To his relief, he found her dress this time a sight more modest than it had been on the previous occasion, but her figure was still attractive and appealing. The men in the corners of the room had been giving her appreciative looks since before Maxwell had approached her; if she had not seen them, that served as more proof that she was not ready to be in such a place.
“What makes you think you have the right to accost me here?” she demanded.
He looked up, assessing the tone of the room. The sooner he removed her from this place, the better.
“You ought to be thanking your lucky stars I am the one who found you tonight.”
“Well, I am not. Why should I be relieved that a man I almost married has inserted himself into my business in this way?”
Maxwell refocused on her face, lovelier than ever in her anger. No wonder so many gentlemen were craning their heads to get a better look at her; she was far more appealing than all the other women here, that was for certain.
Innocence was appealing when compared to jaded acquiescence by the usual ladies who frequented this place.
“Why did you come here?” he asked, stepping closer to signal to the other men that she was with him. “Was it for that other gentleman’s sake? Yourfriend? Where is he now?”
Lady Thalia pinched her lips together, evidently unwilling to answer.
Maxwell already knew it could be nothing good. No gentleman worth his salt would leave her here unprotected. And even if something did happen, he was notably unprepared, or perhaps unable, to protect her the way she ought to be protected.
Evidently, he could not have Lady Thalia’s best interests at heart.
Yet shelikedthis friend of hers.
She must have done, or else why would she be here?
“He strikes me as being spectacularly unsuited to having afriendsuch as you,” he said, his nostrils flaring as he watched her reaction.
If he had hoped she would refute the implication that there was something more between them than friendship, he was mistaken.
“He is very dear to me,” she said, chin raised. “And once again, you have no right to be making such inquiries into my life and personal matters.”
“Oh, isthatso?” He scowled down at her. There was violence in the air, and he wanted to remove her from the situation before any of it could be directed at her. “Your personal life is none ofmy concern, but I do object to your presence here.” He took her arm, gently but firmly. “I insist upon taking you home.”
“Your Grace, I must?—”
“Look around,” he said in a low voice. “Look at the men who are watching you now. If I leave you here alone, they will make advances. Do you wish to repel them? They may not take kindly to such a thing. Will yourfriendprotect you?” He could not help the scorn from entering his voice. “My carriage is waiting outside. I will take you home now so nothing more dangerous can happen. Do you object?”
Her mouth opened, but after a glance around the room, she closed it again. Her eyes flashed with defiance, but she finally capitulated with a nod.
Thalia fumed as she allowed the Duke to lead her through the crowd. He kept his hold on her arm, possessive and forceful, although he held her gently enough that he didn’t hurt her.
At the door, he caught the doorman’s attention and instructed her to leave a message for Elliot to inform him that she had gone with the Duke.
Hopefully, soon, he would emerge from paying off the remnants of his debts and could go home unscathed.
The Duke clearly thought Elliot was shirking his duty to her, but he had gone out of his way to dissuade her from coming with him, and when that had failed, had insisted that she wait for him to complete his business.
The idea that she and Elliot were in love was also laughable, but she disliked the Duke’s presumption in mentioning it, so she had no intention of correcting him.
The Duke’s carriage waited in a pool of shadows, and he practically shoved her inside.
“There is no need to behave as though you are kidnapping me,” she said as he climbed opposite, shutting the door behind them. A sharp tap on the roof later, they were off.
Thalia folded her arms, doing her best to ignore her companion.
“Kidnappers do not usually restore people to their homes,” he said in a dry voice that was utterly at odds with his intimidating aspect. He loomed in the gloom opposite like a specter.
She knew she ought to find it unpleasant and dislikeable—and she did find the Duke unagreeable in general.
