A Regency Invitation to the House Party of the Season by Nicola Cornick, Elizabeth Rolls, JOANNA MAITLAND Page B
Ads: Link
point?’
‘The point,’ Cassie said, her chin tilting dangerously, an angry sparkle in her eyes, ‘is that you deliberately set out to compromise me yesterday, Lord Quinlan.’
Peter had been expecting this. He suspected that Cassie had come to breakfast with her feelings already ruffled by someone—her chaperon, perhaps—who had intentionally set out to paint him as a ruthless seducer. He remembered that Cassie had told him the previous day that Lady Margaret supported William Lyndhurst-Flint’s suit. And then there had been Lyndhurst-Flint’s calculatedly provocative comment at breakfast. Both of them would take any opportunity they could to ruin his chances, and they had already started.
‘It is rather unfair to accuse me of setting out to compromise you,’ he said mildly.
‘Is it?’ Cassie’s gaze narrowed. ‘I thought it was quite plain. I told you that I had two hundred thousand pounds and from that moment you determined to seduce me.’
Peter drove his hands into his jacket pockets. ‘Now that is definitely unfair.’
Cassie looked nonplussed. ‘Indeed? Do you deny it, then?’
‘Of course,’ Peter said. ‘I wanted to seduce you long before you told me about the money. I wanted you from the first moment I saw you up the tree with that ridiculous banner.’ He took a step closer to her. It brought them a mere two feet apart. He could see the puzzlement and the reluctant curiosity in her eyes. ‘You are utterly seducible, Miss Ward,’ he finished gently.
Cassie glared. ‘And you are outrageous, Lord Quinlan!’
‘I am sorry if I offend you,’ Peter said. ‘I promised yesterday always to tell you the truth and I have been scrupulously careful to do so.’
Cassie drew a deep breath. ‘There are times—surely there are times!—when it is better to prevaricate, or at the very least moderate your opinions!’
Peter laughed. ‘It surprises me to hear you say so, Miss Ward. I would have thought that you of all people are always transparently honest.’
‘I am! I did not expect you to be, however.’ Cassie was looking at him, frowning, as though she was not quite sure what to make of him. ‘Upon my word, Lord Quinlan!’ she burst out. ‘I do not know whether you are the most skilled trickster that I have ever met or…’ She paused.
‘Or someone who wishes to forget all about the damnable money and simply take you to bed?’ Peter suggested.
‘Lord Quinlan!’ Cassie sounded as appalled as an octogenarian dowager.
Peter saw the shock in her face and underneath it, intriguingly, the faintest hint of fascination as she considered his statement. He traced her thought processes with interest. She was remembering the way that reckless desire had ambushed them at the inn; she was thinking of the persuasive seduction of their kisses, she was wanting much, much more…
Then the colour rushed into her face as she realised just how inappropriate her thoughts were. She turned away abruptly. Peter could tell that she was completely flustered that the interview had not gone the way she had planned, but that she did not wish to give him theadvantage of knowing it. He went across to her and put a hand on her arm.
‘Miss Ward.’
There was a flare of nervousness in Cassie’s eyes as though she almost expected him to make good his shocking declaration and sweep her up the wide oak stair to bed there and then.
‘My lord?’ She moistened her lips.
Peter took her hand in his. ‘All I ask is that you give me a chance to court you,’ he said. ‘You knew that I was a fortune hunter. I made no secret of it. You can trust me to be honest with you.’
Cassie’s head was bent. The sun shone through the dusty windows and picked out the strands of copper and gold in the richness of her hair. Peter ached to touch it. She looked up at him suddenly and his senses leapt. Her fingers trembled slightly within his grasp and he tightened his hold.
‘Tell me the truth, then,’ she said urgently.
‘The point,’ Cassie said, her chin tilting dangerously, an angry sparkle in her eyes, ‘is that you deliberately set out to compromise me yesterday, Lord Quinlan.’
Peter had been expecting this. He suspected that Cassie had come to breakfast with her feelings already ruffled by someone—her chaperon, perhaps—who had intentionally set out to paint him as a ruthless seducer. He remembered that Cassie had told him the previous day that Lady Margaret supported William Lyndhurst-Flint’s suit. And then there had been Lyndhurst-Flint’s calculatedly provocative comment at breakfast. Both of them would take any opportunity they could to ruin his chances, and they had already started.
‘It is rather unfair to accuse me of setting out to compromise you,’ he said mildly.
‘Is it?’ Cassie’s gaze narrowed. ‘I thought it was quite plain. I told you that I had two hundred thousand pounds and from that moment you determined to seduce me.’
Peter drove his hands into his jacket pockets. ‘Now that is definitely unfair.’
Cassie looked nonplussed. ‘Indeed? Do you deny it, then?’
‘Of course,’ Peter said. ‘I wanted to seduce you long before you told me about the money. I wanted you from the first moment I saw you up the tree with that ridiculous banner.’ He took a step closer to her. It brought them a mere two feet apart. He could see the puzzlement and the reluctant curiosity in her eyes. ‘You are utterly seducible, Miss Ward,’ he finished gently.
Cassie glared. ‘And you are outrageous, Lord Quinlan!’
‘I am sorry if I offend you,’ Peter said. ‘I promised yesterday always to tell you the truth and I have been scrupulously careful to do so.’
Cassie drew a deep breath. ‘There are times—surely there are times!—when it is better to prevaricate, or at the very least moderate your opinions!’
Peter laughed. ‘It surprises me to hear you say so, Miss Ward. I would have thought that you of all people are always transparently honest.’
‘I am! I did not expect you to be, however.’ Cassie was looking at him, frowning, as though she was not quite sure what to make of him. ‘Upon my word, Lord Quinlan!’ she burst out. ‘I do not know whether you are the most skilled trickster that I have ever met or…’ She paused.
‘Or someone who wishes to forget all about the damnable money and simply take you to bed?’ Peter suggested.
‘Lord Quinlan!’ Cassie sounded as appalled as an octogenarian dowager.
Peter saw the shock in her face and underneath it, intriguingly, the faintest hint of fascination as she considered his statement. He traced her thought processes with interest. She was remembering the way that reckless desire had ambushed them at the inn; she was thinking of the persuasive seduction of their kisses, she was wanting much, much more…
Then the colour rushed into her face as she realised just how inappropriate her thoughts were. She turned away abruptly. Peter could tell that she was completely flustered that the interview had not gone the way she had planned, but that she did not wish to give him theadvantage of knowing it. He went across to her and put a hand on her arm.
‘Miss Ward.’
There was a flare of nervousness in Cassie’s eyes as though she almost expected him to make good his shocking declaration and sweep her up the wide oak stair to bed there and then.
‘My lord?’ She moistened her lips.
Peter took her hand in his. ‘All I ask is that you give me a chance to court you,’ he said. ‘You knew that I was a fortune hunter. I made no secret of it. You can trust me to be honest with you.’
Cassie’s head was bent. The sun shone through the dusty windows and picked out the strands of copper and gold in the richness of her hair. Peter ached to touch it. She looked up at him suddenly and his senses leapt. Her fingers trembled slightly within his grasp and he tightened his hold.
‘Tell me the truth, then,’ she said urgently.
Similar Books
