He straightened.“Absolutely not.Indeed, you are the first woman in a very long time whose company and conversation I do not find in the least bit tedious.”
“I am sure there is a compliment in there somewhere!”Georgiana teased.
He gave an inclination of his head.“Of the highest level.”
A blush warmed her cheeks.“Does that mean you are willing to forget I am a woman, and I can continue to stay here and act as your secretary?I believe you can see I have done a competent job so far.”She indicated the neat piles of papers on his desktop.
“There is no way that I can ever forget you are a woman,” he scorned.
She gave him a searching glance, the warmth deepening in her cheeks at the intense heat in his piercing, deep green eyes as he stared at her.“Then perhaps you might try to overlook the fact?”she prompted huskily.
“I cannot do that either.”
She eyed him cautiously.“Would you care to explain to me why not?”
CHAPTERSIX
Julian had never met such a forthright young woman.But it was an honesty he liked very much after suffering through a year of marriage and Annabel’s machinations.
The two years of torment since, from all the silently accusing glances of those who, after his wife disappeared, believed he must have done away with her, had been intolerable.
An accusation Georgiana insisted she did not believe to be true.How or why she could so easily believe that, Julian had no idea.
Nor, he reminded himself sternly, in the wider picture of the situation was it in the least relevant.
Then why had her confidence in his innocence caused such a huge warmth of gratitude to grow inside his chest?
His jaw tightened.“Do you wish me to be completely honest?”
Georgiana nodded.“I insist upon it.”
As he had suspected she might.Even on such short acquaintance, he knew that this woman would prefer, no, insist upon the unvarnished truth.“You are very beautiful and have a forthrightness of nature I deeply admire,” Julian admitted huskily.
Her expression remained curious rather than alarmed.“And?”
And if he allowed Georgiana to remain here, then there was every possibility that he would eventually be unable to resist kissing her, possibly more than kissing her.Which would no doubt result in Georgiana leaving both him and Norfolk.
Damned if he did and damned if he did not!
But the second option did imply that he might have the satisfaction of at least having kissed Georgianabeforeshe left.
Everything about this forthright and beautiful young woman was a temptation.One Julian dared not allow himself to contemplate taking, let alone continue to enjoy.
He released a heavy sigh.“As far as the rest of the world is concerned, I am still a married man.”
She snorted.“It sounds to me as if that is something other people are foisting upon you and is not your own opinion on the matter.”
“Does it matter why or what I believe?”he dismissed wearily.“To the world, Annabel’s disappearance has left me at the impasse of being neither married nor widowed, and so unable to pursue any woman I might find myself attracted to.”
“And I am a young lady who, you are already aware because of my membership in the Spinsters Alliance, has no interest in marriage.”
“Georgiana—”
“You mentioned feeling an attraction a few seconds ago.Am I the woman you are attracted to?”she pushed relentlessly.
He gave her a searching glance, one which she returned without flinching.In the same forthright manner that she had since the moment they first met.
Julian’s jaw tightened.“You are far too young and beautiful to stay alone in a house with a man many suspect of having killed his wife.”
