He flattened his lips. “Yes, or perhaps I just assumed.”
“Hasn’t anyone ever warned you that assumptions can be dangerous? In any case, being a widow does not preclude her from seeking a husband.”
He leveled her a look. “How can I know if I wish to marry her based on only one meeting?”
Bessie laughed. “I said her price was marriage. I did not say she wished to marry you.”
“Why wouldn’t she?” he countered. “My title, tarnished though it is, is still an old one. My fortune, well-established.”
“Yes—although I’m surprised to hear you argue in favor of your title and standing when you rejected similar arguments earlier in the evening. Have you changed your mind? Do you also agree it is high time you settled down?”
“Bessie.”
“In this case, your opinion doesn’t matter anyway. She knows your title. She’s aware of your fortune. She’s seen you about town and finds you to be aloof, arrogant, and not at all suitable as a husband.”
His jaw dropped.
“She does not want you. I inquired on your behalf before sending her home in my carriage. Do try and console yourself.”
“What the devil, Bessie?”
The Black Widow shrugged. “She used you for her comfort and convenience and wants nothing more. You should be well acquainted with the concept.”
“Bessie—?”
“Did the tisane help?” she interrupted.
He crossed his arms. “Yes, as a matter of fact, it did.”
“Good.” She retrieved a bag from her desk drawer. “Take some with you. And have your housekeeper apply to me for the recipe.”
He scowled down at the package as she placed it on top of his forearms.
“You deliberately set out to hurt me.”
“Not hurt, Adrian. Help. You’ve been lost inside your head for far too long.” Her voice grew hard. “Now pull yourself together and go home. In the unlikely event she wishes to see you again, I will inform you when next we meet.”
Heat radiated up Adrian’s neck. Embarrassment, frustration, and disbelief followed. Bessie thought she could teach him a lesson, did she? Thought he would be waiting around on tenterhooks for her summons?
“No. You won’t be informing me of anything,” he replied. “Because I won’t be back.”
