He curled his fingers over the chair arms, his nails digging into the polished rosewood. “I have not lied to you.”
“You have not been entirely honest,” Lady Bridget said. “You have evaded my questions and tried to distract me with insults, and I shall not be so easily deterred.”
She tipped her chin up and smiled sweetly at him, clearly pleased with her defiance and cleverness. Lewis scowled. “I find that your company is growing increasingly less pleasant as well.”
“And yet you wish to marry me,” she said.
“I will marry you,” he corrected. “Wishinghas nothing to do with our match.”
“I wonder,” Lady Bridget said, “when we are married, will you also keep me locked away in a townhouse, only bringing me out when it is convenient to you? I will not tolerate such behavior.”
“Only if you prove especially frustrating,” he said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Lady Bridget put a hand to her collarbone, as though scandalized by the answer. Lewis fought the impulse to childishly roll his eyes at her. For all the talk of how scandalous Lady Bridget was, it was apparent that she had no inkling of what arealscandal was.
He would delight in showing her.
“My family will not allow that,” Lady Bridget said stiffly. “They care about me and will protect me from anyone.”
“I know. I suspect that your relatives are part of the problem,” Lewis said. “They have treated you like glass and allowed you far too much indulgence. You believe that you may do whatever you please, regardless of the consequences, and that has been to your detriment.”
“You think you know everything about me,” Lady Bridget said tightly. “Bold words from a man who has only spoken to me on a handful of occasions.”
“There is little to know,” he said dismissively. “I have been acquainted with enough young ladies to understand that you are all quite the same.”
He glanced at her, waiting to see if she would rise to the bait, and she did not disappoint. An affronted expression fixed itself on her lovely face. “Well, I never!”
He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “You still have not learned your lesson, my dear. You should not become so easily frustrated.”
“I do not,” she replied. “Only when you are involved because you are uniquely frustrating.”
Lewis leaned nearer to her. “Is it truly frustration that you feel?” he murmured. “Or is it something else? Is your heart racing? Your palms sweating, perhaps?”
The lady wiped her palms on her skirts, and Lewis smirked. He affected her, even if she did not wish to admit it.
“No words for me?” he asked coyly.
“I do have words for you. Here is my question, Your Grace,” Lady Bridget said. She drew away from him, but not before casting a quick look at his mouth. As much as she might wish otherwise, Lady Bridget clearly desired him. “If my family has coddled me too much, what isyourexcuse? I imagine your existence must be miserable, indeed, if you truly believe that all ladies arequite the same.”
“Experience.”
“Maybe you are not nearly as experienced as you think,” Lady Bridget retorted, her eyes bright and her face flushed. “Perhaps you should marry, so your wife may educate you on the subtle differences between ladies.”
“Bold of you to assume that someone of your tender years may teach me anything,” he said. “You are nine-and-ten, are you not? Fresh and young and entirely inexperienced in the world.”
“I believe it is more shameful to be a man of six-and-twenty and know so little about the world that you assume all ladies are thesame,” Lady Bridget said. “Certainly, it is more shameful than being my age and not knowing everything.”
“You enjoy being contrary,” he said. “Very well. You may have the honor of explaining to your brother why you will not attend the one ball to which you have been invited.”
Lewis could see that he had won. Lady Bridget would not do it. She might detest thathehad procured the invitation, but she was still a young lady, who enjoyed balls and soirees. She would be grateful to go, whether she wanted to admit it or not.
CHAPTER 14
The ball occurred three days after His Grace’s visit, and during that time, Bridget had tried to put everything she had learned about the Dowager Duchess into order. It was difficult, for she still knew little about the woman. Bridget’s first impulse had been to assume that the Duke of Wheelton’s answers were evasive because hewascruel to the Dowager Duchess and refused to admit his misdeeds.
But that is not the only explanation,Bridget thought morosely as Elias led her into the ballroom.
Most Dukes—most of theton, mostmen—would probably be hesitant to answer questions about female relatives who were known for having delicate nerves, and Bridget had not been especially sensitive with her inquiries.
