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Tobias suppressed his smile at Olivia’s affronted expression. He moved closer to her. “So you were watching me earlier.”
“I was observing Lady Phoebe,” Olivia said frostily.
“Were you now?”
Her eyes flashed a warning, and he knew she would not hesitate to administer a scathing set down.
A smile curved his lips. “You look very beautiful, your mother and father would be proud at your transformation.”
She blinked, and then blinked some more. He waited for a scathing retort to fall from her lips, something along the lines of the miraculous nature of him paying her a compliment. But…she only blinked once more. Was he really so harsh in his dealing with her that a simple compliment would render her speechless?
“Have I truly rendered your waspish tongue speechless, Lady Olivia?”
Her lips curved into a wide smile. “I will pretend you did not nullify your compliment just now and offer my thank you very graciously, my lord.”
Tobias dragged his gaze from her mouth. Sweet Christ. Her lips were wide and full, shaped sensually, as if they were made to be debauched. They begged to be kissed, thoroughly.
She touched his arm lightly. “Ask me to dance.”
Her slight caress sent his heart pounding against his ribs, and he wanted to roar at the unexpectedness of his reaction. “You had to ruin it,” he said drily, striving to appear unaffected by her closeness.
She gazed at him with intense curiosity in her green eyes. “I did nothing of the sort.”
“You were well comported and glowing with reserved beauty, and you had to ruin it by asking me to dance. Ladies do not ask gentlemen to dance. You had best remember, or you will soon have your name on the lips of every gossipmonger from the ton.”
Her nose wrinkled. “I certainly did no such thing. I told you to ask me to dance. Vastly different,” she muttered, but a flush had bloomed on her cheeks, and if he was not mistaken, that may have been contrition in her eyes. “I’m sorry, my lord. I knew better, your mother gave me a most severe lecture before we came down and it seems I forgot one of the most important of her lessons.”
“Which was?”
“I must not be bold at all, nor shall I speak of the fact that I paint, swim, and fence. I think I am not to speak of my interests at all.”
Tobias was nonplussed. “Then what are you to converse about?”
She frowned, as if trying to recall the lessons. “Whatever the gentleman I am with wants to speak of.”
He froze, remembering the myriad of women—from the more seasoned to the young debutantes he’d held discourse with in the past. They had always appeared vapid, with no original thoughts, only listening to anything he uttered, while giggling and batting their lashes. Many young ladies had tried to charm him by acting featherbrained.
“Good God,” he muttered. “Are you saying that is a tactic young ladies use to make themselves more appealing?”
“Yes.” She laughed lightly. “I must perfect the art of nons
ensical conversation and ensure I am not deemed to be too intelligent. I must never prattle on about the things I like.” Her lips turned up in the familiar mocking smile. “I wonder, what shall I do with a suitor who has no interest in me?”
“Run from him or your life will be painfully boring.”
She sobered, staring at him with an intensity that was unnerving. “Thank you. I never expected you to say that.”
“Then I have been more of an insufferable buffoon than I realized.”
Her eyes widened and then she laughed, a full, rich sound that made his heartbeat accelerate. “Will you ever forgive my unruly tongue, my lord? It was beyond the pale for me to hurl such insults at you.”
“Forgiven.”
Her pouting lips stretched in a sweet smile. “How charmingly generous.”
Her mouth should be outlawed. Damnation. What right did she have to be in possession of such tempting lips and to intrigue him so effortlessly?
“My lord?”
