“I am quite the rake,” he warned her, “To let you behave in the way that you do. I’m encouraging your delinquency. A proper man would have sent you home.”
“You’re welcome to keep blaming me, if you like,” Regina replied. Her voice was admittedly a little shaky.
Harrison laughed. “Impossible. By the end of this, you will have accomplished your goal of getting your family’s land and money back.
“But I will have accomplished my own goal of making you value yourself. Have I made myself clear?”
Regina wasn’t sure what to do with this—this strange conviction and faith that he had in her.
“I bet you say that to all the young ladies,” she said. She didn’t know what else to say or do so she fell up on humor.
“Only the ones who are worthy of it,” Harrison replied.
He kissed her forehead gently.
And of course, that had to be the moment that Cora walked in.
Chapter 24
Regina stepped back. No, that wasn’t right—she jumped back, as if branded with a hot poker.
She did, in fact, know what that felt like. It involved being a child with Elizabeth for an older sister.
The point was she jumped back, away from Harrison. As if Cora hadn’t already thought that they were doing things together. Things like kissing and all the rest.
As if they were doing something shameful.
But they were—or at least, that was what she had been taught. This was the sort of thing that only husbands and wives did together. And they never did it where others could see them.
Sex and intimacy were private. Even something as simple as kissing your spouse was private. Bridget had been sure to plant that idea firmly in Regina’s head.
“I never saw Mother and Father be affectionate around anyone,” Bridget had told her once. “And they were devastatingly in love.”
It was going to be difficult to get used to touching someone, even her husband, and be comfortable with others seeing. Never mind someone she would have been completely ostrasized for touching if she was seen by the wrong people.
“Oh, please, don’t stop on my account,” Cora said. “And by that I mean, please do stop, you two are disgusting.”
“Oh dear, did we offend your delicate sensibilities?” Harrison asked, teasing. His tone was light but Regina could tell by the stiff way that he held himself that he felt thrown off-kilter as well.
“My sensibilities are far from delicate,” Cora replied. “But you try watching two men kissing and then tell me how much it interests you. It’s similar for me.
“Not to mention the last time I saw this girl was when she was a child all of eight years old or thereabouts. This is all very scarring for me.”
Cora faked a swoon and fell gracefully into one of the chairs on either side of the sofa. How she managed to do that without falling on her back and looking like a fool, Regina didn’t know.
She would have looked like a fool, had she tried a stunt like that. She wished some of Cora’s sophisticated stature would rub off onto her.
“Any particular reason why you’re boring us?” Harrison asked. Regina noted that there was an impatient tone to his voice.
As if to confirm this, Harrison slid an arm around Regina’s waist. We would like you to please go away, now, his body language screamed.
Regina put a hand on his chest to soothe him. There was no reason for him to let himself get all worked up. She didn’t mind Cora being there. Even if it did mean an end to the lovely passionate kisses he was scattering all over her.
She wondered what would happen if he would kiss her lower, on her breasts, even. Or her stomach.
All right, so maybe she could understand why Harrison didn’t want Cora in the room.
“I thought that you were supposed to be educating her about playing cards,” Cora replied in a drawl. “I see that you’re busy educating her on other things.”
“Yes, and you’ve made your opinions on that quite clear,” Harrison muttered.
Regina recalled the argument from the other night and dearly hoped there wasn’t about to be a repeat of that.
“She does need to learn how to play cards, though, does she not? You seem rather determined to teach her, at any rate. I see you have them all laid out.”
“Yes, she’s expressed an interest in them. Seeing as how I earned my fortune back with them and all.”
Cora arched an eyebrow at that. “Yes. That you did. It’s healthy for a young woman to take an interest in the life of her partner, I suppose.”
“Right. Yes.” Harrison rolled his eyes. “Now if you could let us get back to it…”
“If that’s how you teach cards, my dear, you haven’t been doing it properly. It’s a wonder you beat everyone else after all.” Cora smiled, then winked at Regina.
Regina found herself blushing and had to duck her head a little.
“But anyway I thought that since I was dreadfully bored, you might want to have me be an opponent for Miss Regina here. You can instruct her and I can be a sort of… practice player, as it were. You can’t possibly be both an instructor and an opponent all at once, can you?”
“No,” Harrison admitted. His body loosened up somewhat. Regina relaxed in turn, glad she wouldn’t have to avert an argument.
Or physically plant herself in between them. That seemed like it might be a possibility if the two really started to go at it.
The respect and affection between Cora and Harrison ran deep. It must, for the way they spoke to each other, so frankly and with such fond teasing.
But Regina could tell that these were also two very strong-willed people. They could clash easily, she knew, and violently. She didn’t fancy getting in the middle of that.
“Then why don’t you let me help?” Cora asked. She gestured at the cards. “You know I’m quite a good player. Even if I’m not up to your exacting standards. I could handle any number of the men you play with on a regular basis.”
“Then why don’t you play?” Regina asked.
“I’m a woman,” Cora replied. “I can’t easily get away with doing that all the time, now can I? My reputation is in treacherous waters as it is.”
“Oh, right, of course,” Regina stumbled. She felt wrong-footed and as though she had said the wrong thing once again.
Cora made a clucking noise with her tongue. “Does she always retreat like that?” She asked. She was looking at Regina but directing the question to Harrison.
“Unfortunately,” Harrison said. He gave Regina a kiss on the top of her head. “I’m doing my best to beat it out of her, I assure you.”
“More like kiss it out of her,” Cora muttered.
Regina felt her entire face heat up in embarrassment. “Perhaps we should play cards now?” She asked.
Harrison laughed fondly. “See, now, we’ve embarrassed her. Poor little Puck. However shall you survive suffering the indignities your Oberon must throw at you?”
“I think I can manage them quite well if you insist on being ridiculous yourself right afterwards,” Regina replied.
Cora laughed so hard it almost sounded like a witch’s cackle. “Oh, dear, I do like her. Well chosen, Harrison, you’ve finally found a woman who isn’t going to go all starry-eyed over you.”