She laughed once again, not put off by his words. “A lot of noble ladies prefer to read that in their spare time. It’s quite fun and interesting.”
His eyes were wide still as he looked at her, trying to gauge her reaction. He frowned suddenly. That must be it. A ridiculous joke at his expense.
“You must be toying with me to see if I would be silly enough to fall for it,” he said liked he’d just realized what she was doing.
Instead of sheepishness at getting caught, or trying to laugh it all away, she shook her head. “I assure that I am not in the slightest bit jesting with you. It really is how a lot of the ladies pass their time.”
Benedict’s gaze at her and he nodded, content in his belief that she was telling the truth. That revelation did not bring him the relief that he sought. His palm went lax, dropping the book. If she was being sincere in saying a lot of ladies passed their time in that way, did that mean that his sister was one of them as well?
He could never imagine her reading something like that because it was so raunchy. Benedict did not know how to handle this sudden revelation.
* * *
Augusta hadn’t realized how much she would enjoy Benedict’s reaction when she told him about the novel but it was slowly becoming the highlight of her day despite it only being early afternoon.
“You think this funny, don’t you?” he called her out, his eyes boring into hers.
She bit her lip to stop the laughter that threatened to escape her at his words but much like earlier, she was unable to keep it in.
“Yes, I really do,” she wheezed, her hand to the small of her stomach as she struggled to regain her breath.
Benedict’s expression morphed into one of amusement as he allowed himself to see the hilarity of the situation.
“I know you said that a lot of ladies actually read this but I never would have expected that you would, considering you don’t even care for men,” he said, his gaze turning curious once again.
Augusta was held captive underneath his intense gaze. His eyes looked like he was willing to drink in whatever information she was willing to give him. She did not know how to handle his attention, even now after she had spent quite a bit of time in his presence.
“I do not hate men as a concept, Your Grace. It actually is quite entertaining to imagine some phenomenal man like the ones that exist only in there,” she said calmly.
His brows shot up, lost in thought. He was trying to figure her out. She did not need him to say it for her to know.
She waited patiently for him to sort through his emotions and whatever confusion her words had brought him. She knew it would happen by now. It always did whenever she discussed these things with Jane and Nancy.
People often could not understand why it was so difficult for her to simply take things as they were and accept that the men she read of merely did not exist, and there were good men out there that weren’t like the rakes she had a clear dislike for.
“Can I borrow your book?” he asked her, his lips pursing in a way that told her that he had asked impulsively.
“What? Why would you want to borrow it?” she asked him, her brows knitting in confusion.
“I need it to learn,” he explained.
Augusta’s jaw dropped as she stared at him with a horrified expression. “Learn?”
“Yes, Lady Augusta. You fancy men in the books but have an aversion to real men, so clearly, there is something to be learned from the characters in the book,” he explained.
He picked up the book, his fingers pawing through the pages, eyes intense as he read more words. She watched with equal levels of fascination and confusion. He looked so handsome sitting there, the sun in his face as he read. Much like the characters in her book.
Augusta suddenly felt self-conscious about having him read the book the way that he was. She tried to snatch the book back from him but instead, he held it away, not stopping his reading.
“I do not think it’s a good idea to do this, Your Grace. I absolutely refuse to be responsible for corrupting the Duke,” she said with all seriousness.
“Corruption?” he asked, surprise ringing through his words and giving way to laughter.
“I do thank you for your concern, my dear Lady Augusta,” he said, unaware of the chill his words sent through her vein. “However, it is funny that you think I will be corrupted.”
“Considering your reaction only moments ago, I do not think my words are quite farfetched.”
“There’s no harm done,” he said nonchalantly.
