“No, of course not. That would require humility,” she responded. “You think yourself above me.”
“I never said that.”
“You don’t have to. Why did you truly want me to come here if you think I’m so much beneath you?”
“My reasons are my own.”
“You are an infuriating man.”
He leaned closer until their faces were inches apart. “And you are the most obstinate young woman I have ever had the misfortune of knowing.”
She didn’t shy away from him as she said, “Fortunately for you, I will be on my way shortly. And we will never have to cross paths again.”
Something inside him twisted at that. He couldn’t let her go. Not yet.
His voice lowered, more hesitant this time. “Don’t go.”
“Why not?”
He didn’t answer immediately. He couldn’t say the real reason—that he needed her to lure Mr. Smith out of hiding. That he needed her to stay.
He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. “Because… I want you to stay.”
Miss Theodosia’s expression did not waver. “No, you don’t,” she challenged.
“I do,” he insisted, though even to his own ears the words sounded too raw, too vulnerable.
She arched a single brow. “You can hardly tolerate being in the same room with me. I suspect you despise me just as thoroughly as I despise you. It is better if I go.”
But it wasn’t. Not now. Not when the mere scent of lavender clinging to her skin had muddled his thoughts, or when theafternoon light revealed unexpected flecks of amber in her green eyes. It was maddening how much he noticed her and how quickly his carefully constructed walls began to splinter when she was near.
“You were right to be angry,” he said at last. “I spoke out of turn. I was wrong.”
She tilted her head slightly. “Was that meant to be an apology?”
“It was,” he replied, somewhat stiffly.
Her lips twitched, though the expression held little mirth. “You are truly terrible at apologizing, my lord. Typically, one begins with the words ‘I’m sorry.’ You might try it sometime.”
Insufferable woman.
He exhaled slowly, tempering the urge to snap back. “Do you accept it or not?”
For a moment, she simply looked at him—really looked at him. Her eyes searched his face, lingering on his features as though trying to determine if there was truth buried beneath his pride. Whatever she saw, it softened her expression just slightly.
“I do,” she said. “But that does not change the fact that I should probably leave.”
“Give me one more chance,” he said, the words rushing out before he could rein them in. “Please.”
A flicker of surprise crossed her face at his plea. “I shall think on it.”
He gave a short nod. “That is enough for me… for now.”
She made no move to step away, and neither did he. The silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken things. And as he stood there, far too aware of the closeness of her presence, he found himself once again lost in the green depths of her eyes—and all the uncertainty they held.
“Does that mean Dosia is staying?” came Olivia’s voice from behind him, bright with hope and just a hint of mischief.
Startled, Richard stepped back, instinctively putting a safer distance between himself and Miss Theodosia. “She is… considering it.”
