The Temptation of a Gentleman (38 page)

“
Knowing that family as I do, I feel I
must
assume the worst. And so I’ll have to do my best to get rid of this man.” Ginny glanced up at her best friend. “Will you help me force his retreat to London?”

With a nod, Harriet brushed her hand again. “You know I’d do anything for you. I only wish I could give you back some of the happiness you deserve.”

Ginny dipped her head to shield Harriet from seeing the effect of her words. Happiness was a luxury she could ill afford. “Getting rid of this man will be the closest I can come to happiness.”

Her friend’s grip on her hand tightened. “Well, perhaps once you’ve done that, we can concentrate on finding you a new love. A new husband, even. Or at least someone to take away the loneliness that has haunted you for so long.”

With her friend’s words, every nerve in Ginny’s body crackled. Just the thought of another husband made her sick with anxiety. Another man’s hands on her, not with tenderness, but violence. The clumsy taking in the bedroom. The tears.

No. Those were things she’d left behind when Henry had mercifully left the earth. She never intended to revisit them again.

“
Let’s just concentrate on one thing at a time, shall we?” she asked with a shiver. “And right now all my attention has to be on Simon Webber. If he thinks he can waltz in here and take what rightfully belongs to my son, he’s in for a nasty surprise.”