Did he own a dark cloak?
Was it madness to even wonder?
“I hope that you are not dismayed with me, my lord.”
He lifted a brow and she realized her question had been blunt. “Because you refused me?”
She was surprised that he should be so direct in his turn, but glad of it. “Of course.”
He shook his head and crouched down, removing his glove to rub the dog’s belly. Mischief was in such raptures at his attention that Helena could not fight her smile. “I would rather have an honest reply than an agreement that did not come from your heart,” he said, surprising her again. His gaze was fixed upon the dog and Helena watched him, more intrigued than she might have anticipated. “We remain neighbors, though, and it would be most awkward if there was enmity between us.” He frowned a little. “I chose to visit today, Miss Emerson, not just to reassure you about my promise of the dog but to ask if we might be friendly acquaintances.” He looked up and she caught her breath at the heat in his eyes.
“Of course!” she said with relief and his quick smile made her heart skip a beat. It vanished far too quickly for her taste. “I thought you might be angry with me. Everyone else is.”
“Because they think of a match only in terms of alliance and advantage, while you would consider your own happiness?”
“Yes.” Helena blinked at him.
The viscount addressed the dog, his gaze carefully averted. His voice dropped low. “My own mother used to say that what a lady desires most is to have her own wish fulfilled. She strove to teach my brother and I both that a lady’s choice was of tantamount importance, and a lady’s favor was the greatest prize of all.” He met her gaze again, and once more, Helena could not take a full breath. “I would never impose my view upon you or any other lady, Miss Emerson. Indeed, I must apologize for my presumption in even making my offer on such short acquaintance, and worse, for refusing to immediately accept your refusal.” He stood then and bowed again.
Would he leave? Helena vehemently wanted him to linger.
“You were surprised.” She was surprised to find herself excusing his choices. In truth, she was both startled and pleased by his apology. “I thank you for the honor, sir,” she said and he nodded once.
Evidently, he had said all he intended to say.
“My brother mentioned knowing you in London a decade ago,” Helena ventured, his quick sidelong glance making her fear she had shown too much curiosity.
“Did he?”
Evidently, he would offer little encouragement to her inquiries.
How strange that the weight of his gaze reminded her of her savior, even though she had not seen that man’s eyes. She felt the same prickle of awareness, the same sense of uncommon warmth.
The same delicious sense ofpossibility.
Helena dared to plunge onward. “Nicholas said that you and your brother were rakehells of repute, and I wondered, sir, if that might give us some common ground.”
“Are you a rakehell, Miss Emerson?”
To her satisfaction, the viscount was smiling at her, clearly amused. She cared only for the appearance of a most alluring dimple. The sight made her catch her breath. When he watched her intently, as he did in this moment, it was easy to believe he had wicked tendencies.
“No, but I succumbed to temptation and I wonder if you might have done the same.”
“More than once, I assure you.” His tone was so moderate that he might have been confessing to reading another page of a favored book before retiring. “What temptation led you astray, Miss Emerson?”
She noticed that he did not seem overly troubled by this prospect. Perhaps he lacked an appreciation for her wilder tendencies. Helena could not resist the opportunity to possibly shake his assumptions. “My favor was courted by a man I believed to be a gentleman. He was the son of a baronet and said he would inherit a goodly sum.”
Lord Addersley’s brows rose but he said nothing.
“He proposed that we should elope to Gretna Green.”
“And you agreed.” There was no question in his tone, though whether it was because he had already learned of this indiscretion or because he guessed, Helena could not say.
Helena’s lips set for she didn’t like to sound predictable. “I did, though it was not the adventure I anticipated. Mr. Melbourne proved to be an unsatisfactory companion even before he learned that I had no dowry or inheritance, as he had supposed. He was not gentlemanly in the least, but concerned only with his own comfort.”
“I see.” Once again, there was no inflection in his tone. She could not have guessed if he were outraged or indifferent. “And you regret this interlude?”
“No, that is my point entirely, sir. Matters did not proceed as I expected, yet I should never have known as much if I haddeclined Mr. Melbourne’s invitation as was right and proper. I would have wondered all my life what it might have been like, and it would have been impossible to bearnotknowing.”
