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And still neither of them had said a word.
“So, Your Grace…”
“Iwas wondering, Miss Atwood…”
They both fell silent again.
“Ibeg your pardon, sir, you speak first.”
“Certainly not, a gentleman always lets a lady lead the way.”
“Hmph. Bold words for a man who clearly takes pride in making all decisions himself.”
The Duke’s eyebrows shot up. Rosaline kept her gaze firmly on the path ahead, refusing to glance at him or acknowledge the forwardness of her words.
“Isee you haven’t changed since our last meeting, Miss Atwood.”
“No, I have not. Did you think I would have?”
“No. I confess that my intention was to change your opinion of me, not mine of you.”
Rosaline sighed. “You’re a wealthy duke, a man of power. Why on earth would you care about my opinion of you?”
“Well, it’s not every day a man is compared to a bird of prey.”
Rosaline pressed her lips together, trying not to smile. “No, I suppose not.”
“So, I must ask, Miss Atwood. Whydidyou say I looked like a hawk?”
“Are you asking why I formed the opinion in the first place, or why I chose to tell you about it?”
“The former. I always appreciate people speaking their minds. Heaven knows I encounter that quality rarely enough.” The Duke added the last part under his breath, but Rosaline heard.
“Very well. I said you looked like a hawk because of your black brows and your high cheekbones.”
“Not my nose?”
Rosaline wavered. “Well, that too. You do have a very hawkish nose. You see, your nose isn’tbigexactly – well, it is big, but that isn’t…”
“Yes, yes, thank you, I’ve heard plenty of comments about the size of my nose. Not recently, of course. Is that it?”
“Your eyes, too. They’re very focused, and you don’t seem to blink. Like a bird of prey.”
“I’m sure hawks blink.”
“Probably, but it’s just a fancy I had. I don’t know much about hawks, not really.”
The Duke nodded, glancing behind him. Rosaline followed his gaze and realized, with a start, that Helen was nowhere to be seen. They were entirely alone.
For some reason, that made her feel very uneasy.
“Well, I appreciate your honesty, Miss Atwood.”
“Do you really?”
“Yes, I do, but I don’t appreciate your tone of sarcasm. You and I, Miss Atwood, are going to court each other.”
There was a silence.
