DefeatedbyLove by Samantha Kane

deal of time here. Now he was practically living here, and
Daniel was relatively sure he’d been slowly seducing Christy. But he was at a
loss how to stop it. They were adults, after all. The two had eyes only for
each other. That is, until Robert showed up. Then Christy was clearly torn
between them.
    Robert had been a frequent visitor as well. And he’d stopped
asking when Mr. Ashbury was going to return. But Robert was tongue-tied and
awkward around Christy, so Daniel was relatively sure there’d been no advances
made there. Christy was positively glowing with the attention she was receiving
from both men. Daniel saw a wreck of disastrous proportions on the horizon.
Simon was emotionally incapable of love and commitment, and Christy was legally
incapable of it. What a muddle.
    It was all Harry’s fault.
    That had been their constant refrain. But it was becoming
clear that something would have to be done. He absolutely refused to let her
deliver that baby on the premises. He’d never get rid of her then.
    He ignored the sad little sigh that escaped when he thought
of her gone.
    “Simon has scampered off to who knows where, as usual,” he
told her. “He does that quite often.”
    “He does?” she asked. She bit her lip and looked upset. “I
didn’t know.”
    God save him from the delicate sensibilities of good women.
“I do believe he is at the bank,” he assured her. “He had some business to
discuss there.”
    Her face brightened. “Oh, is he a man of business? We never
talked about that.”
    “He is a man of many things,” Daniel said, evading her
question. “One of them might be business.”
    “Is that what you do?” she asked innocently. “You live very
well, but you are a Jew and not titled. Where do you derive your income?”
    Daniel froze for a moment at the inappropriateness of her
question. He reminded himself she was from the country and not used to the mores
of polite society. “I inherited money from my father, which I’ve invested
wisely with the help and advice of friends. I also earned quite a few bounties
during the war, which added to my wealth.” He saw no reason not to tell her the
truth. “But we do not discuss the source of a person’s wealth, Christy. It is
considered bad manners.”
    She blushed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” She sat silently
for a moment. “It seems to me that it ought to be discussed,” she burst out
rather indignantly, surprising him. “It would certainly solve a lot of problems
wouldn’t it? Young girls being married by scoundrels and sharps and whatnot. I
read just yesterday of a little old lady who had lost all her money to a
deceiving charlatan. If she’d just asked him what he did for a living, I’m sure
it never would have happened. Don’t you think?”
    Sometimes he really adored her. “Yes, I do think so. Perhaps
you ought to keep asking. Ask Simon.” He wanted to hear that conversation.
Simon was a bit of a charlatan himself.
    “I suppose I shouldn’t ask what Sir Barnabas James was doing
here the other night, either,” she said, being quite impertinent. “But I’ve
been stewing about it for days.”
    Daniel snapped his mouth shut and stared at her.
    “Yes,” she declared, “I know who he is. Harry told me all
about him, and about how he saved Harry’s life only to force him out of
Portugal.”
    “Force him out of Portugal?” Daniel said in a strangled
voice. “I saw Harry before he left and there was very little force required to
put him on a ship bound for England, and your happy nuptials.”
    “Is Sir Barnabas your lover?” she demanded.
    “Madam, that is none of your business,” Daniel replied
coldly.
    “Oh, I know it isn’t,” Christy said miserably, sitting down
again with a very dejected air. “But I don’t trust him.” She looked up at
Daniel. “You shouldn’t either. He’s very underhanded.”
    “How on earth do you know so much about Sir Barnabas?”
Daniel asked incredulously, not denying her