She considered Deerhurst. His intentions, while not fully clear, appeared honorable enough. Though Phaedra still was not quite sure what to make of the mysterious man yet. He had helped her, which meant he could not be all that bad.
Handsome. Lordly. Full of mischief.
The perfect man to enlist in a scandalous proposition—a wild proposition that suddenly formed in her mind. What if there was a way for her to get everything she wanted without having to spoil her time dealing with unwanted suitors?
In fact...
Phaedra cleared her throat and smiled at the man opposite her. “Why not throw your hat in the ring?
“And what game would that be?”
“Courtship.”
He arched a brow. “Courtship? No need. I’m not interested in anyone at present.”
“Must you be interested in them?”
“Why else would I court a woman? A man courts a woman who has caught his interest. Simple as that.”
“Have I not caught yours?”
Both brows rose. “Where are you going with this, Lady Phaedra?”
“Well, Deerhurst, I want you to court me.”
*
Of all theinfernal things Lady Phaedra could say, no words could have shocked Deerhurst more than the ones that rolled off her temptress tongue.
She wantedhimto courther?
Denial rose swiftly.
Absolutely not.
He felt sure the devil was cackling at him from down below, dealing out punishment for his past sins. A reminder of all he could never do, all he could never have.
She could never understand what she was asking of him. It was like dangling a carrot before a horse then, after getting the horse to do your bidding all for the sake of that carrot, taking the carrot away. Was that not a form of torture?
He had secrets. Secrets that had to be kept in a box and locked tight. Secrets that ladies like Phaedra would not tolerate. It wasn’t something he could escape from. His daughter’s future depended on this concealment. Lady Phaedra thought it scary to put her life in the hands of a husband. Deerhurst understood. The thought of putting his daughter’s future partially in the hands of a wife was truly an alarming thought.
Kiss her senseless? He was her man. But court? His insides froze at the notion, and her declaration momentarily seized up his throat. If he tried to speak now, he would probably fill the space with nothing more than a croak or two.
An image of her between the satin sheets of his bed instantly invaded Deerhurst’s mind. Phaedra... completely naked... He had meant it when he’d said her cat was lucky.Hewould like to be the one to wake up in her bed.
He choked the image down. That path was fraught with resentment.
“Do not look so alarmed, for heaven’s sake,” Phaedra said in a huff. “I did not mean court as in court-court, I meant as in reprieve-from-my-suitors-court.”
Deerhurst stilled, his mind going blank. “A reprieve-from-my-suitors-court?” He sounded like a simpleton repeating her words, but dammit, she had caught him off guard. Again.
“You’ve already acted the knight today; all I ask is for you to act the knight a bit longer.” She tilted her head in thought. “It should be as simple as two or three dances, calling a few times during calling hours, and perhaps keeping close for a while after that. All the gentlemen sniffing around my dowry will bow out, standing no chance against you, the knight.”
Saints preserve him.
If only she knew. Those men weren’t going bow out so easily. They had a pot load of incentives. And... “I am no knight.”
“Let us beg to differ on that score.”
