Her open disdain made him laugh. “Lady Julia, I fear we misunderstand each other.”
Uncomfortable silence stretched between them before Willa spoke again.
“Perhaps you would like a tour of the shop, Your Grace. Lady Julia had a strong influence on how my mother and I designed the interior, including…”
“His Grace undoubtedly has better things to do than wander aimlessly about our beloved bookshelves.”
“On the contrary,” he said. “I would be delighted to see your shop.”
For a moment, Alonzo thought he saw steam coming out of the lovely Lady Julia’s ears, for she gave him another deadly glare, which he took as a personal challenge. He had never encountered a more obstinate female, a characteristic he appreciated, unlike most men. The need to win her friendship, to seduce her, to kiss those stern but full lips, sent a thrilling shiver up his spine. She could not cover up her attraction for him. Beyond opera, women were his specialty. He could smell desire at a hundred paces, and though there were only a few feet between them, her physical language begged him to draw closer. So he did, eyeing the book in her arms.
“If I may ask, what tome has caught your attention today that you hug it so protectively?”
Willa cleared her throat delicately and indicated the earl. “Would the earl care to join us for the tour?”
Alonzo considered it. “He seems content with the book he is reading.” He turned his attention back to Lady Julia. “The volume in your arms, madam?”
“What about it, Your Grace?”
“May I see it?”
Her gaze darted to Lady Willa, then back to him. “No.”
“Excuse me?” he asked, not accustomed to being denied anything.
“No,” she said again.
“Julia,” Willa urged. “What harm in sharing it?”
She appeared truly shaken by the request. But in all honesty, what could she do? Unless it was an unbecoming title for a young woman to read—an erotic tale written specifically for females—which were growing in popularity, though no woman in her right mind would carry such a book around in public.
“Didn’t Mother offer to serve tea at two?” Willa asked suddenly. She gazed at the clock on the wall. “We are late. Please go and tell her I am otherwise engaged, but to please enjoy her refreshments with you.”
Julia’s expression softened as she, too, looked at the clock and nodded. “Yes. I had nearly forgotten.” She started to turn away, but then offered the book she held to her friend. “I find I no longer wish to purchase this title.”
Willa accepted it and then watched her walk away.
“I must apologize, Your Grace,” she said just above a whisper. “Lady Julia is usually the perfect example of manners and duty. For some reason…”
“I make her crazy?”
She looked startled at first, but then nodded with a smile. “Yes, there is that.”
Good, at least he and Lady Willa could be friends. “What about the book? Is it still for sale?”
She acknowledged the leather-bound manuscript in her hands, though the front was face-down, not revealing the title or author of the work. “I’m confused by her sudden disinterest in it, for she has had her nose buried in the pages all morning. Until she…”
“Saw me?” he finished for her, gesturing for Willa to give him the book.
“You are very insightful, Your Grace.” She gladly surrendered the tome.
Alonzo was surprised by its weight and turned it over. Printed in an elegant gold script, the title both amazed and humored him—Opera’s Great Lovers.
Chapter Ten
“Oh dear,” Willasaid.
No wonder Lady Julia did not want him to see what she had been reading. As he opened the book and thumbed through the pages, he found his name and rather long biography toward the middle. He scanned the first page where a likeness of him had been drawn. Whoever the artist was, he had captured his face perfectly, especially his wry smile, the one he flashed at women he wanted to bed.
