“Anyone with pretensions of gaining nobility, wealth, or rank,” he corrected, guiding her little dog back onto the walking path when the terrier tried to flush a pigeon. “Not anyone who is already possessed of them.”
Several of the carriages had begun to slow and then swing in their direction. Lucien cursed under his breath and turned them onto a path more sheltered by trees. “So you feel my cousin is trainable. Something else concerns you, though, unless I am mistaken.”
She hesitated. “Your aunt concerns me.”
For the first time since he’d let the harpies into his home, Lucien grinned. “Welcome to my world, Miss Gallant.”
“That’s awful.”
“I’m an awful person.”
“Mrs. Delacroix concerns me only because your peers will see her in association with Miss Delacroix,” the governess resumed. “While I’m certain she is a…fine lady, she appears to be very outspoken. I fear this may have a detrimental effect on her daughter’s public presentation.”
“She’ll destroy all hope of matrimony.”
“I didn’t say—”
“Yes, you did.”
Miss Gallant stopped. “My lord, if I am to help Miss Delacroix, I must be able to do so unchallenged. Please stop interrupting me.”
He smiled at her, noting the color in her cheeks. Proper or not, annoyed at him or not, she was not unmoved by him. “I asked you to be blunt.”
“You hired me for my manners.”
“I hired you because I want to peel you out of your clothes and make love to you.”
She gaped at him again, blushing furiously. “That is—you are—you have gone too far! I am leaving,” she stammered, and turned around.
Lucien reversed course and caught up to her. “You will be chaperoning Rose to any and all outings I see fit for her to attend,” he said, wondering if he’d truly pushed her too far, or if she was only making an expected show of propriety. He was definitely unused to exercising decorum. “We will exclude Aunt Fiona from as many of them as possible. For the ones she must attend, I will make certain she behaves as much as she is capable. Is that acceptable?”
“Youare not acceptable, my lord! I have tried to overlook your lack of manners, because for all I knew, your reputation may have been rumored rather than earned. But you have proven to me that this is not the case. I must give my—”
“Could I snag a proper wife under the present circumstances?” he interrupted.
She cleared her throat. “How do you mean proper?”
“Of good family and good breeding stock, virginal, and hopefully attractive.”
Alexandra scowled. “Are you looking for a wife or a brood mare?”
“It’s the same thing, really.”
“No, it’s not. What about love?”
Lucien grabbed up a stick and tossed it out of their path. “Loveis a word we give for the desire to fornicate so we seem more refined than farm animals.”
For a long moment Miss Gallant was silent. “I think, my lord,” she said finally, “that since you don’t intend to offer love, you must at least offer good manners. Ladies almost universally expect that.”
“And so to return to my original question, could I snag a—”
“No.” She flushed. “No, my lord. I don’t believe you could.”
Lucien gazed across the park, torn between amusement and annoyance. She’d only said what he expected, but it wasn’t precisely flattering to hear it. “Then I shall have to enlist your services, as well.”
“Beg par—”
“Lord Kilcairn? How splendid to see you this afternoon.”
