Mary hesitated. Every fiber of her being warned her not to do as he asked. She decided to act on her instinct. “Please forgive me, but I do not feel entirely well.”
He gave her a dubious look. “The fresh air will do you good. Come along.” Unable to forget the look in his eyes when he’d smelled her hair, his unwillingness to let her go when she’d asked him to do so, or the strange cadence of his voice when he’d spoken of that book he liked so much, she shook her head. “I apologize, but I think you will have to go without me.”
Although he did not look pleased by the change in plan, he smiled tightly and nodded in acquiescence. “I see that your aunt has departed. Would you like me to call for her to assist you?”
“No. There is no need to trouble her.”
“In that case, please allow me to escort you to the stairs.”
Seeing no harm in that, she agreed. In fact, his exemplary behavior right now made her wonder if she might have misjudged him. And yet... she could not ignore the soft tremors that shook her every time he glanced her way.
“I do hope that you will give my suggestion some serious thought,” he said as they walked along the corridor that would take them through to a larger hallway beyond.
It took her a moment to recall the matter to which he was referring. “Are you aware of how unusual it is for a gentleman to voice his desire to marry a lady as hastily as you have done?”
“You think me too forward?”
“I think your interest in me is too abrupt. It defies logic.”
“Then let me be clear,” he told her bluntly. “My desire to marry you is based exclusively on physical attraction.”
“But I am not especially pretty.” Staring ahead of her, Mary focused on her destination, relieved to know that she was not alone with Lord Rotridge, but surrounded by other guests and servants. “And even if I were, a marriage based on looks alone will never be successful or happy. In time, as I grow older, you will tire of me.”
He shrugged. “You are probably right, but by then you will have children with which to occupy your time. I doubt you will notice if I choose to take a mistress.”
Mary turned her head toward him so abruptly that her neck hurt. She stared at him. Had he really just said that? The flint in his eyes confirmed that he had. “What you are suggesting is absurd! There would be no love or even friendship. All I would be to you is an object for you to own.” She shook her head. “I do not wish to marry, my lord. I have told you this, but in case you choose not to believe me, please know that your confession right now has done nothing to change my mind—quite the contrary.”
“I need an heir,” he said, his jaw visibly clenching as he met her gaze.
Mary fought the urge to pull away, refusing to be cowed by him. “Then I am afraid you will have to find someone more obliging.”
“I am accustomed to getting what I want, Lady Mary, and I have decided that I want you.” Shards of ice spilled from his words. He drew her closer. “But if it is a courtship that you demand, then a courtship you shall have. By all means.”
Jitters flurried around her belly, rising up into her chest like a swarm of bees. “It will make no difference,” she told him defiantly. “You are not the sort of man whom I would wish to be bound to for the rest of my life. I am sorry.”
For one frightening moment, his expression hardened and Mary feared he might actually try to harm her in some way. But then he drew a breath and loosened his hold, smiling at her as if he found humor in her comment. “Is that because you have already set your sights on someone else?”
Mary shook her head. “No. It is because you do not want me for the right reasons. Consequently, you do not tempt me to abandon the life that I have otherwise imagined for myself.”
His smile tightened a little around the edges. “What aboutSignor Antonio?Does he tempt you?”
“It is too soon to tell,” Mary said without thinking. “I know very little about him.”
Rotridge’s eyes narrowed into two dark slits, but he said nothing further, for which Mary was remarkably grateful. Instead, he led her to the foot of the stairs. “I believe an apology is in order,” he said upon releasing her arm. “Directness has always served me well, but I fear I may have been too candid with you. If I have offended you in any way—”
“It is not just the candidness, my lord. It is the fact that you and I want entirely different things out of life. If we were to marry, one of us would be burdened with unhappiness, and I suspect that someone would be me.”
“You would be financially independent with children to care for and a husband who would stay out of your way. I have always believed that to be most women’s dream.”
Allowing a smile that took some effort to produce, Mary said, “It may well be. Unfortunately, I am not like most women. My hopes and dreams are entirely different from the norm.”
He did not look mollified, but seemed to accept the finality of her statement nonetheless. Bowing, he thanked her for her company before excusing himself and heading back in the direction from which they’d come. Expelling a breath, Mary started up the stairs, thankful that her brief encounter with the Earl of Rotridge had finally come to an end.
It was five o’clock in the evening when Richard woke and got out of bed. As usual, he’d slept through the day, the heavy curtains drawn tightly together in order to keep out the light. Reaching for the tinderbox on his bedside table, he struck a flint and lit an oil lamp, his thoughts returning, as they always did, to the sound of shots being fired, of screams wrought from frightened men’s throats while hooves thudded upon the bloodstained ground. Next came the memory of a dimly lit room, of heavy chains wound around his limbs while fire consumed him. He could feel it even now—the fierce torment of his burning flesh.
Briefly, he closed his eyes. It wouldn’t be long now before the man responsible for it would finally pay the price he deserved. As far as Richard was concerned, that day could not come soon enough.
Crossing to the washbasin, he splashed cool water on his face and reached for a towel. Deliberately, he turned his mind to happier thoughts and considered the lady he’d met the previous evening at the masquerade ball.
