When the interminable meal finally came to an end, Bennett stood. ‘Miss Mansfield, if we might have that word now? I shall direct Lovett to send some tea to my study.’ Even that came out like a clipped order, making him inwardly cringe as he marched out of the dining room, expecting her to follow him. He was beginning to think he was incapable of sounding anything other than like an army general in her presence and wished fervently that he didn’t.
To make him feel even worse, when he sat in one of the comfortable chairs closest to the fire, expecting her to sit in the other, she stood primly in front of him like a soldier waiting to be inspected. It was up to him to put her at her ease.
‘Did any of those unscrupulous men take advantage of you?’ He barked the words. Clearly he was doomed to be incapable of acting anywhere near normal around her. His nerves kept getting the better of him, making him sound like an old curmudgeon. No wonder she stood to attention.
‘That depends on your definition ofadvantage, I suppose.’ She knew damn well that was not the sort of answer he wanted, but he forced himself to wait. If he spoke, he would bark again and probably send her running to pack her bags before they had a chance to talk. Eventually, she sighed and perched on the edge of the chair. ‘Many tried to take advantage, but fortunately none succeeded.’
Bennett felt himself physically sag with relief. He would not have to commit murder just yet on her behalf. ‘I am greatly relieved to hear that, Miss Mansfield.’
She nodded her dark head in acknowledgement and then sat quietly, waiting for him to continue. It was obvious she had no intention of making this encounter any easier, so Bennett took a deep breath and tried not to sound irritated.
‘Under the circumstances, now that I am better informed about your situation, I am prepared to concede that my tone this afternoon was...’
‘Boorish? Dictatorial? Impossibly rude?’
‘Perhaps...’ He risked a small smile at her continued impertinence and saw her hard expression soften slightly. It spurred him to be honest. ‘You must understand that you gave me the fright of my life. When I saw those men and heard what they had planned for you, my fear might have made it appear as if my anger was directed at you. It really wasn’t. I was angry that you had put yourself in danger; I still am. It makes no difference to me how well you may know that area or how independent you have been in the past; as far as I am concerned, I still believe that it is foolhardy for you to venture there alone. But I will not try to prevent you from going. I can now see how much helping those people means to you. I overreacted and for that I am sorry. In my defence, I had just been punched. Repeatedly.’
She glanced down at her clasped hands in her lap, but he could see that there was a hint of a smile on her lips. ‘Under the circumstances, I suppose I can forgive your overbearing tone. And I am sorry that you were hurt because of me.’
‘It was my pleasure.’
Her eyes flicked up then and she grinned when she saw that he was being ironic. ‘How is your nose?’
Fortunately, it was not broken. ‘A bit sore, but I shall endure it manfully.’
His sarcasm made her giggle and her dark eyes sparkle. All at once the world was a better place. ‘You did surprise me. I thought that they would beat you to a pulp. Yet you gave as good as you got. How come an illustrious duke punches like a barroom brawler?’
‘I am a politician, Miss Mansfield. As a rule, politicians are not very popular and some people are inclined towards violence when they come into contact with one. After the Prime Minister was assassinated a few years ago, I thought it might be prudent to learn how to properly defend myself should the occasion ever arise.’
‘Well, I am grateful for your interference today and, in the spirit of compromise, I shall take Terence with me next time I venture out. Those ruffians gave me quite a fright as well and I do not wish Lady Worsted to worry unduly about me.’
‘I am very glad to hear that too.’ Suddenly self-conscious, Bennett glanced at the pile of paperwork on his desk rather than let her see the blatant emotion in his eyes. She took this to mean that he had much better things to do than waste more time with her and stood, looking a little bit flustered and embarrassed.
‘I should probably go and tell Lady Worsted that peace has returned between us.’
‘Indeed.’ What was the matter with him? He was all stiff and formal again and she was almost at the door because he did not know how to stop her from leaving. ‘I took your advice and lay down in the hallway.’ Bennett could feel the beginnings of a blush as she turned around, but he ploughed on, feeling inordinately stupid at the admission. ‘I did not realise that those cherubs were throwing flowers about like confetti to rain down on my head.’ He was cringing so much that his toes began to curl inside his boots. Her dark eyebrows were raised in question and he realised that he was not really making himself clear. ‘What I meant to say is that perhaps you are right about perspective. Perhaps it is important to see things from different angles.’
She stared at him thoughtfully and he found himself hoping that she might be re-evaluating her opinion of him. ‘I am glad to hear you say that,’ she finally said before closing the door behind her.
* * *
Amelia did not see him the following day until he made a late appearance at his mother’s reading salon. He tried to slip in unnoticed while Lady Cecily was reading a sugary poem and stood leaning against the wall in the furthest and most unobtrusive corner of the room. However, his arrival caused a stir regardless. The Potentials were out in force and were falling over each other to impress him with their suitability to be the next duchess. Lady Cecily began to aim her recital directly at him with limpid eyes and trembling lips, to the consternation of Lady Priscilla and Lady Eugenie. As the ethereal Cecily continued to spout rhyming adoration at the Duke, all they could do was primp and preen and hope that he noticed them; Amelia was very pleased to note that he didn’t. It said something about his character that he was not impressed by their obvious public displays, but it was hugely entertaining to watch, especially as she was sitting next to Sir George, who kept making humorous insults which made her giggle.
Unconsciously, her eyes kept darting back to where he stood, seemingly engaged in the readings. Since yesterday, the Duke of Aveley had occupied the majority of her thoughts, leaving Amelia feeling decidedly off-kilter. The man’s physical appeal was undeniable. She had known that since the very first moment she had clapped eyes on him. But Amelia was not so shallow to allow that sort of superficial attraction to affect her judgement of a person, especially a person in possession of a title. She was far too intelligent to be won over by a pair of striking blue eyes and a broad pair of shoulders. Her pulse might well ratchet up several notches whenever she was near him, and she might well have an overwhelming desire to pat her hair and smooth down her dress out of vanity in his presence, but as she was neither blind nor dead she supposed such feelings were only human. Fortunately, his pomposity at their first meeting had allowed her to put her understandable reaction to his golden beauty to one side. He had been an arrogant, self-righteous aristocrat, just like her awful father, and therefore intellectually unappealing.
Yet now he was not quite so easy to pigeonhole. She now knew that he had many character traits that were, surprisingly, most admirable and served to bring her harsh opinion of him into question. Yesterday he had selflessly come to her rescue and then had the good grace to apologise for his bullish behaviour afterwards. And he had lain on the floor to look at his painting in order to see for himself if there was more than one perspective. She wished she had seen that. And he had been kind when he had caught her walking home alone in the dark, shared his horse with her and changed his route, when most men of his calibre would have simply ridden on without giving her any thought at all.
When one got past the formality and starchiness of his ducal exterior, he could be quite charming really. Like him, that charm was understated and contained, but he understood irony and had the capacity to be self-effacing. If he carried on being charming, then she might have to stop thinking of him as pompous—and then where would she be? Already she suspected that his brusque manner might have something to do with his own discomfort rather than his inflated opinion of his own importance. He had admitted that he found large social gatherings awkward when she had found him hiding in the Renshaws’ garden. Was there the chance that he might also find personal interactions difficult as well? It must be quite difficult being a duke and a member of the cabinet. Especially if you were a bit shy.
Now she also knew that he could be eminently reasonable too. He had apologised, after all. When did titles ever apologise? And, gracious, the man could kiss! Not a day had gone by since the eventful night when she had not allowed her mind to wander back to that unexpected, but not unwelcome, encounter under the stars. If Bennett Montague had not been a dyed-in-the-wool aristocrat, Amelia would be very tempted by him indeed.
‘Thank goodness—’ Sir George’s exasperated whisper brought her back from her wool-gathering ‘—I was beginning to believe Lady Cecily might go on all night. That was one of the worst poems I have ever heard.’
Amelia turned to him, grinning. ‘I am beginning to think that you disapprove of Lady Cecily. Do you not think that she would make a good duchess?’
He looked about him carefully and then dropped his voice further. ‘Can I entrust you with a secret, my dear?’ When she nodded, intrigued, he bent close to her ear. ‘If you want the honest truth, I heartily disapprove of all of the Potentials.’
Those words surprised her. ‘Whilst I agree that Lady Cecily is a little too calculated for my liking, surely they are not all like that? They would not have made the list in the first place unless they had the requisite attributes for the position.’
