AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll help you.”
“You are absolutely certain of this?”
“Yes.”
“Why? I…no, please, you do not have to answer that, my lord. At least not now. Please know I am deeply grateful.”
He looked away as if uncomfortable with her gratitude. “I will also accept your guidance in learning to be…more refined. Perhaps you will permit me to ask you for a dance after a few lessons.”
She stared at him, flustered. One of the curious rumors about the earl was that he never danced. There had been much speculation to why, and now he would ask her? “The whispers from such an unprecedented action will be very loud, my lord. Nor do I think Lady Susanna would be too thrilled when you’ve never danced with her before.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “I am no longer interested in courting Lady Susanna.”
Verity stared at him in dismay. “But I believed you loved her, my lord!”
He arched a surprised brow. “Loved? Those were not the sentiments which had moved me to make an offer. The lady has made her position known and I have moved on. But I will appreciate your lessons since I still have the desire to marry eventually. And it is clear any lady of quality will appreciate a man more once he has more charming and refined sensibilities.”
Mocking humor danced in his eyes at this. Yet she sensed the rejection had cut deeply. It jolted her tha
t she wanted to know more about him and the life he had experienced which had placed that wicked cut above his brow, and the faint cynicism in his expression.
“A tutor may be the best person to guide you in the proper steps for the various dances,” she said.
He moved slowly, deliberately, almost leisurely toward her, and her heart kicked a furious rhythm. Verity did not think it was fear, but a very unwelcomed and perplexing attraction to the man before her. The eyes that stared at her so unflinchingly were as deep and unfathomable as the night sky, and she felt uncomfortable in her admiration.
“A tutor could also guide you in the art of pugilism, my lady, but here we are forming a bargain to which I have one condition.”
She stiffened. “Which is?”
“Sometime in the future, you will inform me of the name of your attacker.”
She was suddenly aware of an aura of ruthlessness surrounding him that frightened her. Did he want to defend her honor? Verity felt bewildered, awkward and filled with a strange sense of wonder. Her own family had not cared about her honor, why would this stranger? The words hovered on her lips, but she could not voice the questions. It felt too intimate to ask.
“I will never do anything to make you uncomfortable. Nor will I ever hurt you. I would ask for honesty between us at all times so we do not make missteps with each other. Our…relationship is very unorthodox and quite new for me, but I do not wish to muck it up, either for you or myself.”
Inexplicably, she believed him.
“Are we in agreement, Lady Verity?” he asked, unruffled by her silence.
“Yes,” she murmured shakily. Verity stuck out her hand and was surprised when he shook it. “And I thank you, my lord. I shall never forget your kindness.”
He smiled. It seemed terribly intimate to Verity and she was struck by the incredible sensual beauty of it. Dear God, it was dangerous to be in this man’s presence, and she had struck a bargain that would allow many clandestine meetings. She blushed, and his gaze caressed over her evidently flushed cheeks.
“I should return inside. I do not wish to be missed.”
“Then go. I shall send instructions to you in a letter, very discreetly.”
Oddly, her feet remained rooted when she was caught in a storm of sorts. The air became heavy with a promise she did not understand, and it was then she realized he still held her hands. Slowly she pulled away, and he released her. “I…I shall look forward to it.”
Something far too elusive for her to understand shifted in his beautiful eyes.
Verity turned and opened the door, slipping into the hallway, conscious of the way his eyes touched every part of her. A dangerous thrill burst in her heart, and it took every lesson in discipline she’d ever had to not turn around. Verity knew he would be hovering in the dark shadow of the doorway, watching her…and somehow, she knew his expression would not be one of serene contemplation. But one of want and need. Her heart tripped and butterflies wreaked havoc with her stomach.
She could feel way down inside of her, every nuance of his stare. An aching, terrifying awareness that he was possibly attracted to her, filled Verity’s heart. And that she too….could possibly be attracted to his compelling masculinity. She closed her eyes against the very idea: he was not the ideal man for her, in any fashion. His edges were too rough, and even if she came at him with an etiquette mallet and all her knowledge of gentlemanly behavior, he would always have that dangerous aura that would scare her witless.
Dear God, have I gone too far?
Chapter 5
