Elizabeth mouthed a heartfelt “thank you” from across the room.
“Blake…” James said, flicking his eyes over at Caroline, who had thrown her orange pumpkin arms around a wing chair.
Blake shrugged.
“You’ll soon learn, James, that there are times one just can’t argue with one’s wife.”
“Well, he can learn that with some other wife,” Elizabeth declared, “because I’m not marrying him.”
“Fine!” James exploded, waving an angry arm at Blake and Caroline. “Stay and listen. You’re likely to listen against the door, anyway. And as for you…” He turned his furious gaze on Elizabeth. “You will listen to me and you will marry me.”
“See?” Caroline whispered to Blake. “I knew he’d come around and let us stay.”
James turned slowly around, his neck held so tightly that his jaw was shaking. “Ravenscroft,” he said to Blake, his voice dangerously controlled, “don’t you ever get the urge to strangle her?”
“Oh, all the time,” Blake said cheerfully. “But for the most part, I’m glad she married me instead of you.”
“What?” Elizabeth screeched. “He asked her to marry him?” Her head snapped back and forth for several seconds before she managed to stop moving and fix her eyes on Caroline. “He asked you to marry him?”
“Yes,” Caroline replied with a dismissive shrug. “But he wasn’t serious.”
Elizabeth turned hard eyes to James. “Are you in the habit of extending insincere marriage proposals?”
James turned even harder eyes to Caroline. “You are not improving the situation.”
Caroline turned limpid eyes to her husband.
“Don’t look to me for help,” he said.
“He would have married me if I’d said yes,” Caroline explained with a loud sigh. “But he only asked to goad Blake into proposing. It was really quite thoughtful of him. He’ll make you a wonderful husband, Elizabeth. I promise.”
Elizabeth stared at the three of them in disbelief. Watching them interact was exhausting.
“We’re confusing you, aren’t we?” Caroline asked.
Elizabeth was quite without words.
“It’s really a rather remarkable story,” Blake said with a shrug. “I’d write a book about it, except no one would believe me.”
“Do you think?” Caroline asked, her eyes lighting with delight. “What would you call it?”
“Not sure,” Blake said, scratching his chin. “Perhaps something about catching oneself an heiress.”
James shoved his furious face up close to Blake. “Why not HOW TO DRIVE YOUR FRIENDS COMPLETELY AND IRREVOCABLY INSANE?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “You’re all mad. I’m sure of it.”
Blake shrugged. “I’m sure of it half the time, too.”
“May I please have a word with Elizabeth?” James snapped.
“So sorry,” Blake said in a voice that was clearly designed to annoy. “I’d quite forgotten why we were here.”
James sank his left hand into the hair right above his forehead and pulled; it seemed the only way to keep from wrapping his hand around Blake’s neck. “I’m starting to realize,” he growled, “why courtships are best conducted in private.”
Blake raised a brow. “Meaning?”
“Meaning that you have ruined everything.”