“I…” Lord Woodsford looked a bit uncertain of himself. “I thought I ought to apologize to your mother,” he said at length.
“To my mother? Why on earth would you need to do that?”
“Well, my behavior last night was rather disgraceful.”
“You weren’t atherhome. I don’t think she’s the one you would need to make apologies to—if, indeed, apologies were required. In truth, Thomas, I think everyone was fairly impressed with you.”
Lord Woodsford darted a glance at Valeria. “That’s how everyone feels about it?”
“Ah,” Duncan said. “I see.”
“You see what?” Lord Woodsford asked.
“You didn’t come here to apologize to my mother at all,” Duncan said, laughing. “You came to see if Valeria required an apology!”
“Me!” Valeria was startled. “Why would anybody need to apologize to me?”
“Well, I did create quite a scene, attacking him the way I did.” Lord Woodsford seemed uncomfortable. “I thought perhaps you might be angry, Lady Valeria.”
Valeria shook her head. “Not at all,” she said. “I’m nothing but grateful to you, Lord Woodsford.”
“Truly?”
“It was very kind of you to do what you did,” she said. “I know you put your own reputation at risk to help me. But you seemed to have no hesitation about it at all.”
“No, of course I didn’t,” Lord Woodsford said. “In truth, I was rather surprised that no one else stood up to help—but I suppose they had their reasons.”
“You know perfectly well that Mother would have pulled me right back into my seat,” Duncan said.
“Oh, yes, I know that,” Lord Woodsford said. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to cast aspersions. I saw that you did try to help her, verbally if not physically.”
“I’m deeply grateful for what you did, personally,” Duncan said. “That man deserved to be thrown out. But now, should we discuss the real reason you’ve come here today?”
“What do you mean?” Lord Woodsford asked. “Didn’t you just say yourself that my real reason for coming here was to offer an apology to Lady Valeria?”
“An apology that’s wholly unnecessary,” she assured him. “It’s you who have my thanks.”
He inclined his head.
“But nevertheless,” Duncan said. “No, that’s not your reason for coming at all. Don’t think me foolish. You’re here because you wanted to spend time with my cousin, not because you wanted toapologizeto her. Your apology, however sincere I know it may be, is just a pretext to get you through the door?”
“What are you accusing me of?” Lord Woodsford asked.
“Nothing more than wanting to spend time in the company of a lovely lady,” Duncan said, his tone filled with mirth. “What say you, Valeria? Will you accept his offer of company this afternoon?”
“He’s made no such offer,” she observed.
“All right, then,” Lord Woodsford said, and squared his shoulders. “I make it now. I know that I promised you an end to my attempts to court you, and that is something you can still count on. But perhaps a friendship—carried out in the company of your cousin here—would that be too much to ask for?”
Valeria closed her eyes.
She couldn’t deny the way she had been feeling about him.
Shehadn’twanted a courtship. That had been true when she had said it. But now, suddenly, the idea of entering into a courtship withthisgentleman…
Well, perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad after all.
She was stunned at the way she was thinking. Could she really be considering agreeing to courtship, after being so certain that she wasn’t ready?
