Page 22 of The Right to Remain Single

Tilson paled and said heavily, “I fear—I am certain, rather—that saving her is beyond my power.”

James waited to see how the suitor would solve his now desperate problem.

“You are a man of the world, Mr. Blakely. It would be…unkind of me, don’t you think, to insist that the ghost be driven away?” Mr. Tilson spread his hands. “Seeing as Miss Warren wishes it to stay.”

“And yet, what use is a house with a murderous ghost?” asked James. “It can neither be let nor sold. It is the one and only impediment to your marriage plans.”

Tilson paced back and forth before the fireplace. “Miss Warren prefers it to the modern convenience of Tilson Towers. Perhaps she would be happier remaining at Hearth House.”

“You would be willing to live here with a ghost?”

Tilson shook his head. “I could not possibly do so.”

“Ah,” James said, “then your path is clear. Sometimes, when one loves, a sacrifice must be made.”

“A noble sacrifice! You are correct, Mr. Blakely.” He fumbled for his watch, muttered something about an appointment elsewhere, and scurried away.

Chapter Five

“You’re a genius,” Thomasina said. James had come to fetch her from the kitchen, with the welcome news that Mr. Tilson was having serious second thoughts about marrying her, and had already left.

“No, I’m merely devious,” James said.

“It’s scarcely dusk,” she said happily. “Usually it’s fear of the ghost that makes him leave.”

“Tilson values propriety above all else. Under the spell of your beauty, he lost sight of that.”

Thomasina blushed. How strange that the same compliment from Mr. Tilson would have angered her. From James…it was dangerous, because his opinion mattered.

She pulled herself together and confronted the situation with practical eyes. “How clever of you to use my family’s reputation against me.” She should have thought of that herself. She’d spent so long pretending to be proper that she’d almost forgotten how not to be.

“Think of it as my apology for not ruining you four years ago,” he said with a rueful grin. “Not that this quite makes up for it.”

She blushed even more.

“If Tilson returns tomorrow—although I hope he proves coward enough to reject you from a distance—we must make it clear to him that you are a true Warren. You shall prove yourself to be easily led astray.” He tipped up her chin and kissed her lightly. “In this instance, by me.”

Was he suggesting what she had asked for so long ago—her ruin? Her heart began to thud.

“I shall flirt shamelessly with you, and you’ll pretend that you cannot resist.”

Alas, she wouldn’t have to pretend.

Her heart sighed. James might be a devious, clever sort of man, but he was proper, too—in a way she could respect and understand. He wouldn’t suggest a course that was not only dishonorable, but would probably kill her father.

Still, she would enjoy flirting with him. “Papa won’t like it.”

“I will ensure that the blame falls on me,” James said.

What? “That’s not fair! I realize that I can’t avoid upsetting Papa a little, but as long as he does not become enraged…”

“Nevertheless,” James said, “the blame will be mine and mine alone.”

Wisely, she didn’t argue. He was a man and therefore used to getting his own way—but in this instance, he wouldn’t succeed. Blame him, when he had already done so much to help her? Not a chance.

* * *

James wasn’t sure about the stubborn tilt of Thomasina’s chin—at least, not in this instance. He liked a woman to be decisive, but not in order to protect him.