Redeeming the Reclusive Earl - Virginia Heath Page 0,52

time, her family and I dare say her sanity trying to selflessly drag you kicking and screaming back into the land of the living and she deserves better than this. And so, you near-sighted, stubborn idiot, do you!’

‘Coming from the woman who settled for an old man rather than wait for the groom she deserved!’ A low blow, but he was floundering. He had expected empty platitudes and unpalatable pity, not an argument stripped bare of both. An irritatingly sound one. Damn her!

‘A fair point. But I had to consider practicalities which you do not.’

‘Practicalities?’

‘The world is not an easy place for a woman on her own. Rupert could offer me a more secure future than I would have had as a spinster all on her own and accepted me for what I am. He was not going to try to change me and, believe me, I have tried changing umpteen times and always failed miserably so that was a huge weight off my mind. I entered into the agreement with my eyes wide open. I knew it wasn’t love and so did Rupert. But you thought yours was all about love, and for you perhaps it was, but it wasn’t for her and seeing as she has been married to someone else for an entire year now, it is past time to accept it and move on.’

‘Move on?’ As if it was that simple!

‘Are you intent on repeating everything I say, Max? Because I am already finding it tiresome.’ She was worse than a bane. Certainly the most maddening woman he had ever had the misfortune to lust after. ‘Yes... Move on. Your wounds have healed and, by your own admission, you aren’t in physical pain any longer. It is time to let your soul heal, too.’

‘Are you an expert on the human soul now as well? Are you going to quote me learned studies? Statistics, perhaps?’

‘I am an expert on what your own mind can do to you when it gets bored. “Idle hands are the Devil’s tools.”’

‘Good grief, are you seriously resorting to quoting the Bible at me? Is that the best you have, Miss Ninnyhammer?’

‘It is Chaucer, actually, I believe. If you are going to take issue with the attribution, at least get it right.’ She shot him the saucy smug smile she always wore when she was being insufferably smart, then it softened and she sighed. ‘With nothing external to occupy it other than grief or self-pity, the human mind will turn inwards and that is a dangerously slippery slope. Trust me—I know. My mind sends me mad unless it has purpose so I do whatever I can to keep it meaningfully occupied.’

‘You dig. Even though nobody cares what you dig up.’ He was irritating himself now with the well-aimed but churlish darts.

‘Yes, I do. And I persevere. I keep trying. I do not wave the white flag of defeat and give up like the Society of Antiquaries wants me to because their opinion of my work is grossly wrong and one day, by hook or by crook, I shall prove it. It matters. I matter.’ She stuck out her chin defiantly. ‘I care about it and for now that has to be enough. When faced with adversity, we all have a choice, Max. We can either face it fighting or let it beat us and win.’

Effie was a fighter. She stoically faced every obstacle thrown at her and was determined not to be the insignificant woman society expected her to be. Which made him...what? A coward? The thought left a bitter taste in the mouth. She took his silence as permission to dissect his character some more.

‘If I might be so bold as to make a suggestion...’

‘As if I could stop you!’

‘You might start at feeling angry with Miranda. I dare say that would be quite cathartic as well as wholly deserved, then stop fixating on everything you have lost and the past and start deciding what you are going to do with all the time you have left. Eleanor says the navy would be delighted to have you again. Or maybe you should spend some of your new fortune on your own fleet of ships?’