I like looking at such things.”
“Then it’s settled,” Beatrice said. “I’ll come for you at ten tomorrow, and we’ll go visit the ruins.”
“We will come for you,” Joshua said firmly. “I can put off my business in Leicester for one day.”
Beatrice gaped at him, surprised that he seemed to like the idea.
Then Joshua bowed to the company. “But Beatrice and I will leave you now so we can make plans for this ‘excursion.’”
His tone brooked no refusal, so with a nod, Beatrice said her farewells to the others and left with her brother.
She waited until they were well away from the hall before she ventured, “Are you sure you want to spend tomorrow at the ruins?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked, though he kept his gaze fixed upon the path. “You’ve been nagging me for weeks to spend more time with our relations.”
“Yes, but . . . well . . . it’s so near where Uncle Armie died.”
He shrugged. “Why would that matter? Don’t tell me you miss the old bastard.”
“No, of course not.” She tried to read something from his expression, but it showed nothing. And the fact that he wouldn’t look at her might not mean anything, either. She knew better than anyone how difficult navigating a gravel path was for him. “Uncle Maurice was much preferable to Uncle Armie. And Sheridan is even nicer.”
Her brother grunted, taciturn as usual.
“Indeed,” she went on, “they’re all very nice. But I’m only too aware how you dislike being forced into their company. So if you prefer not to go—”
“I know what you’re trying to do,” he growled. “You’re itching to spend another day with your precious Greycourt, and you want me out of the way while you do.”
“What? No!” She hadn’t anticipated this turn to the conversation. And how on earth had Joshua guessed that she and Grey . . . “That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it? You talk about his opinions and pronouncements more than you realize. That’s why I came over today in the first place—to see for myself how the two of you are together.” He skewered her with a glance. “Then I overheard what he said about how he wouldn’t be put off so easily if he were a man wanting to dance with you—and I saw how you blushed. The two of you together . . .” His features hardened. “It worries me.”
“Why?” Heat rose perversely in her cheeks. Really, must she blush every time she thought of Grey? She marched ahead of Joshua so he wouldn’t notice. “Do you think me incapable of attracting such a man?”
The breath left him in a great whoosh. “Damn it, Beatrice, it’s not about attraction. Men like him and Uncle Armie chew women up and spit them out, just for their own pleasure. Then they actually marry some more suitable female.”
Every word stamped on her heart. “You think I don’t know that?” she cried, her throat raw with unshed tears. She whirled to face him, stopping him in his tracks. “Do you assume I have no sense at all?”
The pain behind her words must have registered with him, for he blinked. “I don’t mean—I wasn’t saying—” He swore a vile oath. “I just want to protect you. Father didn’t leave you so much as a farthing for a dowry, and as you pointed out the other day, our relations are liable to toss us out of the dower house the first chance they get.”
She winced. Those fears had been somewhat allayed in the past week, when it became obvious that her aunt and Gwyn cared too much about her to do such a horrible thing. Even Sheridan didn’t seem to have the heart for it.
Joshua went on. “Not to mention Uncle Armie, who . . .”
When he trailed off, a cold wind blew through her. “What about Uncle Armie?”
“Nothing.” He rubbed a hand over his tight jaw. “The point is, no one, including me, has given you anything to live on that comes near what you’re worth. The others didn’t, and I can’t. But the one thing I can do is keep you safe. And I mean to do it, whatever it takes.”
If ever he’d come close to admitting what he’d done, it was now. She gulped down her fear. “You don’t need to keep me safe. I can keep myself safe.”
He snorted. “Right. Last time I checked, your shooting skills left something to be desired.”
That caught her off guard. Uncle Armie hadn’t been shot. Why was he talking about guns? Was