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He sat back. “Everything about you interests me, mademoiselle.”
“I can’t think why.” She stared out the window at the foreboding exterior of the Tower. “I haven’t been anywhere or done anything. My life is exceedingly tedious, especially for a man like yourself.”
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”
“I’m certain I would much rather hear about some of your travels. You have no doubt been all over the Continent and beyond.”
He wagged a finger at her. “That might work with other men, but I am not yet so vain as to believe the sound of my voice is more pleasing than birdsong. I will tell you about my life, if you tell me of yours.”
“I’m sure we should be watching the Tower and not wasting time conversing.”
“We have the time to waste, mademoiselle. I shall watch, and you will talk.”
She sighed. “Very well. When Papa died, I went to live with a cousin of my mother’s in the English countryside. He was married and had three children, all younger than I. This cousin had come to my father’s funeral and offered to care for me until I was of age. He wrote to his wife, and she was pleased to have me live with them. She welcomed the help I would be with the children and with all the other chores.”
His green eyes were on the Tower, but now he cut his gaze to her. “But?”
“But her attitude changed when she saw me.”
He nodded, his gaze once again on the Tower. “She had not expected you to be so beautiful. She was jealous.”
“She did not trust her husband, but he had been nothing but courteous to me. I tried to make her like me, truly I did. I helped with all the cooking, the laundry, the children. They did not have enough money for a servant, and I became little more than their servant. I barely had time for my studies and more often than not, I fell asleep with my head on my book.”
“And what did your new mistress think of that?”
Honoria sighed. “She did not like me to flaunt my knowledge. She said it was unwomanly to know so much. She wondered, aloud, how she would ever find me a husband if I persisted in attempting to prove I was more intelligent than the eligible men.”
“Jealous again.”
Honoria traced a finger over the map the marquis had drawn earlier. “She had a point. Men did come to call on me, and I had a bad habit of correcting them when they used poor grammar or made some comment about art or mathematics that was incorrect.”
“I doubt that deterred them as much as you think. For a face like yours, a man will endure much—even intellectual inferiority.”
“I suppose that became apparent to everyone because it seemed men were always vying for my attentions. This angered the wife of my cousin, and she used to lecture me mercilessly.”
Now he turned his gaze directly on her. “What did she say? Did she blame you for the attention?”
How did he see it all so easily? He seemed to know what she would say before she said it. “Yes, more or less.”
“She thought you were too flirtatious.”
Honoria laughed. “Even she could not credibly claim that. I have always been shy with people I do not know, especially men. But she said beauty was a gift from Satan to tempt men to sin.”
The marquis’s demeanor changed from relaxed to stiff. He sat forward in his chair. “And who were you tempting? More than the men from the village, I wager.”
Honoria looked down at her fingers on the map. “I should go to the market before we both perish of hunger.” She rose. “Do you have the assignats?”
He leveled her with his gaze. “We will talk more when you return.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew several paper bills. “I would give you more, but it might look suspicious for you to carry too much.”
She held out her hand, and he placed the bills in her palm, his hand brushing against hers. Cheeks flushing, she pulled her hand away. “I will be back in an hour.” She started away, all but stumbling to the door.
“Mademoiselle?”
She paused. If he told her to stay, she would, and then she would tell him everything. It was too much to bear, seeing the look of disgust on his face.
“Wear your cockade.” He pointed to the red, white, and blue pin peeking out of her small bag. Honoria hurried to it, and with shaking fingers, pinned it to her bodice and placed a small basket on her arm. Then she ran, not breathing until she was on the other side of the door.
***
