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Richard shrugged. “Does it matter? A waltz is the least that you owe me.”

“I owe you?” She raised a brow. “So it has nothing to do with indulging me?”

Richard pursed his lips. “Perhaps after,” he said in a low voice and had the satisfaction of seeing her skin covered with gooseflesh. “But first, you wouldn’t mind taking pity on me, would you? After all, you did humiliate me in front of my peers today.”

“Humiliate?” she scoffed.

Richard gave a sharp nod. “Wouldn’t you say?”

“I would say that I shattered your reputation as an old boor. But I’d think you’d be grateful. Besides, you might not know it, but many ladies find gentlemen who are playful with children quite charming.”

“Yes?” Richard smiled slowly. “Are you one of those ladies?”

She leaned forward, a playful twinkle in her eyes. “I am afraid I am one of the ladies who knows that you were not inclined to be playful until I forced you.”

Richard barked a laugh. “No one can force me to do anything I don’t want.”

“Ah, so by that reasoning, I did not humiliate you. You did it yourself because you wanted to.”

Richard chuckled and shook his head. “You are quite sly, Miss Claremont.”

She bit her lip. “I have to be, my lord.”

Richard inclined his head, recognizing that Miss Claremont had won that round. But he wasn’t about to relent. “Then how about you grant me a dance to soothe my wounded ego?”

Miss Claremont pursed her lips as she studied him curiously. “Very well,” she finally agreed. “One waltz.”

Richard grinned widely. One waltz.

Chapter 3

Jo smiled politely at the gentlemen she danced with and engaged in polite conversation, but her mind was not with her dancing partners. Her thoughts kept sliding back to the enigmatic young viscount who kept looking at her during the entire ball.

It was impolite, to say the least, to stare at her so brazenly, but he didn’t seem to care. His dark blue eyes watched her from the corner of the ballroom, devouring her with his gaze.

He was young, handsome, and virile. His posture was straight, his demeanor arrogant, as if he owned everything and everyone in the ballroom. He had a few silver strands in his hair, adding to the air of confidence, maturity, and experience that he promised to unleash on her with his gaze. And it was flattering to receive his full regard, but Jo felt as though she was being hunted. As if he were the lion and she the stag. And she found that feeling thrilling, if a little disturbing.

She’d learned a little more about him during the ball, gathering whispers here and there. His peers had nothing bad to say about him, and there was no gossip attached to his name, except the scandalous marriages of his sisters. And even then he stood out as a supportive brother and a gracious head of the household.

He truly seemed like a proper sort of gentleman. Except that proper gentlemen did not brazenly stare at actresses as if they wanted to ravish them in the middle of the ballroom. It was clear that what the viscount wanted was a bit of fun during the house party. But he would have to seek someone else to indulge his appetites.

Jo did not get involved with aristocrats for a reason.

Right?

She peeked a glance at him again. He was still staring at her. The cad!

Jo spun around and faced her dancing partner, who was saying something about his horses. “How fascinating, Lord Pelham!”

Lord Pelham beamed at her and continued his one-sided conversation.

She was going to have to endure ten more days of this house party. It wouldn’t hurt to flirt with a charming viscount, would it? Josephine cringed inwardly.

That’s what I thought last time.

She shook herself mentally. No, the last time she’d thought she was in love… And more importantly, she’d thought he was as well. She was more experienced now. Surely she wouldn’t make the same mistake.

What am I doing?