She is right. WhatamI doing? This is not what I intended.He hurried to quell his thoughts, lest they become disingenuous.
“You will encounter gentlemen who ask too much, too quickly,” he said evenly, almost coldly. “Be wary of that.Thatis the lesson. When there is an air of desperation, one must ask oneself why.”
He stepped back and bowed his head to her, folding his arms behind his back so he would not be tempted to pull her into another dance.
She stared at him, the corners of her eyes pinching as if in some minor pain. “And if a gentleman should ask to speak with me alone, away from the safety of public observation?”
“You should never go,” he replied, forcing a smile.
“So, I should have slapped you and walked off?”
Duncan swallowed. “My dear Valeria, you should not have come here at all.”
Her expression hardened, her shoulders pulling back, her posture straightening. “I thank you for this… fascinating lesson, Your Grace.” She smiled coolly. “I shall not soon forget it.”
Turning on her heel, she marched out of the drawing room, grabbing her cloak on the way. Leaving him standing there, just as confused as she had been.
Not ‘Duncan’ anymore, but back to being ‘Your Grace.’
Valeria stumbled through the silent streets of Mayfair, keeping to the shadows with her hood firmly over her face.
I am such a fool. What an idiot I am, to think that I would gain any benefit from meeting with a notorious rake.
She wished she had thought to copy her dear friend Amelia, who had donned the garments of a man when she had first approached her husband, Lionel. The skirts that poked out beneath the edge of the cloak were not exactly discreet in hiding Valeria’s identity from anyone who might be watching. Clearly, she was a woman, out in the city at an inappropriate hour, doing something she should not be doing.
She pressed a hand to her heart as she hurried along, her entire face ablaze with embarrassment and, worse, the unwelcome sting of rejection.
Itwasall a game. He has toyed with me, and will no doubt delight in telling his friends about my stupidity.
She could not bear the humiliation, nor could she risk anyone hearing that she had been alone with such a man as that.
He was going to kiss me.Her stomach knotted at the memory.I thought I was learning about flirtation, but all this time, I have been a part of his. I have been reeled in like the clumsy fish that I am.
She muttered rude things under her breath as she stormed on, cursing his name as loudly as she dared, but as she passed by the townhouse that used to belong to her family, she halted. Gazing up at the window that was once hers, the candlelight no longer flickered, but a flame ignited in her heart and mind.
Duncan Lock could play all of the games he liked. She would take what she had learned from him, and shewouldfind a husband before the end of the summer. Indeed, she would take the embarrassment that boiled in her stomach and use it to her benefit, letting it fuel her determination to save her home and father without the duke’s help.
Making it to the altar before Duncan could would simply be a secondary triumph that was no less satisfying.
I will thwart you, Duncan,she vowed.You have trifled with the wrong woman.
Indeed, he would soon find that his ‘dark angel’ had become a vengeful one.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Two days and many distractions later, occupying herself with long walks, afternoon tea with her friends, galleries, and several sojourns to the botanical gardens, Valeria was almost ready to face the prospect of a ball again.
“I thought we might attend the theater tomorrow night,” her father said from the end of the breakfast table, engrossed in the newspaper. “There is, apparently, an exceptional production of Hamlet at Drury Lane.”
Valeria looked up from her meager piece of toast, slicked sparingly with butter. “We cannot, Papa.”
“Do you have a prior engagement?” He lowered the paper to look at her, saw her stern expression, and cleared his throat. “Yes, of course. A silly notion. Shakespeare is never performed well at Drury Lane.”
He mouthed an apology to his daughter, going unnoticed by Beatrice, who was merrily devouring a plate of eggs. Oblivious to the cost of her luxurious breakfast.
“Although…” Aaron hesitated, chewing his lower lip. “I believe Lord Walworth will be in attendance. I have been meaning to speak with him.”
Valeria sighed. “Then, visit his residence or the gentlemen’s club.”
