full half-hour.’
Deb dragged her gaze away from Richard’s face and swallowed quickly. ‘I beg your pardon, Olivia. Lord Richard and I were discussing literature. I had no notion that so much time had passed.’
Olivia’s brows shot up into her hair. She looked from one to the other. ‘Literature? How very erudite! Do you care for some refreshment after such intellectual discussion?’
The servants were lighting more candles now and in the sudden, bright glow, Deb felt a little more secure. It was as though the light had banished her danger, at least for the time being. She risked another glance at Richard. He was watching her face and had been doing so for the entire conversation. She repressed a shiver.
‘Thank you, ma’am,’ Richard said now, wrenching his gaze from Deb and smiling at Olivia. ‘I should be glad to take a glass of brandy with Lord Marney.’
‘Splendid,’ Olivia said. ‘Deborah?’
‘I shall go home,’ Deb said. ‘I have the headache. Goodnight, my lord.’
‘Mrs Stratton.’ Richard bowed. Deb saw a flicker of a smile touch his lips at her formality when only minutes before she had been locked in his arms in a scandalous embrace. She felt a surge of temper. Damn him! He was far too sure of himself—and of her.
‘Thank you for the…discussion, ma’am,’ Richard continued. ‘I found it most stimulating.’
‘Thank you , my lord,’ Deb said. ‘I feel so privileged to have been the object of your interest not merely once but twice in the same day.’
Richard bowed again, with immaculate politeness, though Deb could see from his expression that he was not going to ignore her challenge.
‘It was a pleasure,’ he murmured. ‘Any time you wish to continue our debate…’
Deb smiled brilliantly. ‘I do not think that would be at all wise, my lord,’ she said. ‘I have a great desire to discuss Moore next time.’ She looked at him and quoted sweetly, “‘He was a rake amongst scholars and a scholar amongst rakes…”’
Richard laughed, took her hand and pressed a kiss on it. ‘And when his father suggested that he should give up his rakish pursuits and take a wife, he said—’
“‘Certainly father, and whose wife shall I take?”’ Deb finished the quotation. ‘Precisely, my lord. Some rakes never reform.’
Richard released her hand slowly. ‘So you think you have my measure, Mrs Stratton? We shall see. Goodnight. I shall look forward to our next meeting.’
Deb gave him an arctic look. ‘I doubt that shall be soon, Lord Richard.’
Richard raised his brows expressively. ‘Do you? Then perhaps you do not have my measure after all.’ He nodded pleasantly to Olivia and strolled away.
Olivia, neglecting her other guests out of sheer curiosity, saw her sister to the door.
‘What on earth was that all about, Deb?’ she demanded.
‘That,’ Deb said, pulling on her gloves, and noting that her hands were shaking slightly, ‘was about Lord RichardKestrel and his disgraceful behaviour, Liv. Can you not ban the man from your house?’
‘Not really,’ Olivia said, taking her literally. ‘He is a friend of Ross’s after all. But, Deb…surely he cannot have behaved disgracefully twice in a single day?’
‘I fear so,’ Deb said.
‘You fear so? What can there be about his behaviour to make you fearful, Deb?’
Deb paused, looking at the tiny pinpoints of stars that pricked the autumn sky. ‘It is myself I fear, not Lord Richard,’ she said slowly. ‘He makes me feel so—’
She stopped, shrugged abruptly and continued in her normal voice, ‘I can scarce be the first lady to be in danger of letting her heart rule her head in the matter of Lord Richard Kestrel.’
As the carriage trundled down the lane to Mallow House, Deb thought about Richard Kestrel. He had said that she was safe from seduction, and yet there was more than one way to seduce a lady. It could be done so subtly that the lady in question might not notice until it was
Deb dragged her gaze away from Richard’s face and swallowed quickly. ‘I beg your pardon, Olivia. Lord Richard and I were discussing literature. I had no notion that so much time had passed.’
Olivia’s brows shot up into her hair. She looked from one to the other. ‘Literature? How very erudite! Do you care for some refreshment after such intellectual discussion?’
The servants were lighting more candles now and in the sudden, bright glow, Deb felt a little more secure. It was as though the light had banished her danger, at least for the time being. She risked another glance at Richard. He was watching her face and had been doing so for the entire conversation. She repressed a shiver.
‘Thank you, ma’am,’ Richard said now, wrenching his gaze from Deb and smiling at Olivia. ‘I should be glad to take a glass of brandy with Lord Marney.’
‘Splendid,’ Olivia said. ‘Deborah?’
‘I shall go home,’ Deb said. ‘I have the headache. Goodnight, my lord.’
‘Mrs Stratton.’ Richard bowed. Deb saw a flicker of a smile touch his lips at her formality when only minutes before she had been locked in his arms in a scandalous embrace. She felt a surge of temper. Damn him! He was far too sure of himself—and of her.
‘Thank you for the…discussion, ma’am,’ Richard continued. ‘I found it most stimulating.’
‘Thank you , my lord,’ Deb said. ‘I feel so privileged to have been the object of your interest not merely once but twice in the same day.’
Richard bowed again, with immaculate politeness, though Deb could see from his expression that he was not going to ignore her challenge.
‘It was a pleasure,’ he murmured. ‘Any time you wish to continue our debate…’
Deb smiled brilliantly. ‘I do not think that would be at all wise, my lord,’ she said. ‘I have a great desire to discuss Moore next time.’ She looked at him and quoted sweetly, “‘He was a rake amongst scholars and a scholar amongst rakes…”’
Richard laughed, took her hand and pressed a kiss on it. ‘And when his father suggested that he should give up his rakish pursuits and take a wife, he said—’
“‘Certainly father, and whose wife shall I take?”’ Deb finished the quotation. ‘Precisely, my lord. Some rakes never reform.’
Richard released her hand slowly. ‘So you think you have my measure, Mrs Stratton? We shall see. Goodnight. I shall look forward to our next meeting.’
Deb gave him an arctic look. ‘I doubt that shall be soon, Lord Richard.’
Richard raised his brows expressively. ‘Do you? Then perhaps you do not have my measure after all.’ He nodded pleasantly to Olivia and strolled away.
Olivia, neglecting her other guests out of sheer curiosity, saw her sister to the door.
‘What on earth was that all about, Deb?’ she demanded.
‘That,’ Deb said, pulling on her gloves, and noting that her hands were shaking slightly, ‘was about Lord RichardKestrel and his disgraceful behaviour, Liv. Can you not ban the man from your house?’
‘Not really,’ Olivia said, taking her literally. ‘He is a friend of Ross’s after all. But, Deb…surely he cannot have behaved disgracefully twice in a single day?’
‘I fear so,’ Deb said.
‘You fear so? What can there be about his behaviour to make you fearful, Deb?’
Deb paused, looking at the tiny pinpoints of stars that pricked the autumn sky. ‘It is myself I fear, not Lord Richard,’ she said slowly. ‘He makes me feel so—’
She stopped, shrugged abruptly and continued in her normal voice, ‘I can scarce be the first lady to be in danger of letting her heart rule her head in the matter of Lord Richard Kestrel.’
As the carriage trundled down the lane to Mallow House, Deb thought about Richard Kestrel. He had said that she was safe from seduction, and yet there was more than one way to seduce a lady. It could be done so subtly that the lady in question might not notice until it was
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