Rage boiled inside her, and she forced herself to swallow a thousand words that had gotten lodged on the tip of her tongue.
She knew he was baiting her, and she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of thinking it was working. Still, her eyes burned angrily like twin forges.
She abandoned her search of the thicket and strode further, picking another section of the forest to search.
Bridget hated how easy it was for the Duke to get to her. While she would never have described herself as docile, she also considered herself cultured and respectful.
However, there was something about Abel that always raised her hackles and made her ignore all the lessons she’d learned about propriety and how to address one’s betters.
“How goes your search, Lady Bridget?” Abel called from behind her, interrupting her thoughts.
She bit back her irritation and sighed deeply. She turned to face him, standing with her arms akimbo.
“Your Grace, I was led to believe you are a man of excellent refinement. The standard—if I might add—of every aspiring gentleman of the ton. I believe that such a description of you is completely false, and whoever propagated such a lie should be locked in a dungeon.”
He cocked his head, and his lips curled into a lazy grin. He was pleased to finally get a response from her. “My, your words hurt me. And why, might I ask, would you say such a thing? Pray tell.”
Bridget walked over to him. “Basic observation. Not only are you quite content to bicker with a woman beneath your station, but you also choose to sit and watch while she does all the work for you. It is a trait unbecoming of any well-meaning gentleman.”
“Ah.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “In answer, I say this. As for your first observation, I merely accommodate you, seeing as there’s precious little else to do here. Secondly, you seem to be doing so well without me. I merely am trying to stay out of your way, My Lady. I assure you, those things you heard about me are quite true.
“I would have you know that manners are of utmost importance to me. They were lessons that were drilled into me from childhood that I still exhibit to this day.”
“Then I am yet to see them, Your Grace,” Bridget retorted. “Perhaps if you spent more time being a proper house guest, I’d then have a chance to confirm these things for myself. Instead, you lie when it is utterly unnecessary, just to jest, and you dedicate your time to getting on my nerves. You sit there in comfort when it would be better for us to work together and be done twice as fast. I’m reasonably convinced that you have no interest in leaving this forest.”
He frowned at her, deep lines appearing on his forehead. Content that her barb had struck a nerve, she stuck her nose in the air again, turned around, and walked away from him, poking into bushes with her stick as she went.
Abel, slightly exasperated by her distance, called out as he began walking after her again, “Well, as you insist on striding a million feet ahead of me, I was merely demonstrating that being closer to the forest’s center does not guarantee a faster discovery of the ball.”
Bridget scoffed. “But why is it such a concern of yours how far away I am, Your Grace?” She turned around, her voice mocking. “Are you truly that desperate for my attention?”
Abel’s eyes widened as he laughed in disbelief. “Truly, never have I encountered a woman as pompous as you.”
He gestured towards their surroundings, his tone instantly turning defensive. “I simply wouldn’t want you to trip and ruin your dress, for then I would surely be judged and questioned by your brothers upon our return.”
“You can drop the white knight act, Your Grace. I can see right through it,” Bridget retorted, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.
“It’s quite clear that you would indeed relish the sight of me falling flat on my face, considering the way you’ve been verbally attacking me. So one wouldn’t blame my brothers for thinking so if it came to that, would they?”
She fought to suppress a chuckle as she watched his eyes widen even further in disbelief, his features contorted with offense.
With the way things were going, she couldn’t help but feel that if he kept making that expression, it might just get permanently stuck. She grinned to herself, relishing the satisfaction from her cutting remark.
“And justwhostarted with the verbal attacks, Lady Bridget?”
“You insulted my family’s garden.” She nonchalantly waved a hand at him and returned her eyes to the section she had been searching.
“No one else seemed to find my statements such a problem besides you, hence proving my point,” he pointed out and shook his head.
Bridget, determined not to let his taunts get the best of her, shot back with a sharp retort. “Your Grace, if you truly believe that,then it’d appear your wit is as empty as the space you pointed me towards just a few minutes ago.”
She flashed him another fake smile and clapped her hands lightly. “I suppose it also matches the void where your manners should reside.”
His eyes narrowed in annoyance, then, for a split second, a flash of surprise filled his face.
“Ah, Lady Bridget.” Bridget felt uncomfortable by the sinister expression on his face. “Always quick with your words. It’s a shame your actions can’t match your clever tongue. Yet to find the ball, aren’t we?”
She scoffed, her delicate brow furrowing as she cast a disapproving glance at him. “And what about you, Your Grace? Have you managed to locate the ball, or have you been merely trailing after me, doing nothing?”
