wished Jamie could see that, but he refused to respond.Stubborn man!
“Jamie, please. Eventually I can do it alone but not now.” She hated the sound of her own voice pleading.
Still no response. “Would it be so terrible?” she whispered.
Her major looked back sadly, his brown eyes full of regret, his dear face raised in the smallest of smiles. “Not terrible. No. But not good for you either.”
Marriage is the answer. Nora was certain.If we marry, Isabella can come home. If we marry, Jamie can see to any intruders. If we marry, the count will be satisfied.Jamie said it didn’t have to be a real marriage.
It doesn’t have to be, but it could be.God help her, she had begun to hope it might be. She wondered if he thought she feared a physical relationship.How can I convince him that isn’t true?
Chapter Twenty-One
“An intruder? What do you intend to do about it?”
The Count di Castellimonte staged spectacle and pageant and played the role of haughty autocrat perfectly. Jamie wondered if he could also dissemble with the skill of a stage performer, but he doubted it. His outrage didn’t seem feigned.
“Fix the locks. Hire a guard,” Jamie replied to the count’s question.
The count made a dismissive gesture. “Easily overcome.”
