She stepped closer and her voice dropped to a near whisper. “I do not think we should associate with one another.”
Niles blinked, caught completely off guard. Of all the thingsshe could have said, this was the last he had expected. “And why is that?”
She hesitated before saying, “I am sure you have heard the rumors about my family. I do not want to besmirch your family’s name—or Lady Eugenie’s—by association.”
“How thoughtful of you,” he muttered, his words laced with sarcasm.
Lady Elsbeth held her ground. “That is all I wanted to say, my lord.”
Niles should have left it at that. He should have turned and walked away. But something about her made him pause. Against his better judgment, he took a step closer, matching her low tone. “You do not need to concern yourself with my family’s reputation.”
“I was only trying?—”
He cut her off. “Did you truly think that this scheme would work?”
Her brow furrowed. “What scheme?”
“Women throw themselves at me all the time,” Niles said. “You may think you are convincing, but I see through it.”
Lady Elsbeth’s eyes flashed with irritation. “And what, pray tell, am I doing?”
“You believe that warning me away will endear me to you,” he accused. “But it won’t work.”
Her cheeks flushed, her voice growing defensive. “That is not what I was doing.”
She was good. He had to admit that. But he knew better. With a smirk on his lips, he said, “You could have a career in the theater with such a performance.”
Lady Elsbeth’s eyes narrowed. “I daresay you are so full of yourself, I am surprised your head does not float away.”
“Resorting to insults, are we?” he asked, arching a brow.
She took a step back, her chin held high. “And to think, I actually felt sorry for you.”
Niles’s smirk faltered as he leaned in, his voice dropping to a near growl. “I think we are in agreement, then. The less time we spend together, the better.”
“Oh, trust me, my lord, I plan to spend as little time with you as possible,” Lady Elsbeth retorted, brushing past him.
Good.
That is precisely what he wanted.
As Niles stood there, his sister appeared in the doorway. Eugenie’s brows were drawn together in an expression that was half-disapproval, half-exasperation. “What did you say to Lady Elsbeth?”
“Nothing that didn’t need to be said,” Niles replied.
Eugenie cocked her head, her blonde curls swaying with the motion. “Oh, really? Because she looked rather irritated. Will you please stop being you for once and at least attempt to be cordial?”
“I don’t know what you are referring to,” Niles said.
Closing the distance between them, Eugenie lowered her voice. “Aunt Margaret adores Lady Elsbeth. Do try to remember that.”
“Aunt Margaret has always been a poor judge of character.”
“And yet she likes you,” Eugenie shot back, her lips curling in a wry smile.
Niles couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath. “Point taken. But that doesn’t mean I trust Lady Elsbeth.”
Eugenie gave him a pointed look. “Why is that? Is she too nice? Too beautiful?”
