She considered this. He wasn't wrong. The ton had created Cast-Off Clarissa from a few scraps of gossip. And if gossip could destroy, perhaps gossip could rebuild.
"A story," she repeated. That smile tugged at her lips again. "I like that."
"I thought you might." He moved closer until his arm brushed hers. "You're terribly good at telling stories. Creating a new story for Lady Clarissa should be an easy feat for you."
"Mmm." She nodded slowly. "A new story for Lady Clarissa. I like that. But…" She turned to him. "Must I speak of myself as though I were a stranger?"
His face grew absurdly serious. "Of course you must."
They both just barely stifled a laugh this time.
"So tell me," he said. "What would your hero do now?"
"Well," she mused. "I suppose he'd find this Lady Clarissa highly entertaining."
"Oh?"
She nodded. "She's not beautiful enough to have caught his attention with looks alone."
He stopped short. "Who said so?"
She choked on a giggle at his affronted tone. "I say so."
He opened his mouth to argue, but she held up a hand and continued. "I am the author of this story, if you'll recall."
He looked comically wounded, but clamped his mouth shut.
"So yes," she continued. "Lady Clarissa must be extraordinarily amusing."
"Done." Kit threw his head back in a laugh that was so loud it startled not just her but the birds in the tree branches overhead.
As they flew off, she turned to find that every guest on every neighboring picnic blanket was watching them with blatant curiosity.
"See?" he said, clearly pleased with himself. "Now you're entertaining."
"So," she said slowly. "I suppose this means I could say absolutely anything right now, and as long as you react as though it were charming, the people watching will assume I'm fascinating?"
He nodded. "That is the general idea, yes."
"Rutabaga," she said.
Kit stopped walking. He stared at her.
"Rutabaga," she repeated with great dignity.
He laughed. Not the practiced, too-loud laugh he'd used earlier. This one was real, and it had Clarissa grinning along with him. Mrs. Lennox cleared her throat pointedly behind them.
"Rutabaga?" Kit managed, once he'd composed himself.
"I was testing the theory," Clarissa said. "It appears to hold."
"Shall I expect to be tested often?" he asked.
"I reserve that right, yes," she shot back.
They grinned at each other. And for one moment, they were not a duke's heir and a disgraced earl's daughter performing a courtship for the benefit of the ton. They were just two people who found each other funny.
"You're enjoying yourself." His smile lingered as he studied her features. "For real, I mean."
