Zane felt a twitch between his shoulder blades that ran up the back of his neck and throbbed in his temples. His fingers tightened on hers again. Where did she get the nerve to demand such compliance from him? The truth was he hadn’t wanted to be with another woman since he’d seen her again, but he didn’t want her telling him he couldn’t be with someone if he wanted to.
She blinked rapidly and her shapely lips were set in a firm line. He was certain she’d saidno womenimpulsively. It wasn’t something a genteel lady of the ton would say to a man. But he also knew now she had uttered it, she’d never take it back.
“That’s going—”
Mrs. Feld froze and dropped her hands to her side and fixed her gaze on his. From the corner of his eye, Zane watched as the other dancers slowly realized what was going on and the line stopped in sequence. The music slowly died away and so did the chatter of the crowd.
Intensity radiated from her stance, her expression, and her countenance. She couldn’t have been more serious. And he knew why. She didn’t think he could do any of it.
“No women, no cards, no wagering, and no swearing,” she said unwaveringly.
“Are you trying to make me a saint?” he said a little louder than he intended.
“No. Only a gentleman. But I will end proving you can’t change your rakish ways, and furthermore, that you don’t want to.” She scoffed. “But if you can—” Suddenly her countenance changed. She relaxed her inflexible stance and smiled confidently. “I’m yours.”
The ballroom was as quiet as a sealed tomb. Realization of what was happening hit him. The kind, beautiful, and perfect widow he thought would make him respectable was really going to try to make him respectable.
He bent closer toward her ear and whispered so only she could hear, “I hopeno womendoesn’t include kissing. I have to kiss a lady’s hand, my sister’s and cousins’ cheeks.”
She held her ground unflinchingly as she seemed to consider what he said. “Understood,” she acknowledged in a tone as low as his. “Kissing accepted.”
Over Mrs. Feld’s shoulder, Zane watched Lyon and Garrett push through the gathered crowd and move intohis view. Their wives nudged their way beside them. They were taking a stand and making sure he knew in no uncertain terms they were there to protect her if she needed them. Movement on the other side of the room caught his eye. Patricia and his uncles stepped forward too and looked on with keen interest. But were they on his side or Mrs. Feld’s?
The gauntlet had been thrown down, but Zane wasn’t sure if he’d thrown it or Mrs. Feld had. One thing was sure, this cat-and-mouse game that only the two of them were playing had been witnessed by many.
From the crowd, Zane heard whispers that did nothing to aid his thoughts on what happened between the two of them.
“He can’t do it,”a man said.
“No, he won’t accept her terms,”someone else added.
“Can’t say as I blame him.”
“What respectable gentleman would be willing to give up his ale and cards in the afternoons and his brandy in the evenings?”
“Or women?”
“He’d be a fool to try,”a different man answered.
“I’d say she got the best of him.”
Not yet, she hadn’t, Zane thought. His pursuit of Mrs. Feld had only just begun.
Chapter 7
The only sound Brina heard was her own breathing.
She knew there had been times in life when things got out of hand, but those times usually happened to Julia. Her friend was noted for unintentional mishaps and was more adept at handling unexpected surprises of her own making. But really, Brina must put the blame for this catastrophe exactly where it rightly belonged. On the Earl of Blacknight’s more than ample shoulders.
It was almost as if he’d goaded her into making demands by accepting the first one. Why had he done that?
She wouldn’t have said a word to him if he hadn’t asked her for a dance thesecondtime. Something no proper gentleman would have ever done. And despite her resolve to ignore him, he’d seemingly so innocently pulled her into a discussion she didn’t want to have, making it easy for her to trade words with him. Most disturbing of all was how their exchange made her feelinvigorated—alive. Their entire conversation had been astounding. They were quibbling over the possibility of marriage. A subject that should always be handled delicately and in private.
They had an entire ballroom looking on and trying to listen.
Obviously, nothing was sacred to Blacknight. Hedidneed someone to teach him proper conduct. Suddenly, there was something immensely thrilling about being the one who was going to do that.
He was a powerfully built man. Handsome. Tempting. She wasn’t immune to his physical presence. Much as she’d like to be. It was the intensity with which she felt the attraction that unsettled her. Sensations too rapturous to think about stirred within her when she looked at him. She was a widow. Seasoned and rational. She shouldn’t be giving in to the feelings he stirred up inside her.
