You’re young and beautiful. You could easily find someone other than a nagging aunt to shield you from the world.”
Her gaze turned murderous, giving him pause. She acted as if she were a well-born lady with a reputation to protect.
“Only a thoroughly wretched scoundrel could offer such a solution!”
Wretched wasn’t quite the word for what her loveliness made him feel, would make any man with eyes feel. Which might have been exactly his uncle’s plan. Deliberately, he let his gaze trail over her cloaked form. “Gypsies have sought noble protection for years.”
She drew herself up in affronted dignity. “And that, my lord, is why so many bastards with gypsy blood roam the countryside. Not to mention gypsies with noble blood who’ve been thoroughly ruined because the hope of better things was dangled before their eyes, then snatched away at the last minute!”
“Is that how you consider yourself?” he asked pointedly. “Was the hope of better things dangled before you, then snatched away? You said your father was a nobleman, and judging from your coloring, you’ve spoken the truth. So are you a ‘thoroughly ruined’ gypsy?”
She paled. “I was not speaking of myself.”
“So your father’s ‘protection’ of your mother didn’t ruin you,” he persisted.
“I suppose not.”
“But it has left you, as I pointed out before, with only an aunt and a flimsy disguise to protect you.”
“The two have been enough to deter most men,” she replied uneasily, turning her face away.
He leaned forward until his lips brushed her ear. “Ah, but I stripped away your feeble defenses with little effort, didn’t I?”
She smelled like lavender, which took him by surprise. It was such a ladylike scent.
It provoked him to try to learn more. “Perhaps I should have offered you my protection instead of my gold a few nights ago.”
Her head snapped around and she opened her mouth to retort, but before she could, the door swung open and her aunt marched in.
“I knew it!” Tamara spat as her eyes took in the scene. “I knew it was all an unscrupulous trick!”
Behind her, Will burst in, rubbing his head, which now sported a large lump. Garett scowled at them both, annoyed at having his interesting conversation with Mina cut short.
Will cast him an apologetic glance. “I didn’t expect the wench to crown me with a vase, m’lord!” He tried to pull Tamara from the room, but the gypsy woman resisted.
“Unhand her this instant!” she demanded of Garett, whose fingers still gripped Mina’s arm. “How dare you touch my niece! And after what she did for you, you ungrateful lecher!”
“I merely offered her a reward, woman,” Garett snapped. “She hasn’t had the good sense to take it. Yet.”
That seemed to give Tamara pause. She glanced at her niece’s stony face, then back to the earl’s mocking one. “I can well imagine what sort of ‘reward’ you offered. But my niece is no fool—she’d never let a man’sfine form and smooth words tempt her. The only reward we’ll take is in gold, for the other kind tarnishes all too quickly.”
“I don’t want his gold, either,” Mina protested as she wrenched her arm free.
Garett studied the young woman. Why was she so adamant in her refusal to take his money? She simply wasn’t what he expected a gypsy girl to be.
Her aunt, however, was clearly willing to meet expectations. “We’ll take the gold,” she stated, ignoring her niece. “She’s earned it well enough.”
“She has indeed.” He motioned to Will to fetch his purse.
Mina refused to meet his gaze, her cheeks pink.
In moments, Will returned. Garett removed a healthy portion of coins and thrust them into Tamara’s hand. Tamara gave him a grim smile as she shoved them into a pouch hung around her waist. When William muttered something about its being too much, Tamara silenced him with a glare.
“Are you finally satisfied, my lord?” Mina asked. “You’ve paid me for my
Her gaze turned murderous, giving him pause. She acted as if she were a well-born lady with a reputation to protect.
“Only a thoroughly wretched scoundrel could offer such a solution!”
Wretched wasn’t quite the word for what her loveliness made him feel, would make any man with eyes feel. Which might have been exactly his uncle’s plan. Deliberately, he let his gaze trail over her cloaked form. “Gypsies have sought noble protection for years.”
She drew herself up in affronted dignity. “And that, my lord, is why so many bastards with gypsy blood roam the countryside. Not to mention gypsies with noble blood who’ve been thoroughly ruined because the hope of better things was dangled before their eyes, then snatched away at the last minute!”
“Is that how you consider yourself?” he asked pointedly. “Was the hope of better things dangled before you, then snatched away? You said your father was a nobleman, and judging from your coloring, you’ve spoken the truth. So are you a ‘thoroughly ruined’ gypsy?”
She paled. “I was not speaking of myself.”
“So your father’s ‘protection’ of your mother didn’t ruin you,” he persisted.
“I suppose not.”
“But it has left you, as I pointed out before, with only an aunt and a flimsy disguise to protect you.”
“The two have been enough to deter most men,” she replied uneasily, turning her face away.
He leaned forward until his lips brushed her ear. “Ah, but I stripped away your feeble defenses with little effort, didn’t I?”
She smelled like lavender, which took him by surprise. It was such a ladylike scent.
It provoked him to try to learn more. “Perhaps I should have offered you my protection instead of my gold a few nights ago.”
Her head snapped around and she opened her mouth to retort, but before she could, the door swung open and her aunt marched in.
“I knew it!” Tamara spat as her eyes took in the scene. “I knew it was all an unscrupulous trick!”
Behind her, Will burst in, rubbing his head, which now sported a large lump. Garett scowled at them both, annoyed at having his interesting conversation with Mina cut short.
Will cast him an apologetic glance. “I didn’t expect the wench to crown me with a vase, m’lord!” He tried to pull Tamara from the room, but the gypsy woman resisted.
“Unhand her this instant!” she demanded of Garett, whose fingers still gripped Mina’s arm. “How dare you touch my niece! And after what she did for you, you ungrateful lecher!”
“I merely offered her a reward, woman,” Garett snapped. “She hasn’t had the good sense to take it. Yet.”
That seemed to give Tamara pause. She glanced at her niece’s stony face, then back to the earl’s mocking one. “I can well imagine what sort of ‘reward’ you offered. But my niece is no fool—she’d never let a man’sfine form and smooth words tempt her. The only reward we’ll take is in gold, for the other kind tarnishes all too quickly.”
“I don’t want his gold, either,” Mina protested as she wrenched her arm free.
Garett studied the young woman. Why was she so adamant in her refusal to take his money? She simply wasn’t what he expected a gypsy girl to be.
Her aunt, however, was clearly willing to meet expectations. “We’ll take the gold,” she stated, ignoring her niece. “She’s earned it well enough.”
“She has indeed.” He motioned to Will to fetch his purse.
Mina refused to meet his gaze, her cheeks pink.
In moments, Will returned. Garett removed a healthy portion of coins and thrust them into Tamara’s hand. Tamara gave him a grim smile as she shoved them into a pouch hung around her waist. When William muttered something about its being too much, Tamara silenced him with a glare.
“Are you finally satisfied, my lord?” Mina asked. “You’ve paid me for my
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