“Catie, just because you and Lord Valentine fell in love after an obligatory union, doesn’t mean everyone will,” Josie told her. “Westman does not love me.”
“Are you sure?” Catie asked. “Because if you refused his offer of marriage, you can’t expect him to profess his undying devotion later.”
“Undying devotion?” Josie gave a harsh laugh. “How about no devotion? He as much as told me he knew he’d tire of me in a week or two.”
“Was that before or after you refused him?”
“After, but—”
Catie was smiling again.
“That doesn’t matter,” Josie said in exasperation. “You don’t know him like I do. He doesn’t love me. He just felt obligated to marry me after we—well, you know. And as for devotion, I’m the one who has none. I made him all these promises when he was lying half dead on the beach—”
“Promises?” Maddie asked.
“Yes, like that I would never say a cross word to him again.”
Ashley laughed, and Josie ignored her. “And I’d never again mention treasure and never climb out of another window—I kept that one, so far. But there was another—that if he lived, I would leave him alone.”
Maddie rolled her eyes. “As though your promising that would save him. Your quick thinking saved him. Who got him back to the inn? Who called for the surgeon?”
“Who ran away?” Catie said. “Josie, why did you promise that on the beach?” She turned her hazel gaze directly on Josie. “Did you really think that would save him, or did you just want a way out?”
“What does it matter? I’m glad I left,” Josie said defiantly. “He accused me of caring more about the treasure than him.”
“Have you ever given him reason to believe otherwise?” Catie asked.
Josie opened her mouth to say that of course she had, that he should have known she cared about him very much. She’d made that clear.
Hadn’t she?
“You know why I think you ran away?” Catie said. “I think you were scared. I think you started to feel something for Westman on that beach, and you knew when he woke up, you might have to face the possibility that he might not feel the same. You were scared of needing someone who might not need you.”
The three girls blinked at her.
“When did you become so wise?” Ashley said finally.
“She’s not,” Josie broke in. “That’s not it at all. I wasn’t scared and I didn’t feel—oh, who am I talking to?” She buried her face in her hands, trying to compose her thoughts. They were jumping about her head like mad grasshoppers, and every single one of them seemed to corroborate Catie’s outrageous statements.
“This can’t be,” she whined, keeping her face in her hands. “I can’t be in love with Westman. I just can’t.”
She felt Maddie sit beside her, elbowing Ashley out of the way. “Why can’t it be possible? I think it’s romantic.”
“Of course, you do. It’s not you,” Josie moaned. “You won’t have to spend the rest of your life pining for some asinine man who will never love you. Drat!” She stood, balled her hands together, and paced the room. “I swore this would never happen. Never with a man like Westman.”
Catie caught her hand as she passed by. “So did I, Josie, and as you can see, everything turned out well.”
“But Valentine is not like Westman.”
Catie arched a brow.
“Well, all right, he is a lot like Westman. But Valentine isn’t a rake.”
“And what rakish things has Westman done lately?” Ashley asked. “Well, besides the obvious running off with you, anyway. Everyone knows that before you came along, he was trying to reform. Why, the few times I saw the man, I couldn’t even get him to flirt with me. He kept talking about you.”
“Really?” Josie sank back on the bed, aware that she probably had a sappy smile on her face. But she couldn’t help it. Her cousins thought Westman cared for her? It couldn’t be true. But what if it were—
“Oh, I don’t know.” She fell back on the bed, stretching out. “He’s said so many things, and I have, too. I don’t know what to think anymore.”
