“Why don’t you just marry the woman and have done with it?” James said reasonably.

Jason laughed without humor. “I’m trying to. I have been trying to since the divorce from Frances, but Molly won’t budge in her refusal. She’s got this gigantic scandal imagined in her mind and she refuses to inflict it on the family.”

James raised a golden brow. “On the family? When has this family not had a scandal brewing of one sort or another?”

Jason raised a brow himself. “True, to which you, for one, made sure of.”

James chuckled at his brother’s censorious tone. “Let’s not get into that. I’m reformed, don’t you know.”

Jason shook his head bemusedly. “I still can’t credit how that came about.”

“Love, of course. It does produce amazing miracles. Speaking of which, it’s looking like I’ll need one of those to get out of this confounding situation with George. If I find one, Jason, I’ll be sure to pass it along, since you seem to be in need of a miracle as well.”

Remembering that conversation with his brother, James had a feeling that Jason might have found his miracle, thanks to their grandmother, yet one hadn’t dropped into his own lap yet. But enough was enough and tomorrow he’d tell his wife so. Tonight he was simply too tired. Tonight he’d probably say something he’d end up regretting, and then he would have something to apologize for.

He walked away, but no more than three steps were taken before he spun about and pounded on her door. To hell with waiting. He was tired, yes, but he was even more tired of sleeping alone.

From inside the room he heard, “It’s open.”

James frowned down at the doorknob, tried it. Damned if it wasn’t open. Bloody hell. It would have to be open the one time he made a racket pounding on it rather than just checking it first.

He entered the room, closed the door, then leaned back against it, crossing his thick arms over his chest. Georgina was sitting on the bed, wearing the white silk negligee and robe that he’d given her last Christmas. She was brushing her long brown hair. He always enjoyed watching her do that—another thing he’d been denied lately.

He raised a brow at her and asked dryly, “Forget to lock the door?”

“No,” she said simply.

The golden brow lifted just a bit higher. “Don’t tell me you’ve gotten all maudlin over the elders’ love story and decided to forgive me because of it?”