“I give you my word, I was just as surprised by all that as you were.”
Warrick ground his teeth. “It rather sounded as though you were enjoying yourself.”
“Honestly, once I got over the shock of the situation, I could not help but see the humor in it.” The corner of her lips turned up slightly.
“Humor, my arse.”
“I admit, Theodosia did us wrong.”
“If he charges us for the consultation, you are paying the bill.”
“If there is a bill, rest assured, I shall pay it,” she said serenely.
“Good.”
“But do not think to use this as an excuse to weasel your way out of retrieving that note from the manufacturer,” she continued.
He snorted. “I won’t.Iuphold my deals. One of my men should have already retrieved it while we were wasting our time at this quack’s house.”
He glanced away from her, silence settling over the carriage. Warrick had to admit that the quack had done one thing for him. Any lingering thoughts of Selena in his embrace this very morning had evaporated like smoke, along with the confusing feelings they’d produced. For a moment, he’d forgotten who he was dealing with—the princess of trouble. Well, no longer.
“Will you forgive me?”
He glanced back at her, meeting big, clear, imploring eyes.
“Just this once, please?”
“Fine,” he muttered, not able to withstand that look. “You truly are a vexing creature.”
“Of course. We vexing creatures live for vexing beasts like you.”
“Remind me why I ever agreed to this nonsense?”
“If you are talking about our agreement, then you agreed because you are in dire need of peace.”
“And what did I get today?”
One thin brow rose in question. “Did you not find your peace last night after we left the ball?”
“Well, what’s the point of peace if you only shatter it the next day?”
“Come now, Warrick. Today was a failure, but all is not lost.”
“That is a matter up for debate.”
A smile upturned her lips. “If it’s just a matter of wedding, you ought to break the curse by finding a wife. You have to find one eventually, anyway, don’t you?”
He smirked. “Now that I think about it, you did agree to help me take break it.”
Smart as a whip, she caught his meaning instantly and retorted, “Gathering information is hardly akin to marriage.”
“Marriage could be a form of information gathering,” he challenged.
“Not in this lifetime,” she tossed back. “Though I must admit, it was a rather novel experience playing your guardian, even though it lasted only a minute.”
He actually laughed. Of course the brazen minx with think that. He, on the other hand... “I can’t bloody think on an empty stomach.”
“You know, I can understand why you are rebelling. I wouldn’t want to marry just to appease a family curse either. I’d stay a spinster all my life. Perhaps I shall anyway. I could raise an exotic animal or two. They are much less troublesome than a husband, I’m sure.”
