Page 28 of A Daring Desire

He lifted an eyebrow, offering her a sardonic expression. “Did you not? I got the feeling it was very much a command that could not be refused.”

“Perhaps,” she admitted. “Though I had no notion you would see it that way.”

“My, you do have a low opinion of me,” he replied, lip curling.

She considered this, her open gaze holding his until he felt ill at ease. “No, actually. That is to say, I had the worst opinion of you, but I believe I was mistaken. A little at least,” she amended with a wry smile.

“Oh, a very little.”

She laughed at his sarcastic tone, and her face softened. “How are you? I hear you’ve been most dreadfully ill.”

“I’ll live, though that knowledge seems to be a source of grave disappointment for some,” he muttered.

“Who?” she asked in confusion, but he waved this away.

“Never mind.”

“But I do mind,” she persisted. “I’ve had the devil of a job keeping you alive, I’ll not have anyone else trying to rid me of my brother.”

He frowned, wondering why she should say such a thing. It wasn’t like she’d taken any pleasure in the connection or wanted the least thing to do with him. Not that he’d been surprised or had blamed her for it. “Have you decided to claim your inheritance after all?” he asked curiously.

For a moment she looked nonplussed, and then a blaze of fury lit in her eyes. She opened her mouth, and he knew she was about to ring a peal over him, but then she stopped and just stared at him.

“What?”

“My God,” she said with a huff of laughter. “All these years, and Cat was right all along.”

Kilbane scowled, disliking the compassion in her eyes and the idea that she could have any sympathy with whatever foolish things his wife had said of him. “The idea that ridiculous creature has ever been right about anything concerning me is excessively unlikely.”

“Is it, now?” she asked, so obviously mocking him he almost lost his temper, but then she’d go, and he realised he did not want her to, so he held his tongue. “I suppose you’re bored to tears?”

He grunted, as that was too obvious for him to dignify with an answer.

“Fancy a game of cards?”

Her tone was nonchalant, but there was a gleam in her eyes that suggested she very much wanted to play him. He scrutinised her with interest.

“Are you any good?”

“Extremely,” she said with her usual frankness.

He gave a bark of laughter. “As good as me?”

“Well,” she said, giving him a mischievous look, “my father taught me to play.”

Despite the fact she was mocking him, he felt his lips curl up in a smile. Her father, the Comte de Villen, was the one person who had ever soundly beaten him, even when he was going all out to win. He had lost a shocking amount of money that night and not regretted it, either. It was rare to play someone with such exceptional skill and he’d not begrudged the comte his success. If his daughter had half his skill….

“Go on, then,” he said.

Aggie grinned.

Chapter 9

Hart,

Stop being such an objectionable arse. Your parents will be with us for Christmas, my father and mother and more siblings, nieces, nephews and cousins than I care to count. If you give me the go by, you will leave me no choice than to come and get you by force. As you are a far bigger and far, far uglier character than me, this will humiliate us both, but mostly me.

For God’s sake, avoid such a pitiful scene and present yourself decked out for a jolly family get together or we shall be at outs.