She put the glass just below her lip. “I would say you are clumsy.”
“Clumsy.” His mouth fell open. “No. I am not clumsy.”
“Absent-minded?”
“No.”
“Perhaps a bit mad.”
“Ma’am.” Leonard stood, placing his undrunk tea back onto the tray. “If this is a waste of my time, please say so now and I will save us both some time and trouble.”
“Are you truly giving up that easily?” She stood, placing her glass back on the shelf of her liquor cabinet. “I must admit I am disappointed.”
Leonard’s thoughts reeled. This woman was making his mind muddled. “So, you did take it.”
She sighed, then walked closer until she was only a few paces from him. “Lesson one. If you know something for a fact, do not be so easily swayed by someone’s innocent demeanor.”
He gazed down at her, taking shallow breaths. It was as if she had him trapped, and if he breathed any deeper, it would only bring them that much closer together. “Lesson?” His words were low. “What lesson are we talking about?”
“Lessons on human behavior.”
“And you are giving me lessons for . . .”
She propped one hand on her hip as she leaned against the back of a chair. “You clearly need them. Usually, I revel in the ability of being so good at fooling people, but with you, it’s been more appalling than exciting.”
“Appall—please. Explain to me what is happening right now.”
She threw her head back with a groan. “You see?” She straightened. “This is pathetic. You cannot even deduce that I am admitting I stole from you. Come, now. You cannot be this awful at reading people. Or, in this case, understanding a rather uncomplicated conversation.”
“You have not said one uncomplicated thing since I arrived at your door, Mrs. Gillingham!” Leonard nearly shouted. “I am about to pull out my hair, and I’ve been here for only ten minutes.”
“Oh, you must not pull out your hair. It is my favorite attribute of your appearance.” She walked up to him, and each step she took made his breathing more erratic. She reached up, and Leonard watched in frozen horror as she gently brushed the front of his hair to the side.
“So soft,” she whispered.
His mouth fell open, and his heart tightened in his chest. No woman in his life had ever come this close to him, and she had now done so twice. Her blue eyes were only inches from his, and had the situation been different, he might have found himselfadmiring the light hue of her eyes or the pleasing shape of her face. But the situation was maddening enough that he had no desire to admire anything about her. In fact, her actions were so far removed from propriety that he almost felt like this was all a dream. For there was no way a woman of society would be behaving as she was now.
She brought her hand back, and with a bit of distance, Leonard was able to breathe a bit better.
“Ma’am,” he gritted out with clenched teeth. His heart was still hammering away, and he hated that she had gotten any sort of reaction out of him. “Please take a step back and refrain from touching my hair.”
She did as he asked, but the coy smile playing about her lips had him wondering all sorts of things. Such as, how did this woman derive so much pleasure from ruining other people’s days?
“Now,” he said on a sigh, more comfortable now that his personal space wasn’t being infringed upon. “You have admitted to stealing my ring. If you would only return it to me, then I will leave and never, ever return.”
“I highly doubt that.” Her voice was a deep purr.
He shook his head. “Because?”
“Because I now have your watch.” She held it in the air, dangling it around one finger.
Leonard pressed a hand to his pocket. To his horror, his watch was indeed gone.
He reached up and snatched it from her hand before tucking it away, his fingers fumbling. “What is wrong with you? And how do you keep doing that?” For reasons unexplained, she made him nervous. And he didn’t like that at all. He was the master of himself. Emotions, thoughts, feelings, actions. For one woman to put him so off his ease was quite alarming.
“Those are excellent questions, Mr. Stanton, but they will have to be kept for another day.”
“Then I suppose, if you refuse to return my property to me, I shall have to inform the constable.” His fingers still fumbled, but he met her gaze with what he hoped passed as confidence.
