“No. I merely had anything of value there moved to a different location, in case you wanted to go there to see what was left. It would have all been returned to you, which was why I mentioned my own involvement in searching for the ‘thieves,’ so you wouldn’t wonder at how easily the items could be recovered. Stealing from your family wasn’t on my agenda.”

“No, just thoroughly ruining us.”

The bitterness in her tone was thick enough to cut, bringing a frown to his brow. “Are you deliberately failing to see that these are two unrelated issues?”

“Hardly unrelated when you managed to accomplish two goals with one—”

“From the moment you entered my house,” he cut in, “your father was all but forgotten in my mind. I lived and breathed you. You consumed my every thought. Everything I did was done to obtain you. But I convinced myself that the only way I could have you was with the excuse of revenge. I couldn’t have you by normal means, couldn’t marry you because your father was my enemy—”

“He was never your enemy.”

“At the time he was. In my mind he was. At least allow that what one believes is a truth for him for however long he believes it. I saw your father as being directly responsible for my brother’s ruination, which also made him indirectly responsible for his death. Yet I was merely going to ruin him financially. I wasn’t going to exact any harsher revenge. An eye for an eye, as it were. He could rebuild, reestablish. Albert was dead, or so I thought. Your father wasn’t.”

“Why are you telling me this when it doesn’t pertain to me? You seduced me with no intention of marrying me. That pertains to me! Admit it.”

“I have admitted it. I merely wanted you to know why I felt that I couldn’t marry you, and why it finally didn’t matter.”

“I know why it doesn’t matter. My father told me your brother isn’t dead as you’d thought. He was your motive; now you have none. That doesn’t excuse what passed before.”

“He told you that, but he didn’t tell you I’d already realized it was over before then, before your father arrived Christmas morning. Or don’t you remember what we were discussing just prior to his showing up?”

“I recall you saying you couldn’t marry me because of my father.”

“After that, Rissa. I realized during that conversation that you were all that mattered to me. I told you so, if you’ll try to remember. The vendetta was over as far as I was concerned. I even tried to tell your father that nothing had been done that couldn’t be rectified, but you interrupted with your interpretation of what I’d done.”