“My deepest apologies, Lady Ursula,” he said. “We really must stop meeting like this.”
She gave a huff of surprised laughter. “I concur.”
For an instant, there was an uncomfortable silence.
“I do apologise about the way this has worked out,” Graham managed at last. “I imagine I would not have been your first choice of husband.”
She shot him a sharp look that he could not quite read. “Well, I could have chosen a worse man, I suppose. You are no worse than Lord Ashford.”
He snorted. “I am not going to be a duke one day.”
“But you do encourage reading. And you enjoy poetry, which the good future-duke does not.”
“And that goes a long way with you, does it?”
Graham immediately regretted the words, afraid that he had gone too far.
To his surprise, however, Lady Ursula broke into a smile.
“You would be surprised,” she answered, flashing her teeth.
“Have you begunFrankensteinyet?”
“No, not yet. I have only just got my hands on the second and third volumes ofGlenarvon.”
The last of the books were dutifully gathered up. Tucking them under his arm, Graham reached out to offer a hand to Lady Ursula. She hesitated only for an instant before taking it.
A flutter ran up his arm at her touch, her hand soft and warm in his. She rose gracefully, drawing her full lower lipbetween her teeth. For some reason, the gesture made Graham’s chest constrict. He spotted, for the first time, a delicate flush running down her throat towards her collar, and he swallowed thickly.
“I hope I will make you happy,” Lady Ursula said suddenly. “I know that you are acting the gentleman towards me. It is kind of you to… to save me in this way.”
Graham felt as though he were sinking.
“I am not saving you,” he said at last, holding her gaze. “Lady Ursula, you and I are both involved in the same scandal. I require a wife, and you require a husband. Neither of us are looking for love. We share common interests, and I believe that you find the process of searching for a match just as tiresome as I do. In that case, I believe that we are saving each other. I see no reason why we should not be as content as any wedded couples.”
“Content,” Lady Ursula echoed, missing a beat. “Yes, contentment is often forgotten about, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is,” Graham added eagerly. “And it means that we can avoid the awkwardness of courtship."
Had he gone too far? Was he implying that he wished to avoid spending effort on her?
She did not seem offended. “I suppose you are right. By the way, you ought to stop calling meLady Ursula.You can simply call me Ursula, I believe.”
He nodded, a little relieved. “Thank you. My name is Graham.”
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Graham.”
Before Graham could say something else, Lady Ursula smiled up at him. Her entire face transformed when she smiled. She was a beautiful woman, remarkably so, and her face had haunted his dreams since the moment he first saw her. When she smiled, however, her eyes crinkled up and her face lit up. She glowed, almost, from within.
His heart pounded. His chest tightened. Something fluttered in his gut that felt worryingly, powerfully likedesire.
Her hand was still in his. She was barely an arm’s length away.
I could kiss her,he thought dizzily.
Then somebody cleared their throat behind him.
Both Graham and Lady Ursula flinched, nearly jumping out of their skins, and spun around to find Lady Farendale staring coldly at them.
