Gentleman's Guide 01 - His Impetuous Debutante by Jane Charles Page B

was pushed
back against the side of the carriage. He lifted his hand to her
veil. Phoebe quickly grabbed a hold. He chuckled again. “So, you
don’t want me to see your face. I’ll kiss the delicious lips I am
sure you are concealing later, when you have gotten to know me
better.”
    Phoebe had hoped he would back away,
but he didn’t. Something more horrifying happened. Instead of
kissing her lips, he pressed his lips along the trail his finger
had early taken, just above the lace of her bodice. She felt as if
she had been burned and the fire shot through her body. Screeching,
she reeled up, sliding away from him, and landing on her bottom on
the floor of the carriage.
    Sandlin threw his head back in
laughter. She could only sit there, staring up at him, eyes and
mouth wide open. He didn’t even bother to help her up. He simply
looked down at her.
    Anger replaced the laughter in his
eyes. Perhaps Sandlin didn’t appreciate being rejected. Maybe it
hadn’t ever happened before. She would certainly believe that
possibility. Well, she certainly wasn’t going to get off the floor,
as the alternative was much too dangerous to even consider at the
moment. Perhaps if she stayed there and continued to refuse his
advances he would give up and let her out. Instead, he leaned over
her. “I was wondering how far you would allow my advances,
Phoebe.”
    She gasped. He knew who she was! How
long had he known? Surely not before the carriage, not in the
garden when he had led her down the path. He placed his hands
underneath her arms and lifted her to the opposite seat. “You can
talk now. I know who you are. I have known since I started
following you.”
    She could only gasp, not sure what to
say, and pushed herself back against the cushions.
    Lifting his hand, he ripped the veil
away from her face. “You little fool.”
    Phoebe found her voice, not sure who
she was more angry with. “If you knew it was me right away, why did
you do and say all those things?” She did not believe for a minute
he knew who she was before they entered the carriage.
    “ To teach you a lesson.
Obviously you have trouble understanding. I thought perhaps you
needed an example of what could happen.”
    “ But I knew it was you the
entire time. So I knew I was safe,” she argued with dignity,
straightening her skirts.
    “ You were far from safe,
dearest Phoebe. What if it had been someone else? Then
what?”
    “ I would have refused and
been on my way.”
    “ What if someone else
would have recognized you?”
    “ They didn’t.”
    “ What if someone, drunk
and full of himself, had decided to seek what was behind the
veil?”
    “ That didn’t
happen.”
    Sandlin blew out a frustrated breath.
“Perhaps I should have just followed you and waited, as I always
do, until a man took interest. But how far would I have let it go
before intervening? I am not sure. Perhaps as far as you allowed
me, so you could know real fear.” His voice had once again risen in
anger.
    Her eyes widened. He wouldn’t have.
But, right now he was angry enough to let such an occurrence
happen. “That wouldn’t have happened. The only reason I ended up as
I did with you was because I was trying to think of a way out of
the situation without alerting you to who I was.”
    “ I am well aware of what
you were up to. I could feel you shaking. But that doesn’t dismiss
the fact that you were there alone tonight, does it?”
    He was angrier then she
thought.
    “ Some men would not take
‘No’ for an answer, Phoebe. They would assume you played a game of
coyness. Your actions in appearing alone would make them believe
you were after the same excitement.”
    She felt the blood drain from her
face.
    “ Then what? Keep telling
him no, hoping he would go away? Unfortunately, it doesn’t work
that way with some men. This evening could have ended much worse
for you. Worse than any assumption the ton would make at a slight
indiscretion. Worse than your worst nightmare,” he