“Then, one ought to blame the teacher, not the student,” Valeria muttered, glaring at Duncan in a way that made him smile all the wider.
There it was, that fire he admired so much. Not extinguished, merely hidden beneath the ashes of polite society, now reignited in his presence.
“You were not so obedient at my home,” he said in a low voice, to avoid any eavesdropping. “You struck a perfect balance between coy and fascinating then, yet you are not doing so now. Ergo, something has gone awry between you leaving my townhouse and this moment.”
She swept away from him, danced from foot to foot, before rushing back toward him like a cresting wave, promising to wash over him.
“I do not know that something went awrybetweenthen and now, but there was something… unsatisfactory at the time,” she replied, surprising him.
“I left you unsatisfied?” he teased, his gaze flitting to her lips.
He was no fool; he knew exactly what she was referring to. What surprised him greatly, however, was that she seemed outraged. Surely, he had not earned her anger, considering he hadnotkissed her. If he had, and then he had sent her on her way, perhaps he would have understood.
She blinked, looking around herself as her cheeks darkened to a lovely pink. “If you think you can unnerve me, Your Grace, you are sorely mistaken,” she muttered, her voice no less barbed for the lack of volume. “I am astounded you have even bothered to observe your lessons in action, considering…”
“Considering what?”
She pulled back her shoulders and lifted her chin as she danced around him in a horseshoe, coming back to stand in front of him. “That it was never about helping me or fulfilling a debt. It was useful, I admit, but it was an accidental education. Teaching me was not your intention.”
“Is that so?” He echoed the movement around her, making sure he stopped much closer to her, barely a half-step between them. “Tell me, dark angel, what was my intention, then?”
He was genuinely curious to hear her answer, for though he had offered to pay the debt with the expectation that she would ask for a kiss or something of that ilk, hehadmeant it when he said he would fulfil what was owed. As such, educating herhadbeen his intent; it was merely the circumstances of that last encounter that had made it more… complicated.
If I had not pushed you away when I did, you would not be standing here with me now. You would, undoubtedly, hate me by now.
“To toy with me. To amuse yourself. To play games. To make me your sport,” she replied with no small amount of venom in her words. “You confirmed as much when you told me I should not have come to you at all. Now, here you are, beginning your games afresh, pulling me away from suitable prospects, throwing your authority around at the precise moment where I was making progress.”
His expression hardened as he stepped past her and back to his original position, mirroring the movement on the other side of her, his shoulder brushing hers.
Is that truly what she thinks of me—that I am some jester who seeks only entertainment?
He could not blame her for believing that, considering it was what everyone believed—even his dearest friends—but he had, perhaps, hoped that she had seen that there was more to him. Then again, maybethatwas why he had turned her out of histownhouse so abruptly, because she had seen too much of what lay beneath the façade.
“So, itisthe viscount you have chosen then?” he said bluntly, alarmed by the odd stab of something that caught him between the ribs. He did not like the feeling one bit, whatever it was; like a nail scratching at his heart.
“The baron has potential,” she replied curtly. “Either would be agreeable.”
As she made the same movements past him, his hand curved discreetly around her wrist, holding her there at his side for a moment, needing to keep her close, so she would be sure to hear him.
“Agreeable is a pitiful word, Valeria,” he whispered in a throaty voice, leaning close to her ear. “Agreeable is a dismal word. It is a prison sentence. It is the hallmark of a life of tedium—a cage for you, the raven-winged songbird. You deserve more, Valeria.”
She discreetly wrenched her hand free, her eyes shimmering as she moved to stand in front of him once more. “I do not have time for an impossible search,Your Grace. I tried to explain that to you, but you have not listened. You were too interested in your games to hear me.”
“But you didnotexplain the urgency,” he pointed out, frowning.
What plagued her with such intensity that she would throw the essence of herself away in order to gain an unsatisfactory marriage with anyone willing to have her? Was there a scandal on the horizon, about to ruin her? Was she with-child, and needed another gentleman to play the father before it arrived? Neither sounded like the truth, aggravating his intrigue.
What else could there be?As far as Duncan knew, her father was well-respected, well-liked, and possessed an admirable fortune, neither excessive nor paltry. And if the problem was not about reputation or finances, then he could not think of another reason for this urgency.
“Because it is none of your concern,” she replied. “I asked for your assistance, not your interrogation. And I would happily take ‘agreeable’ over ‘arrogant.’ There is no competition.”
A choke of a laugh left his throat, as he took hold of her hands, crossing them with his own, and they jigged in a lively circle. It was ridiculous, really, to leap about in such a cheery dance when she was glaring at him so ferociously.
“I may be arrogant at times,” he told her, slowing the whirl of their movement, leading her into a promenade, “but you are not sport to me. Repaying my debt is about honor, not amusement.”
She scoffed, turning her face away. “You could have fooled me.”
His hand itched to touch her cheek, to bring her face back toward him, to make her meet his gaze once more, but they were in the wrong place for such a gesture. Tongues would wag,and any opportunities for marriage that Valeria might have had would evaporate by morning.
