Gone was his impatience, his anger. He’d altered his demeanor, but to what purpose? This time, she supposed, he intended to unsettle her with his charm.
No matter.
She was as impervious to his charm as she was to his dark, searching eyes, his thick, midnight-black hair, and the raffish, loose-limbed way he was leaning against the door jam, arms crossed over an impressively muscled chest.
The man positively radiated virility.
And, unfortunately, her dry throat and her suddenly damp, clammy palms suggested she was not quite as impervious as she’d like to be.
She pursed her lips. “Is your disruption at an end, then?”
“If you recall, I promised Fee I would come see her after the party.”
“Lady Felicia is sleeping.”
“Pity.” He strode over to the small table and glanced down at Delmare’s slate. “The duchess tells me she’s quite pleased with your work.”
She folded her hands. “I am honored, Your Grace.”
“I didn’t think anyone could rival Mrs. Chatten in the duchess’s opinion. I’m surprised someone else could so quickly take her place.”
“I shouldn’t dream of trying totake her place. The children continue to feel her absence deeply. And, I believe, she hopes to return by the end of the month.”
He employed the useful silence technique once again, holding her gaze with a gleam in his own that challenged her to look away first.
She should have. Shewouldhave. But how could she allow him to win?
When he finally spoke, his voice remained light and conversational. “I understand you were formerly a governess. For whom did you work?”
“A family of consequence.” She chose, at random, a lie that she hoped would end his inquiries. “I’dhappilyreveal more, however, they requested, I’m sure you understand, my discretion.”
“Odd.” He shrugged. “But fair enough.” He lifted Delmare’s slate and inspected the numbers. “Very well done, Del.” His gaze returned to her. “This position—nursemaid, really—is beneath your qualifications, is it not?”
“I am here at the pleasure of the duchess, of course. I will gladly serve until Mrs. Chatten returns, or Lord Delmare leaves for school.”
“And then?”
Her most cherished vision flashed before her eyes and then tingled in her empty arms. She had the dizzy feeling of skating quickly over thin ice, with a cracking boom exploding beneath her feet.
Whatwasshe doing?
Annis.
Bating this man was a risk she could not afford.
She lowered her eyes to shutter her thoughts. “Where else but another position?”
His questions ceased. Had he noted her unease? She doubted he missed a thing. Those penetrating eyes were reading things about her person she had no intention of revealing. Perhaps even things she didn’t yet know.
His gaze settled somewhere to the right of her neck...and did not move.
She became aware of a sensation she hadn’t noticed. A slight tickle just beneath her ear. Blushing again—curse her pale skin—she folded another escaped tendril into her chignon.
“Why are you so curious?” she forced herself to ask. “Have you children in need of tending?”
“As yet, no.” His voice cracked as he spoke.
She’d caught him off guard.Good.
