Lillian knew she should say good-bye and let him go inside. Her hands and toes were getting cold, so the marquis had to be nearly frozen to death by now. Yet she was reluctant to end the conversation with him. Clearly he’d rushed outside without proper clothing, but he seemed strong and untouchable by the cold. Obviously he worried so much about his nephews that he forgot about himself. The ridiculous notion that he needed someone to take care of him swirled through her thoughts.
She clasped her hands together behind her back and swayed a little as if she were listening to a slow tune played on the pianoforte. “I can see that what I heard about you this past Season is true.”
He pulled the lapels of his coat closed and folded his arms in front of his chest again. “It must have been your first Season? I would have remembered if we’d met during a previous Season.”I would have remembered if we’d met.
His last comment sent her pulse racing. “Yes, my first. And though you were not present, I’d venture to say you were the most-talked-about gentleman in all of London.”
“That’s quite an honor.”
There was no pretense of shock or arrogance in his answer. “You sound as if it doesn’t bother you to be the subject of gossip?”
“Why should it? I’ve heard it said that it’s better to be talked about than never even be thought about.”
She smiled. “I’ve heard that old saying too. So you really don’t mind.”
“Not in the least, Miss Prim.”
Her gentle swaying continued. “Have you any curiosity about what was said about you?”
“None. It probably wasn’t true.”
“In your case, I’d say it is all true.”
“And you are ready to make that claim because you have talked to me for all of ten or fifteen minutes?”
She laughed softly. “Shocking I could do it so fast, isn’t it?”
For an instant Lillian thought she might have gone too far, but then the marquis laughed too.
“The crux of what I heard about you was that you were handsome, serious-minded, and eligible to make a match but more interested in books than marriage.”
He nodded. “It sounds as if there isn’t much change in the gossip from Season to Season. And since you already know all there is to know about me, I’m going to take my leave now and go see what the lads are up to.”
When he turned away, a thought popped into Lillian’s mind that was so wild and so outrageous it made her tremble. She didn’t have time to consider whether it was a good idea, whether it would work or would cause Crispin to send her packing. She just knew she had to do it.
Quickly.
Shivering as much from her plan as the cold, Lillian bent down and scooped a double handful of snow and stuffed it into one of the pockets of her pelisse. Then she scooped up another as she rose, pressing it quickly into a loose ball and throwing it hard at the marquis. She hit him right between the shoulder blades.
He stopped and turned around so slowly that for an instant she regretted her rash impulse. Expecting his expression to be furious, relief blasted through her as she was met with an amused look of disbelief. Her courage returned. She slipped a hand into her pocket of snow and started forming another ball.
Lord Wythebury started walking toward her. The closer he came, the wider his shoulders appeared to be. He didn’t stop until he was toe-to-toe with her, so close she was sure it was his uneven heartbeat and not her own thumping in her ears. The pleasing woodsy scent of cedar wafted from his freshly shaved skin, and though he must be shivering from the cold, she felt warmth emanating from his powerful body. But what stunned Lillian most was that she wanted to be pulled into the marquis’ warm embrace. She wanted to feel the strength of his strong arms and the firmness of his chest against her breasts.
His eyes studied hers so intently that for a moment she was fearful he could read her mind and know that she desired him as a woman desires a man with every fiber of her being.
His head bent lower, closer to her face, closer to her lips, sending chills of anticipation rippling through her. Was he going to kiss her? Or was she going to forget all her upbringing, throw convention to the wind, startle them both, and kiss him on his cool moist lips?
Quietly, calmly, he said, “Did you just hit me with another ball of snow?”
Intensely aware of everything about him, her first thought was to deny it, but she knew that wouldn’t get her very far. There was no one else around. Now that she’d dealt herself this hand, she had no choice but to play it. Her action was daring, maybe even foolish, but she couldn’t win if she was afraid to make the first move.
“I’m issuing a challenge to you, my lord.”
“That was an odd way to get my attention when you could have simply spoken my name, but I’m listening.”
“A snowball fight.” Her hands squeezed around the snow in her pocket. “If I hit you first, the boys get two hours outside tomorrow to play. If you strike me first, we’ll stay inside the entire day.”
Breathlessly, she waited while his gaze intimately explored her face. “That’s a rather fearless challenge from a young lady.”
