“Then you truly do not know how to truly appreciate food.” She grabbed her teacup and moved her arm just wildly enough to send the hot liquid flying onto his suit.
He hissed under his breath as the liquid burned his skin.
Penelope smirked at him. “So you don’t melt after all.”
“Pardon?” He examined the spreading stain on his shirt.
She shrugged. “They call you the Duke of Ice. I simply wondered if you were an overgrown snowman cursed to life by a mischievous enchantress.”
“My lady, the only mischievous enchantress that I know is sitting across from me right now.”
Her eyes widened, and a blush rose to her cheeks. He enjoyed making her blush. He bet he could do so many more wicked things to her to make her blush.
Pull yourself together! She’s a lady, and you are not a bloody rake.
He dabbed at his suit with a napkin and didn’t say anything else. He didn’t know if he could trust himself to speak. He had never been so insulted in his life. But at the same time, he certainly wasn’t bored. In fact, he found himself eager to see what she would do next.
“Perhaps you’re right, my lady. Perhaps I am a snowman cursed to life. How would you explain it when I start melting in front of you in the tea shop? Someone would notice and you would haveto explain yourself.” He leaned back in his chair, smiling. “I’m curious to know what you would do.”
“I would simply faint,” she said without missing a beat. “Pretending to faint can get you out of some awkward conversations. You should try it, Your Grace.”
“If I pretended to faint, then they will think you poisoned me,” he said. “I don’t think you would like the outcome of that.”
Her brow furrowed slightly. “No, perhaps not. But you wouldn’t want to faint when conversing with me, would you?” She batted her eyes in an exaggerated manner. “There’s nothing awkward about this particular date, is there?”
“Believe me, my lady. I don’t want to miss a second of this date,” he said with a predatory smile.
She looked down, a blush rising to her cheeks again. Instead of replying, she shoved a whole scone in her mouth.
He chuckled and took a sip of his tea. “Tell me, my lady. What else do you like to do when you’re not reading scandalous books?”
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she swallowed the last of the scone and took a big gulp of tea. “Oh, the usual. I brew magical potions during the day. At night, I escape out the window and challenge unsuspecting men to duels.”
“Indeed? I’m glad I’ve never encountered you at night, then. I’m sure you’re a fearsome thing to behold.”
She arched an eyebrow at him. “You are hardly an unsuspecting man, Your Grace. I doubt anyone would challenge you to a duel unless they wish to follow in the footsteps of the former Baron of Boxton.”
He grimaced, but he was not surprised the subject had come up. It was all anyone could talk about last Season. “I did not go after the man because he disagreed with me in Parliament. I don’t know where that odious rumor started. That man slapped one of my stableboys, and if there’s something I cannot condone, it is someone hurting people I am responsible for. That is the truth of the matter. Do you believe me?”
She stared at him for a moment, her gaze assessing. “I believe you.” Her voice was soft and sincere. “I think that’s very admirable, actually. There are not many nobles who would care about something like that.”
He shrugged, feeling off kilter from her unexpected praise. He didn’t know why he told her. He usually didn’t care what the ton thought of him. “And before you ask about the baker, he gave unwanted advances to my scullery maid. He deserved what I did to him.”
She leaned forward with her elbows on the table and cradled her face in her hands. “So he did not send you the wrong order of scones?”
“He did that too. But that is not why I ruined him.”
She smiled. “So what do you do when you are not valiantly saving your employees from wanton villains?”
He leaned forward. “Oh, I simply become a wanton villain myself. I set fire to orphanages and kick puppies for fun.”
She laughed, covering her mouth with her hands. It wasn’t a simpering giggle like so many ladies of the ton would do, but a real laugh. He realized he liked the sound of it.
“It’s a pity,” she said after she gained control of herself. “I was hoping you lived up to your nickname and had secret magical ice powers.”
“Oh, I do. On the coldest days of the year, I find people who are trying to find a bit of warmth in a cup of tea or hot chocolate, and freeze the beverage into solid ice. In the spring and summer, I find gardens in full bloom and I send a frost to kill all of the flowers.”
“My, my,” she said, pretending to be shocked. “Well, I’ll have to keep that in mind. I do love flowers and hot tea. Of course, I could always conjure up a spell to take away your ice powers. Then you would simply be a powerless enchanted snowman instead of a menace.”
