Imprudence by Gail Carriger Page B

the lines on his face smoothed and he smiled.
    â€œ
Chérie
! How lovely.”
    â€œLeaving again so soon, Mr Lefoux? Is this to become a custom?”
    â€œMost certainly not. How could I even contemplate abandoning such loveliness!”
    â€œAnd yet you had no difficulty back in India.”
    â€œDuty and friendship called me away. Although, I must say, that dress would have made the move nigh on impossible. Is it new?” Quesnel Lefoux was one of the biggest flirts in London. He was also an inventor. Which confused people no end. Generally the academic set took after Percy, being prickly and not adept at grappling with the mundane intellect of the masses. Not Quesnel. Quesnel had a well-earned reputation with the ladies and a certain casual breeziness of manner he was only permitted because he was French and a commoner.
    That said, he was certainly
not
the most agreeable man Rue knew. Lord Akeldama and at least four of his drones outpaced her blond engineer easily. Having been raised by such collective expert charmers, Rue would have been very wary of Quesnel if he
were
the most agreeable man she knew. She
liked
that his flirting had an honest bent to it. Quesnel flirted because he genuinely appreciated women, and Rue in particular. Rue had to give him credit for excellent taste.
    â€œDon’t you dare change the subject. Where
have
you been?” She lowered her voice. “I was promised ravishment. Do I
look
ravished to you?”
    Quesnel positively baulked. Rue was being too blunt.
    Pleased, she let him stew in embarrassed silence.
    He opened his mouth a few times. It was a very nice mouth, good for kissing, but currently he did slightly resemble a kipper.
    â€œYou were saying?” Rue prodded.
    â€œWhat are you doing here?” blurted Quesnel.
    â€œMr Lefoux, this is actually
my
airship, if you’ll recall? Although that fact seems to have escaped your notice.”
    Quesnel collected himself. “I understood you to be staying with your parents while you were in town. Putting our arrangement, as it were, temporarily on hold. Don’t you
have
to
be with them right now?”
    Rue narrowed her eyes.
Avoiding me, is he?
“Oh, did you think that? And how long have you been in town yourself, Mr Lefoux?”
    He looked guilty. “A little while.” Which meant he could have been around for days and been purposefully avoiding her. He may even have brought the tank to the
Custard
himself!
    â€œLovely.” Rue pulled her shoulders back and applied her décolletage. “While I must say that this wasn’t the education I asked for, I suppose you are giving me a good one. Nice to know where I stand.”
    â€œYou stand very well.”
    Rue narrowed her eyes.
    Quesnel’s sweet boyish face fell. “Oh, now, Rue, it’s not you I was avoiding. It’s—”
    â€œPercy?”
    â€œâ€”more complicated than that. Besides, I could hardly come calling while you’re enfolded in an overabundance of parental concern.”
    â€œSo now you’re
ashamed
of me? Marvellous.” Rue was feeling legitimately hurt. She had thought she and Quesnel had an
understanding
. But lo there he stood looking tanned and fit, his blond hair flopping over his forehead in that extremely annoying way that made her want to push it back and she didn’t
understand
anything.
    â€œOf course not,
chérie
! I’m terrified of your parents. I highly doubt they would approve of any lessons likely to take place between you and I.” He gave her a winning smile.
    Rue would wager good money that Quesnel and his mother, Madame Lefoux, were the only two people in London
not
terrified of her parents. Why did he feel he must lie? She had thought that their friendship was at least based on honesty. She wouldn’t have been so frank with him about matters of the boudoir, otherwise.
    â€œOh, I don’t think that’s an accurate statement, Mr