“Go right ahead.”
She cursed him to perdition instead.
“Where did you get the jacket?” he asked once he’d brought her into his study and set her back on her feet.
Raising her chin, Athena crossed her arms and gave him her best glare. “I borrowed it from one of your footmen.”
“Of all the...” He spun away and scrubbed his hand across his face. A curse followed and then he faced her once again. “You’ll need to return it. Immediately.”
“Did you think I was planning on keeping it?”
“No, I...” He huffed a breath and before she knew what was happening, he was holding her by her upper arms and leaning in. Stormy eyes locked onto hers. “There’s brazen, and then there’s plain foolhardiness. You cannot honestly think you can walk around dressed like that without anyone taking notice?”
Athena blinked. “I don’t see how my choice in clothes is any business of yours. You’re not my father or my brother.”
“No, I’m most certainly not,” he told her with a fierceness that took her aback. “But that doesn’t mean you are not my responsibility while you are here or that I shouldn’t be honest with you. The fact is, you are providing every man who sees you like this with a fantasy that will stir his loins for the rest of his days.”
Shock thundered through her. His words and what they implied were beyond the pale. No one had ever spoken to her with such crassness before. She clenched her jaw and glared back at him. “How dare you?”
“It’s time for you to be made aware,” he told her darkly. “You no longer have a child’s body. In case you hadn’t noticed.”
She turned her gaze away from his and stared at the wall behind him while taking deep breaths. “I cannot very well muck out a stall while wearing a dress. That wouldn’t be practical.”
“Perhaps you ought to leave the mucking out of stalls to the grooms then?”
She huffed in response to that and crossed her arms in protest. “Fine.”
He released his hold and took a step back. “Athena, I’m not telling you this to be difficult. If I didn’t care about you or your wellbeing, I’d let you gad about as you please.”
Acceptance wasn’t easy, but the sincerity in his voice cut through her defenses until she was forced to acknowledge his point. “I know I can be a handful and that I am not the easiest person to deal with.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being feisty,” he told her gently. “In fact, I marvel at your vivacity. But your innocent naïveté puts you in danger.”
“I’m not as naïve as you think,” she grumbled. “I know there are villains about in the world. My sister-in-law, James’ wife, Abigail, almost became the victim of one.”
“And yet you still ride around the countryside unchaperoned, intent on visiting a man who for all you knew could have harbored ill intentions toward you. What if I’d been plotting a chance for revenge?”
“Were you?”
“That’s not the point and you know it.”
“I never go anywhere unarmed,” she tried, hoping to offer him some reassurance.
He stared at her, then slowly nodded. “All right. Show me your weapon.”
Reaching down, Athena pulled a knife loose from her boot and held it up for his inspection. Pleasure burst through her when she saw the approving look in his eyes. Good. Now he’d know she wasn’t as careless about her safety as he’d assumed. She raised her chin and met his gaze boldly.
“Stay right there. Don’t move.” He crossed to the door several paces away, then turned back to face her. “Now, pretend I’m a murderous scoundrel determined to have my way with you before I slit your throat. Defend yourself.”
“What?” The word was barely out before he was upon her, one hand grabbing her wrist so roughly she let go the knife. Athena narrowed her gaze at the slate blue eyes staring back at her. “That’s not fair. I wasn’t ready.”
“We’ll do it again then.” Releasing her, he returned to his previous position and started advancing once more.
This time, Athena managed to dodge him once before he caught her wrist and pushed her back against the wall, trapping her there, his hand adding pressure until she was forced to release the knife once more.
She frowned at him. “I don’t want to hurt you. Obviously, if you were a real attacker I would have stabbed you.”
With a snort of clear disbelief, he let her go and went back to the door. “Do it. Try to stab me, Athena.”
