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“I’m sure you’ve heard of my current predicament,” she finally said. Might as well lay all of the cards out in the open. Well, most of them.
“Who has not?” he asked, with a twinkle in his eye.
She decided to take a gamble. “And what think you?”
“I think you must be a truly fascinating woman to have attracted offers from three such vastly different men in so short a time.” He reached out and lifted her face. “And I think you would already be engaged to one of them had he been what you desired.”
Miracles do happen! “You are correct in your estimation,” she told him as calmly as possible. “I am looking for something different.”
He gave her the smile that she knew had melted the knees of countless women. It was very pretty, but she found herself unmoved. Excellent.
“I beg you to tell me all, only promise me your next dance,” he said, offering his arm. “And I vow to prove myself more worthy of recollection this time.”
By the time the dance was over and a glass of champagne had been shared in a quiet corner, Sabrina had firmly attached him. When he suggest
ed they take a breath of air outside, she knew she had him hooked.
They walked along the gravel path for a bit in silence.
“Now that the moon has set, one can see them quite clearly,” he said, gazing up at the stars. “Such beauty is hard to parallel. Like jewels they are. And look, there is the brightest of them all, Venus.” He pointed at one particularly brilliant point. “Named for the goddess of love, ’tis said the sight of her is a blessing to all lovers.”
“Better Venus than Mars, I suppose,” she chuckled. “I should think the auspices of that particular deity must be avoided by lovers at all costs.”
“Ah, but Mars was the lover of Venus,” he murmured back, coming a little closer. “He would never dare to cause strife where his beloved walked. Every man should follow his example and be content to worship at his lady’s feet, denying her nothing her heart desires.”
What utter rubbish! she thought, rolling her eyes under the cover of darkness. He was almost as bad as Chadwick. “My heart desires only peace. I do not know if I can take much more of this rivalry. I apologize, my lord. I fear I shall bore you with such talk.”
“Nonsense,” he said, patting her hand where it rested on his sleeve. “You may lay the burdens of your heart upon my ears and know that your secret is safe with me.”
“My, but you are sweet to sympathize so. None of my other friends have such a generous heart.”
“Such callous treatment!” he exclaimed with mock alarm. “I wonder that you still name them friends.”
She shot him a sidelong look. “Flatterer! Think not that I am fooled, my lord. I am well aware of your reputation.”
“Then you know that I have no ulterior motives lurking beneath my counsel,” he told her. “You are safe from my wicked predations—so long as you remain undecorated by a wedding ring.”
“Shame on you, my lord!” she laughed, caught off guard. “You truly are the devil they say you are.”
“I give him a run for his money every now and then,” he confessed. “But you may rest assured that this old devil is on your side, dear lady. As charming as you are, I’ve no interest in ravishing you. At least not for the moment,” he added, lifting a wry brow. “Once you’ve gone and shackled yourself to some poor fool, however, I may change my mind. Beware the day you wed.”
She pointed her nose skyward. “I’m afraid you will be sorely disappointed, for I intend to be quite loyal to my husband, whoever he may be.”
“Your announcement inspires the gravest disappointment, my lady. The kind of disappointment that might make any other man reconsider his wickedness and contemplate reform.”
“But not you, I take it?”
“Me? Reform?” He gave a theatrical show of horror, eliciting a giggle. “I shudder to even think what life would be like if morals suddenly became manifest in my constitution. I should be a most dull man if I ever decided to walk the straight and narrow.”
“Then my intent to honor my vows makes me dull?”
He stared at her for a moment. “Not in the least. What makes for dullness in a man makes for virtue in a woman, and womanly virtue is a thing to be admired, not mocked. It has become all too rare, these days.”
Her smile slipped. “You are one of the few who think me virtuous, I’m afraid.”
“Bah! What are a few stolen kisses? Nothing, that’s what. If you want my opinion, any man who chooses the perfect paragon of chastity for a wife is only asking for trouble.”
“You’d rather marry a woman with a tarnished reputation?”
