His head cocked back in irritation and his expression had a rakish hint of mystery about what he was really thinking. “It’s not customary to ask a gentleman his name in a place such as this,” he said, seeming to give no weight to answering her simple question.
A twinge of concern pricked her instinct at his comment. She had hoped there would be no problems with opening the small boarding school for unfortunate girls in the building behind the house. Now, hewas giving her reason to doubt that. It was perhaps more than a little unusual to put such a charitable establishment in the middle of a valuable street of houses, but she and her two friends and partners, Julia and Brina, had agreed it was simply the perfect place.
They could have never found such an ideal property on their own. Their solicitor had been invaluable in all aspects of starting the school. It was agreed by all that Adeline would live in the main house. She would be completely separated from the school and the girls by the tall yew hedge with an arched trellis for a gate, thereby keeping her at a distance from anything unseemly. Though it had satisfied her wish to be close and available if, for whatever reason, she might be needed after the school commenced. And they’d been purposely quiet while furnishing the school so they wouldn’t be disruptive to the neighborhood.
Moreover, this street was in St. James. Not the center of Society’s crown jewel, the bustling, prestigious Mayfair—where most of the inhabitants had no inclination to know about, much less be near, the everyday people who made up the larger portion of London’s growing population.
Adeline searched the man’s broad brow, angular cheekbones, and square chin and jaw, hoping that his comment had nothing to do with the school, and said, “It’s the polite question to ask. When a man doesn’t offer it no matter where he is,” she said tersely. “I’ll show you out.”
Not waiting for a response, Adeline strode past him without glancing his way. Seconds later she heard his determined footfalls in the corridor behind her, butthankfully not before she’d shimmied her sleeves back up to cover her shoulders, restoring some modicum of respectability to her clothing.
Salvaging her pride might take a little more time.
With his longer stride it took only seconds for him to catch up to her. There was no need to call for Mrs. Lawton to aid her in seeing him out. Adeline would take great pleasure in doing that all by herself. She started to open the front door, but he caught it with his hand and leaned his body forward, stopping her.
Instantly wary, she managed to stifle a flinch and huff, though her heartbeat thumped a little harder. No gentleman should be so blatant toward a lady. Her muscles coiled and tightened in response to his unforeseen action, but for some unfathomable reason she felt no fear for her physical safety.
This, she realized, was a battle of wills between them.
While he was clearly no ordinary gentleman, she no longer was an ordinary woman. Her husband’s death had ensured that she would never be under any man’s hand again. She had gained a level of freedom she’d never dreamed of before and she wasn’t afraid to indulge in it.
“Sir, I bid you good evening.”
Powerless to deny herself an attempt to best him, she threw her weight onto one foot and vigorously pulled on the door.
Her efforts didn’t even rattle the hinges.
The strength of him wasn’t going to be dislodged by her efforts. Nevertheless, she wouldn’t relinquish her hold or be cowered by his uncivil display of superior strength. She was through taking orders from men who felt their title, wealth, or heritage permitted them to have—no, to demand—anything or any person they wanted.
Her chest heaving, she looked up at him and calmly asked, “Are you threatening me?”
From beneath thick lashes, his silvery-gray eyes stared into hers and seemed to darken to the color of thunderclouds. He slowly took his hand off the door and stepped away. At his movement, she caught the inviting scent of shaving soap, fine wool, and freshly pressed linen. Much to her consternation her body tingled with errant unladylike sensations once again.
“If you really thought I was threatening, you wouldn’t have sent your housekeeper away.”
That was perceptive of him, but she wasn’t going to let the arrogant man know it. His brashness, innuendo, and vigor should have frightened her—and it did—but not in the way she would have presumed or wanted. It awakened a long-dormant sense of unfulfilled desire. That is what she most needed to fear.
She lifted her brows in doubt as an answer.
“I’m simply asking you to summon the owner of the house,” he said in a quiet, but firm voice.
“You weren’tsimplyasking,” she said. “You were trying toforceme to do so.”
In a low voice, he all but whispered, “I would never force a woman to do anything. I only want to speak to the owner and find out what is going on here.”
Adeline’s spine remained rigid. So this was indeed about the school. That was a troublesome matter and would have to be dealt with gently. She and her friendshad hoped to keep information about The Seafarer’s School from the ton until the girls moved in, thinking it would be more difficult for the old guard of Society to object to her charitable project if the children were already settled into the residence. There would be a certain amount of gossip about the reasons she, Julia, and Brina were opening the school, but they were prepared for it. Their hope was that everyone would be accepting as long as the three of them kept their distance from the girls and, as all proper ladies should do, leave the business and management of it solely in their solicitor’s hands.
The clock in the drawing room chimed and didn’t stop until it had resounded five times. Her gaze remained locked together with his as if neither wanted to be the first to blink. Adeline had to make a choice. She could continue her battle of wills with him, call for Mrs. Lawton to help her toss the man out on his ear, or, less satisfying, relent to his cocksure resolve and find out exactly what he wanted.
The decision was suddenly easy. She only wanted to be rid of him and the desirous feelings of excitement that stole through her when he looked too closely at her. And she looked at him.
Adeline stiffened her back again with all the aplomb her title required and said, “I am one of the owners. You can talk with me.”
“You’re much younger than I assumed the proprietor of this establishment would be,” he confessed. “And as beautiful as you are in your crimson and gold, and in any other circumstances, or any other location, I would be happy to pay whatever fee you charge to fulfill myneeds. However, this is a respectable neighborhood and I cannot and will not sit by and allow a madam to move in and set up her business here.”
A trio of thumps echoed in Adeline’s chest, and then a few more. The pendulum on the clock must have ticked a half-dozen times. Adeline’s brain seemed to freeze before the air swooshed out of her lungs. Shock roared through her. Her whole body stiffened before she felt her eyes narrow in outrage.
“Just where do you think you are, sir?”
