His words were precise and cutting, each of them perfectly formed and enunciated. They were also outrageous. This was the type of man who made it easy for Charlotte to remember whyshe shunned the idea of marriage. He was arrogant, demanding, and entirely egotistical. To think that following him was the only reason why she was in the corridor!
“You see marriage as a trap?” she asked. Despite his curt manner, he might have been the only other person present who shared her view of marriage.
“Indeed, some seek to court me to earn a prize.”
“And what prize would that be?” she arched an eyebrow and flicked her head back, auburn locks shifting around her face.
“The prize of my name.” His lip curled as he spoke, giving him a savage quality that belied his noble appearance and garments.
“Your name is that impressive?”
“Some believe so.”
“I would seek more than a name before I was ever married. The man is more important.”
“You may believe that if you wish. I have met enough women like you to know the truth.”
Charlotte bristled, and her lips parted with shock at these arrogant and dismissive words. It was a good thing he was uninterested in marriage since she couldn’t imagine any womanfinding his attitude desirable. Anyone who found themselves wed to him would undoubtedly be cursed, and she pitied whatever doomed creature found herself bound to him.
“You speak out of turn, sir. I have no interest in marrying you or any other man. This meeting is purely coincidental.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” he replied curtly. There was no shadow of a doubt in his eyes, as though he was certain that if he said something, then it must be true.
“You clearly don’t believe in manners either. To accuse a stranger of having such base motivations is insulting.”
“As is being lied to so brazenly.”
“I do not lie.” Her voice dropped an octave. Their argument was quiet but intense. The air was peppered with the muffled sounds of the ball, the jaunty music clashing with the palpable tension in the air.
“Everything about you says that you are lying. Why else would you be in this corridor instead of in the main hall without a chaperone to be seen?”
“If I am lying, then why would I not be fawning over you as we speak? Perhaps you are not as desirable as you believe.”
Her words were sharp, too, for she was unwilling to give an inch to this man.
The stranger gave a single shake of his head. His eyes were filled with judgment, as though he already knew everything he needed to know about her. The sheer arrogance of it was an insult, and it made her nauseous.
“I have a responsibility to my name, to my family. I cannot tarnish my reputation with a dalliance in a dark corridor.”
“And once again, you presume that I am seeking such a dalliance. Believe me, sir, these lips are not eager for a kiss, and my eyes do not search for an opportunity to tempt a man. Even if they were, I would not seek to tempt you.”
He wore a smug, disbelieving smile.
“You are merely offended that I have seen through your guise. This is not a masquerade ball. Your intentions are laid bare.”
“I do not need a mask. If you do not listen to the truth, then there is nothing more I can say. But it is the height of arrogance to assume that you would be the object of my desire. I could be married or engaged for all you know.”
“Are you?” The simple question was so straightforward, and yet, it completely disarmed her. She stood there with an open mouth, frustration twisting inside her stomach as she was not used to being on the losing side of an argument.
“I thought as much,” he continued, as though her silence was all the confirmation he needed. “It would not surprise me if yourfamily was mired in scandal already.” He spat the word ‘scandal’ as though it were poison.
Charlotte drew back, shocked and insulted.
“It is one thing to insult me, sir, but quite another to insult my family.” Charlotte’s face twisted with disgust. “Speaking with you, I am reminded yet again of why I do not seek marriage. I am not inclined to exist in this world you inhabit.”
“The one you seek is one where men do your bidding, no doubt.” He arched his eyebrow in a way that infuriated her.
“Believe me, sir, the world I seek is one where men like you are nowhere to be found. It is to my dismay that the moment I took to compose myself has been utterly ruined by encountering you. I don’t know with what standard of women you have acquainted yourself before, but I am nothing like them.”
