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“I have an extensive library at the Abbey,” he said, turning back to his newspaper. The news was very old. He was fairly sure the groom in the wedding notice he was reading had already found a new lover and had left his bride languishing at his country estate.
Dominic had no intention of leaving Margaret languishing.
“Are you trying to bribe me?” she asked.
“Do you enjoy libraries?”
“Of course.”
“Then I am trying to bribe you.”
She giggled. It was a carefree sound, a joyful sound, and he couldn’t remember hearing it from her before. His heart lightened at the thought that he could do that to her.
She wandered a bit further along the bookshelves, examining the titles, and then said, “Are there romances in your library?”
“What sort of romances? Do you mean like Clarissa?”
“Good heavens no! Well, not exactly. I mean novels where the main characters fall in love and sometimes do rather racy things.”
He closed the newspaper. “What sort of racy things?”
“When I was in Mockingbird Square I once read a book where the heroine, who was rather silly I must admit, ran off with a rake, and—”
“Do you consider me a rake?” He was standing now, and her eyes widened a little.
“I didn’t mean to suggest the book was about you and me, Dominic. I was merely illustrating what I meant about a racy romance.”
He began to cross the room. “You do surprise me, Margaret,” he said, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice. “I would never have imagined you reading books like that.”
She tilted her head and smiled. So, she was flirting with him. He wanted to take advantage of it, and cursed his earlier promise.
“What sort of books would you imagine me reading then?” she asked.
“Heavy tomes about boring things like proper behaviour and how to dust shelves.”
She laughed. “You mean like Sermons to Young Women?”
“That sounds perfect.” He’d reached her now and she looked up at him. He didn’t touch her, although he desperately wanted to.
“I have read that book, by the way,” she said. “I found it terribly pompous. Why would a gentleman writer think he knew more about women’s matters than women themselves? And why would any woman listen to him?”
“My thoughts exactly,” he said, trying not to grab her and begin manhandling her like the rake they were just discussing.
She placed her hands on his chest. For a moment he couldn’t breathe. “You would never tell me what was best for me, would you, Dominic? You would never decide you knew better than I?”
“You mean aside from kidnapping you and whisking you away to a hunting lodge in order to save you from a life of martyrdom? Never!”
She smiled but she was waiting for him to be serious. All thoughts of seduction faded from his thoughts. The problem was he was struggling to find the right answer. She had set him a trap and it was suddenly very important he answer her correctly.
“Only because I love you,” he said. “I could see that you were making yourself unwell in your situation and it was so obvious to me what needed to be done. Not because I am a man but because sometimes it is easier for someone who is standing outside your situation to see more clearly.”
She thought a moment. “I’m not sure I entirely agree with you, but I understand what you’re telling me.” To his disappointment she dropped her hands and stepped away. “Thank you for coming to my rescue, Dominic. But next time, ask me first.”
“You have my word.”
She smiled over her shoulder and went to the door, closing it softly behind her.
17
