Then, as if she needed an example to prove her point, the Duke of Westbridge appeared from around the next corner and walked down the pavement towards her.
She glanced around her, searching for escape. She did not want to cut him in public, but neither should she be talking to him. If someone noticed them and told her brother, she would come home to the same lecture she’d received after last night’s waltz.
But this side of the street seemed lined with tobacconists and boot makers, the sorts of places a lady had no reason to frequent. There was nothing for it but to keep moving forward and hope that he passed her with no more than a tip of his hat and a polite hello.
It had been too much to ask. He walked towards her with purpose and a bright smile. ‘Miss Fisk,’ he said, reversing his direction to walk with her. ‘So good to see you again. It has been so long.’
‘It has been hours,’ she corrected.
‘It seems longer. May I escort you to your destination?’
‘That will not be necessary,’ she said, drawing a little closer to Bessie to remind him she was chaperoned. ‘I have no fixed goal, but I am sure I do not need assistance finding my way.’
‘All the more interesting,’ he said. ‘We shall ramble together.’
‘I don’t want to divert you from your shopping,’ she said, trying to sound kind.
‘I had no plan in coming here, but to find you,’ he said and pretended to gaze into the window of the shop they were passing.
Their eyes met in the reflection on the glass. ‘What do you mean by that?’ she said, frowning.
‘Simply that I stopped by your home and inquired after your location.’
‘Who told you where I had gone?’ she said, annoyed.
He smiled back at her from the glass. ‘I did not bother with the front door as Septon’s butler is notoriously enigmatic. I went straight to the back entrance and bribed a maid. She saw your maid speaking with a footman.’ He turned and winked at Bessie who blushed furiously.
Cassie stared at him for a moment, unsure of how to respond. She had known he was wicked. But it appeared he was clever, as well. And more persistent than she’d expected him to be. A gentleman would have taken the hint and pretended to forget their past, just as she was doing. Did he think she would tumble into bed with him just as she had done last year?
The idea should not have made her want to smile. Despite the warnings from Julian and Portia that their friend had no redeeming qualities, some moonstruck part of her brain was flattered by his interest. Did she really think herself so alluring that he had any feelings for her than lust?
It was far more likely that he planned to blackmail her with last year’s impropriety. Or perhaps he had not really forgiven Julian and meant to hurt her brother, through her. Now he was grinning at her, waiting to see how she responded to his intrusion.
‘Well, you have found me. What do you mean to do about it?’ She said and glanced around her at the people on the street. ‘And before you answer, know that, if I call for help, there are dozens of gentlemen around us who will come to my aid.’
He blinked at her, surprised. ‘Why should you need any help? What must you think of me that you would say such a thing?’
‘I only know of you by what I have heard from others,’ she said. ‘And that has all been bad.’
‘Your brother, no doubt. I was speaking to him just this morning and he warned me of dire consequences should I keep pestering you.’ He looked endearingly innocent. It was probably why he could get away with the things he did.
‘Do you ignore everyone who tells you to go away?’ she said.
‘Most of them,’ he admitted. ‘It does not happen as often as you think.’
‘And if I tell you to go away?’ She held her breath, waiting for the answer.
‘You have not actually done so,’ he said, staring back at her.
It was a challenge. She should do as everyone suggested and send him away.
But what if he obeyed?
When she’d come to London, she’d assured her parents that she would not do anything foolish. To crave just a little more time with a man like the Duke of Westbridge was so unwise it bordered on stupidity. But she could not bring herself to say the words that might make him leave her. Instead, she sighed and turned away from the shop window to walk down the street in the direction she had been going.
He followed, falling into step at her side, and Bessie trailed behind them.
‘You still have not answered my question,’ she said without looking at him. ‘Why did you come looking for me?’
