“But… No.” She shook her head. “I cannot stay here any longer.”
“As eager as you are to leave my company, I regret to tell you that you are solidly stuck.” He gestured for her to sit, and when she failed to do so, eyeing the empty chair with a wariness that must have showed, he expelled a breath and came toward her. Lowering his voice so the nearby footman wouldn’t hear, he whispered, “Please rest assured I will remain on my best behavior. What I told you last night was unforgiveable. I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies.”
“It doesn’t change what you saw or the fact I know you saw it,” she muttered. Try as she might, she could not stop her cheeks from flushing. But she held her head high and kept her spine straight in an effort to maintain some pride.
“No. But if it is any consolation, you may rest assured there was nothing wrong with what I did see. Quite the contrary.”
His mischievous smirk and the devilish gleam in his eyes were so unsettling, she balled her hand into a tight fist and punched his upper arm. “You are insufferable,” she declared. She marched across to her chair and sat before he had a chance to assist her.
“You hit me!”
He stared at her, but she didn’t care. She was much too annoyed to let his dismayed expression affect her. Instead, she busied herself by piling food onto her plate: bacon, eggs, toast, and kippers. Perhaps if she ate, her mood would improve.
“I tried to apologize.” He sat back down in his chair.
Grabbing the butter, she sliced off a glob and proceeded to spread it across her toast with tight little movements. “Yes. You did. And then you went and ruined it with the sort of comment for which you apologized seconds earlier.”Ugh!The man was really getting on her nerves today. Especially the part of him that sent little butterflies fluttering about in her belly.
“Should I insult you instead? Would it be better if I told you I found you displeasing or if I suggested you eat less cake?”
That did it!
She set down her knife and glared at him with as much disdain as she could give a man who’d offered her shelter, a nice warm bed, and some excellent food. “I am beginning to understand why there is noLadyRavenworth,” she bit out between clenched teeth. “No woman in her right mind would want to subject herself to…” Her words trailed off as she watched his expression harden.
Without warning, he shoved back from the table and stood. “If you’ll excuse me, there’s a pressing matter to which I must attend,” he told her crisply. “Do make yourself at home, Miss Potter. My servants are at your disposal.” And on that note, he turned and strode from the room, leaving Eve with a sour taste in her mouth and a shameful feeling of guilt in her heart.
3
Shutting the door behind him, Bryce locked it and pushed out a breath. Her words should not have stung. She was a virtual stranger, a woman he’d never laid eyes on before she’d arrived at his house, shivering from cold, yesterday afternoon. And yet, there was no denying the tightness squeezing his chest or the tension constricting his veins. With a few angry words, she’d managed to hurl his past toward him so fast it had hit him with full force, bringing with it the pain and resentment he was certain he’d buried so long ago.
For three years he’d kept mostly to himself, and whenever he’d ventured out, he’d held his head high and ignored the reproachful looks being sent his way. He’d told himself he did not care, that other people’s opinions did not matter. Well, apparently Miss Potter’s did. And although she couldn’t possibly know about the incident that had changed his life for the worse, her comment still grated.I am beginning to understand why there is noLadyRavenworth.
Inhaling deeply, he went to his work table where a bit of mistletoe waited. Snatching it up by its stem, he twirled it between his fingers. Somehow, in no more than twelve short hours, Miss Potter had breached his defenses.
What a fool he was to have allowed such a thing to happen. He, of all people, should have known better. But he’d been taken with her from the moment she’d turned her dazzling blue eyes upon him. Little by little, she’d drawn him in, until last night… His mouth went dry once more as he reflected on how tempting she’d been in her nightgown. Her body…
He winced and tossed the piece of mistletoe aside. He’d do well not to think of it. No good would come of doing so since they were destined to part tomorrow. Somehow, he would get her out of his life by then, because not doing so was bound to drive him mad.
Removing his jacket and rolling up his sleeves, he sat. A few hours of working on his flowers ought to distract him from his alluring houseguest.She has a vicious tongue,he reminded himself as his mind began to betray his determination to think of anything other than her.Only because I incensed her. She’d been right to get angry with him. What he’d told her had been inexcusable. It only confirmed what everyone already had concluded–that he was the worst sort of scoundrel to walk the earth, a man so selfish and cruel not even his own family wished to stand by him.
A gentle knock sounded at the door. Bryce stared at the rose before him, propped up by a cleverly crafted stand. It was almost covered in gold, painted by the brush he held between his fingers. Blinking, he wondered how long he’d been lost in his musings. An hour or two at least, considering his progress.
The knock came again, and Bryce sucked in a breath. It was her. He knew it in the pit of his stomach. And although he wanted to let her in, he also wanted to keep her away. Doing so was best for both of them. Neither could allow themselves to give in to temptation. Not when the stakes were as high as they were, with her intending to make a good match and him more than likely to ruin that for her.
So he didn’t respond, waiting instead for the gentle tread of retreating footsteps. Regret welled up inside him, but it was for the best. This way, they could both go on with their lives as if crossing paths with each other was nothing more than a slight inconvenience.
* * *
He didn’t wantto speak with her. That much was clear. While his withdrawal annoyed her, she couldn’t blame him for it. Not when she’d behaved so abominably. She felt awful about what she’d said. Her words had clearly struck him with greater force than she’d ever expected. Which made her wonder. Why wasn’t he married? Perhaps he had been, and his wife had died? It would certainly explain why her cutting remark had bothered him so.
Intent on offering him an apology, she’d sought him out. But he’d refused to let her into the room where he’d secluded himself, and after knocking a couple of times, she’d granted him the solitude he wished for. Which meant she would have to entertain herself until it was time to eat again. Because surely he would show up for luncheon.
But he didn’t. Nor did he put in an appearance for dinner. At which point it became clear he had no intention of seeing her ever again. She would depart the following morning, and she doubted he would be there to see her off. It was as if he’d banished her from his life already, and although she should not care, she did–a lot more than she’d like to.
After retiring that evening, she remained in her bedchamber. She would not venture downstairs in hope of encountering him in the library. No. She would respect his wishes and allow the distance he wished for to sink between them. And then she would leave, intent on enjoying Christmas with Margaret and her family, in a home that would not contain a man with a serious frown and eyes as black as the darkest night.
She would forget him and go on to live a happy life with a suitable gentleman of her choosing. Or so she told herself even though, somewhere deep down inside, a little voice whispered no other man would ever affect her as Ravenworth did. The feelings he stirred in her were like little whirlwinds, spinning out of control.
Staring up at the ceiling, she pictured his face, the intensity of his gaze, and the tight lines bracketing his mouth. He was not a man prone to amusement, the severity of his features suggesting he’d had his fair share of troubles. But whenever she caught him observing her, she came alive in ways she’d never imagined she might. It was intoxicating and frightening in equal measure, and since she’d no experience with such things, she hadn’t a clue how to deal with it besides doing what she could to preserve her reputation and leave the source of these strange new sensations.
