He stared at her baffled for a moment, and she dropped her eyes, suddenly mortified. “I apologize, Your Grace. That was very rude of me.”
“No, don’t. I suspect you’re right; I’ve just never seen myself that way. I still don’t necessarily count it as a fault. I can hardly help something that is bred in the bone, so to speak. I’m a privileged person by birth. I had hoped I didn’t take it for granted, but I see from your comment that I do need to be more mindful of my good fortune.”
“Well, I wouldn’t have said it if you hadn’t been rude first,” she said.
“Was I? I suppose I was. For whichIapologize, Miss Watson. It must be your frankness that tempts me to be equally frank in return.” He was still frowning at her as if she were a puzzle he couldn’t fathom. “I’ve never met a woman who disconcerts me as much as you do. You are leading me to show a lack of manners, for which I am heartily sorry. Please forgive me.”
The sincerity in his tone made her heart turn over. She didn’t know if she was on her head or heels. He made her pulse race with his smiles and the merest touch of his hand. Then he said something abominably rude or arrogant, and she wondered how she could possibly think him attractive.
Really, after the way he had behaved over the last week, she ought to be over her infatuation with him. She needed to remember that he was only interested in her for her fortune, not anything else. He had made it abundantly clear that he was sacrificing himself on the altar of familial duty. Seeking a bride with money to support his family. If it were not for her fortune, he would never have looked twice at her.
After an inner struggle, she said politely, “You are very gracious. I shall mind my tongue in future.”
“Pray don’t. I find the fact that I never know what you’re going to say next vastly entertaining.”
She smiled tightly and nodded but didn’t offer any further animadversions on his character for the rest of the tour.
*
By the timeRobert had returned the ladies to their house and taken his leave, he had decidedly mixed feelings about the whole experience. He could not deny that the more he saw of the lady the more intrigued he became. There was definitely something between them, but he was damned if he knew what it was. He wondered seriously if he could live for the rest of his life with a woman who could so accurately and devastatingly point out his faults to him.
She was certainly nothing like the woman he had envisioned one day marrying. She was not easy or comfortable to be around, and they did not fall into a harmonious synchronicity, the kind he had always imagined his soul mate would provide. On thecontrary, she made him prickly and defensive, argued with him, and held her ground when he challenged her. He wasn’t used to that. He realized that people toadied to him all the time, but he hadn’t realized until she pointed it out that he expected it and was mildly annoyed when they didn’t.
Miss Watson aroused a bewildering array of emotions in his breast. He had to admit he wasnotindifferent to her, although he was unsure if irritation or liking was uppermost, since he seemed to feel both in equal proportions. She also sparked a physical reaction. Ever since he had taken her in his arms at Almack’s that first night, he had wanted to do it again, but the opportunity had not arisen.
His next plan of attack must include a kiss, he decided, to test that spark. If he was going to marry the lady, he needed to be able to expect that their union would not be a chore to either of them. All the signs were there for a felicitous physical union, but he persuaded himself that testing it was imperative. Just a kiss, nothing more.
He recalled the sensation of holding her in his arms. Her slender waist, her perfect height for kissing, as he had noted at the time. Yes, he definitely needed to get her alone and kiss her. That would be the deciding factor.
But how to contrive such a thing without causing a scandal?An idea occurred to him, and he sent off a note to Caroline to elicit her assistance.
Chapter Six
“My dear, lookat this!” said Daphne, sorting invitations beside her breakfast plate. “It’s from Lady Ashford. Such fun! Her ladyship begs the company of Lady Holbrook and Miss Watson to watch the fireworks in Vauxhall Gardens on Friday next at eight o’clock. All guests are to wear masks and dominos...” Daphne looked up with her eyes sparkling. “My dear, in my day such entertainments were a little improper, but today they are much more respectable. I wonder who will be in Lady Ashford’s party?”
Sarah looked up from her correspondence, “Weren’t we going to Lady Partridge’s ball on Friday?”
“I shall write at once and beg off—this is an opportunity not to be missed. The fireworks are splendid and the gardens very pretty. You may be sure, Lady Ashford’s request to wear masks is to protect the identities of all concerned. Because, while they are much tamer than in my day, public masquerades are still not quite the thing, my dear.”
“If they weren’t the thing, how did you come to attend one, Daphne?” asked Sarah, highly amused.
Daphne blushed. “My sister and I sneaked out and went with our cousins Leopold and Gerald. It was most reprehensible, but such fun. Mama never found out, thank goodness, and the boys took good care of us, I promise you. But if we had been caught and unmasked, we would have been ruined. On no accountshould you remove your mask for the duration of the event, Sarah.”
Sarah frowned. “Should I go? Would Papa approve?”
Daphne pursed her lips. “Probably not, but do not let that put a damper on your spirits, Sarah. You will do nothing untoward. Lady Ashford’s guests will not cross the line, and you may be sure you will be perfectly safe, or I would not countenance it.”
The presence of Viscount Ashford in the party reassured Sarah. He at least she felt safe with. It occurred to her to wonder if the duke would also be in the party. Ashford was a friend of his, she knew that.But surely the duke is too stuffy to attend a public masquerade? Even in disguise?
As it transpired, that Friday, the Ashfords collected them by carriage.
“The rest of the party will meet us there. We have booked a box on the second tier away from the hoi polloi,” said Lady Ashford, looking perfectly splendid in a white and silver gown beneath a black velvet domino, which set her strawberry-blonde curls aflame.
Sarah was also dressed in white, but she had to admit that her ensemble was plain by comparison with Caroline’s.
The blaze of light from the thousands of colored lamps strung among the trees, temples, and pavilions of the gardens took Sarah’s breath away, and she was glad that she had come, despite her misgivings.
Daphne squeezed her arm and murmured in her ear, “I told you it was splendid!”
