Page 29 of The Dangerous Lord

He refused to justify himself on that score. Sara didn’t know the whole of it, nor should she.

“And you did something more than kiss her, I think.”

If he had, he sure as hell would have remembered. “What the devil do you mean?”

Sara threw down her fork and knife. “You know what I mean. Taking advantage; putting your hands where they don’t belong. That’s why she slapped you.”

Ian glowered at her. “She told you I did that?”

“She said you’d gone too far. And I saw the way you held her, remember? So I could easily believe you touched her in ways you shouldn’t.” Sara rose, working the napkin through her hands in agitation.

He was by turns incensed and impressed. Felicity certainly knew how to turn a situation to her advantage. But he had the facts on his side. “Did she actually say that I took advantage of her, that I ‘touched her in ways I shouldn’t’?”

Sara wandered to the sideboard and concentrated on arranging the covers on the dishes. “Not exactly. She was shocked to see us, so at first she didn’t want to talk at all. But I couldn’t leave her alone when she was distraught. Besides, as her hostess, I felt it my duty to find out what you’d done to distress her. So I asked if ... if you’d behaved in any way you shouldn’t have—other than kissing her, of course.”

At his muttered curse, she added quickly, “I expected her to say no, you understand. But she burst out that she should have known better than to be alone with a man of your reputation, that she should have stopped you before you went too far.”

Sara faced him and planted her hands on her hips. “Those were her very words—too far. She said you’d gone too far. And that it pained her to tell me the true character of my friend, but that you were a scoundrel. She was most specific about that.”

His short bark of laughter garnered him Sara’s most indignant stare. “I’m sure she was. Though I seriously doubt it pained her to blacken my character to you. She probably delighted in your dismay over my behavior.’”

“I’m not so disloyal to my friends as all that,” Sara protested with a sniff. “It’s not as if she invented a tale that I believed without question. Matters have been odd between you from the moment she arrived. You must confess that your connection to her is curious. You admit going to her house, which we both know had nothing to do with her father’s death. As Emily pointed out to me, you hardly knew her father.”

He groaned. He did not need Emily and Sara allied with Felicity against him. “Keeping aside my connection with Miss Taylor, you know very well I’d never force myself on a woman, no matter what my previous association with her, and especially not under your roof. We’ve been friends long enough for you to realize that.”

Her lower lip trembled, but whether with agitation or anger, he couldn’t tell. “The Ian I knew when Jordan and I were children would never do such a thing, true.” A hint of sadness filled her voice. “But you aren’t the same as you were then. Ever since you returned from the continent, you’ve been different—harder, cynical, more of a ... a⁠—”

“‘Scoundrel’?” he snapped.

“I was going to say ‘enigma.’” Sara’s tone was quiet, thoughtful. “You left England without a word even to Jordan, estranging yourself from all of your family even though your uncle had just suffered the death of his wife. You didn’t return until your father died, and then you began seeking a wife in an utterly ruthless manner.”

She paused as if waiting for an explanation, but he had none to give. There were things he couldn’t discuss, even with his closest friends.

Her lips tightened into a thin line. “And now you seem to feel no qualm about destroying the reputation of a respectable young lady like Miss Taylor⁠—”

“Enough about Miss Taylor!” He shot to his feet. “The woman can take care of herself, I assure you. And despite what she implied to you and that harpy Lady Brumley, she did not protest my kisses, nor was she ever in danger of being compromised by me!” Although the next time he saw her, she might well be. It was either compromise her or throttle her within an inch of her life. Both sounded equally appealing at the moment.

“Are you saying she wanted your attentions?”

He closed his fists on the back of the chair. “I’m saying she did not protest them.”

“She slapped you, didn’t she?”

With difficulty, he repressed a foul oath. “Sara, you must take my word for it that matters between Miss Taylor and I aren’t as they appear to be.”

“Then what⁠—“

“I won’t discuss this with you any further. It’s private. So you might as well stay out of it.” He stalked off toward the entrance of the dining room.

But her voice stopped him. “I can’t stay out of it. This is my house, and I won’t allow you to toy with a helpless young woman beneath my very nose.”

He rounded on her in amazement. He’d never heard that note of steel in Sara’s tone before, at least not directed toward him. Damn, Felicity had played her role most convincingly. “What exactly are you saying, Sara?”

“I think perhaps you should ... stay at Jordan’s for the rest of your visit.”

His gaze on her narrowed.

Turning to pace the floor at the end of the table, she went on quickly, “I’ve already spoken to Emily, and she has agreed. The baby isn’t giving them any trouble, so she said they’d be delighted to have you. Of course, you may join us here for the other activities we’re planning, but at night⁠—”