Page 8 of The Lady’s Sweet Revenge

Her eyes narrowed on him.

“If you think I want to know if your coffers are healthy so I might force you to wed me, you are quite wrong. I have no need of your coin.”

“Then you, yourself, come from wealth and you think it possible I might try to leverage your safety for money?” His brows rose when she did not deny it. “My, you do think me the worst kind of man.” He shook his head. “I’ll have you know, your brothers, whoever they might be are quite wrong. I’m most acceptable for marriage. So much so every marriageable miss has gone to great effort to entrap me.”

He didn’t know why he felt the need to defend himself and his acceptability. He should be glad she found him lacking so as to avoid any ideas she might get about ensnaring him. As compromising situations went, they were knee-deep in one at the moment. Still, it had irked him that she found him unacceptable.

It was not uncommon for the snootiest of the ton to look down on him and his friends as they were Scots and thought of as rough barbarians, ready to feast on the flesh of virgins or some such other ridiculousness. But most were willing to overlook such possibilities if it meant they could latch onto a rich husband with a title who at least knew how to use utensils.

“If it should reduce the damage to your honor, I would tell you that I already know you are not the lowest of men. For I have met the worst of your ilk, and the most horrid of all seems to be my own uncle.”

“You mentioned your uncle when you drifted off. Is he your guardian? Are you running from him?”

She let out a breath and looked toward the window where the drapes were pulled to keep out the last of the evening light. Then she looked down at Belle who had rested her head on the woman’s lap. Harlow had been running her fingers through Belle’s coarse coat and looked down at her now as if she hadn’t realized she’d been petting the animal all this time.

“Very well, I’m not sure yet if it is a mistake to trust you, Lord Breckenridge, but you have done me a kindness by tending to me, despite whatever pleasure you may have gotten from such a thing. If this animal trusts you, I should do so as well.”

As a credit to his honor, it was not much, but he was pleased that she was willing to tell him how she came to be here so he could see to sending her back.

But when she opened her mouth and began to tell him the incredulous tale of how she’d ended up in his home, he realized it would not be so easy as sending her back to Mayfair with a wish of good health.

It seemed this woman would need to stay with him for some time. And if he was not very put out by the thought of it, he chose to ignore it.