When he reached out and cupped her cheek, Meliah stilled. She was certain that he was about to kiss her. That would certainly prove that he was a rake of the first order, but when his lips touched hers, there was no demanding pressure. Instead, it was the lightest of kisses, but it made her head spin nonetheless.
She had to fight the urge to lift up on her tiptoes and deepen the embrace. She had expected a bit more from him, but it caused her toes to curl in her slippers, so perhaps it was perfectly right.
It wasn’t until he straightened and dropped his hand that she found fault with his actions—and his words. “You have a lot to learn, my dear, Meliah.”
Stung, she was sure that she’d heard wrong. Was he truly insulting her innocence? “I search only for therealLord Belmont, my lord,” she snapped. “That is all I need to know.”
She spun on her heel, intending to leave him where he stood, but he grasped her arm and pulled her back against his chest. “In that regard, I implore you to join me in my chamber tonight and judge my actions for yourself. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised.”
Meliah told herself that she ought to be furious at the blatant suggestion in his tone. Instead, she found her body fluttering with the awareness that was coursing between them. However, since she couldn’t let such a slight stand, she lifted her chin. “You go too far, my lord. Your crass speech tells me that I have enough information to prove you are the rake that everyone believes you are. I shall have to search for inspiration elsewhere. Good day.”
Meliah removed herself from his grasp and returned to the house. She nearly stomped up the stairs and had to refrain from slamming the bedchamber door behind her as she removed the muslin dress. She heard a rip at one point, but she was tooblinded by a mixture of frustration to care. Surely, he couldn’t believe that such callous behavior worked to charm anyone. If that was what women of his acquaintance found appealing, she was grateful she wasn’t part of the nobility.
She slipped the pink dress that she’d arrived in over her head. Although it was slightly wrinkled, she did her best to smooth the material as she headed back downstairs.
She’d had enough of Lord Belmont in the past hour to last her a lifetime. She was going back to London by whatever means necessary. To stay was courting disaster with such a man.
CHAPTER 5
He knew he’d pushed Miss Newton too far when she stormed off. Elwood shoved a hand through his hair and reminded himself that she wasn’t used to the sort of banter that he generally engaged in with some of his former paramours.
Determined to ease the unwanted tension between them, he went inside to find her heading purposefully toward the front door in a flurry of pink, fists clenched at her sides. Standing in the foyer, momentarily stunned, he found his voice and demanded, “Where are you going?”
“Back to London,” she snapped, not once breaking her stride.
“How do you intend to get there?”
Her hand touched the doorknob. “I’ll walk if I must.”
Now she was just being unreasonable. It wasn’t as if he could tell her that, but neither could he let her go. Not yet. She might be upset with him right now, but it would be deuced boring without her here. And if he was perfectly honest with himself, he enjoyed sparring with her.
He shot forward and shut the door just as she opened it. She didn’t look at him, but set her jaw mutinously. “Let me go.”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
Her green eyes turned on him and immediately froze him in place. He could almost feel the frigid air chilling him from that cold stare. “I believe I have enough for my article. As such, I find it unnecessary to remain with such a?—”
“I’m sorry.”
She paused, her gaze narrowing warily. “What?”
He clenched his jaw, because he knew he had to say it a second time. Enunciating each word slowly, he repeated, “I’m. Sorry.”
She crossed her arms. “Why should I believe you?”
“Because I don’t generally say it.”
Elwood was being sincere, probably for one of the few times in his life. It was a strange sensation to apologize to anyone, to say the least, and he wasn’t really sure why he was doing it now, except he knew he’d been out of line by her standards.
She closed her eyes and lowered her head for a few moments. When she lifted her head again, she looked at him steadily. “I appreciate that, my lord, but I wish you would consider that I’m not your enemy. While I intend to learn the truth, it might be a refreshing change if another side of your character was revealed for society to see. Wouldn’t it be beneficial to clear your name?”
That is the one thing he couldn’t readily understand. “Why me? You could have cornered any of the other rakes that were featured by ‘The Belle,’ and yet, you hunted me down.”
She seemed to consider this. “Allow me to speak with candor, Lord Belmont. I have finished a novel, but before I dare to hope that anyone might publish it, I need this article to prove that I am someone worthy of note. Unlike you, I don’t have unlimited resources at my disposal. I’m the daughter of a weaver in Spitalfields and I have envisioned something more for my life. I am motivated to improve my circumstances, to enjoy things like grapes and fine linens, but it is not without hard work.”
At this revelation, all of her determination made perfect sense. “I see.” He crossed his arms and contemplated the situation before him, but there wasn’t any other option but the obvious one. “In light of your honesty, I find myself in strange waters. I should like to help you fulfill that dream.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “You would help me, knowing I’m not part of the gentry?”
