Page 23 of Mr. Cavendish, I Presume

He thought about lying. It was, most likely, the kind thing to do. But he’d recently discovered that this creature he was meant to marry was far more intelligent than she’d originally let on, and he didn’t think she would be appeased by platitudes. And so he told the truth.

“No.”

She blinked. And then again. And then several more times. Clearly, this was not what she had been expecting. “No?” she finally echoed.

“You should consider it a compliment,” he instructed. “If I thought less of you, I’d lie.”

“If you thought more of me, I’d not have to ask you this question right now.”

He felt his patience begin to drip away. He was here, wasn’t he, escorting her across the fields, when the truth was, all he really wanted to do was…

Something, he thought crossly. He wasn’t sure what, but the truth was, he had at least a dozen matters that required his attention, and if he didn’t particularly want to do them, he dearly wanted to have them done.

Did she think herself his only responsibility? Did she think he had time to sit about, composing poems to a woman he hadn’t even chosen for a wife? She’d been assigned to him, for God’s sake. In the bloody cradle.

He turned to her, his eyes piercing hers. “Very well, Lady Amelia. What are your expectations of me?”

She seemed flummoxed by the question, stammering some sort of nonsense he doubted even she understood. Good God, he didn’t have time for this. He’d got no sleep the night before, his grandmother was even more of an aggravation than usual, and now his affianced bride, who had heretofore never uttered a peep beyond the usual claptrap about the weather, was suddenly acting as if he had obligations toward her.

Beyond marrying her, of course. Which he fully intended to do. But good Lord, not this afternoon.

He rubbed his brow with his thumb and middle finger. His head had started to ache.

“Are you all right?” Lady Amelia inquired.

“I’m fine,” he snapped.

“At least as well as I was in the drawing room,” he heard her mutter.

And really, that was too much. He lifted his head, pinned her with a stare. “Shall I kiss you again?”

She said nothing. But her eyes grew round.

He let his gaze fall upon her lips and murmured, “It seemed to make the both of us far more agreeable.”

Still she said nothing. He decided to take that as a yes.

Chapter 5

No!” Amelia exclaimed, jumping back a step.

And if she hadn’t been so discombobulated by his sudden swerve into amorous territory, she would have greatly enjoyed his discombobulation when he stumbled forward, his lips finding nothing but air.

“Really?” he drawled, once he’d regained his footing.

“You don’t even want to kiss me,” she said, backing up another step. He was starting to look dangerous.

“Indeed,” he murmured, eyes glittering. “Just as I don’t like you.”

Her heart dropped about a foot. “You don’t?” she echoed.

“According to you,” he reminded her.

She felt her skin burn with embarrassment—the sort only possible when one’s own words were being tossed in one’s face. “I don’t want you to kiss me,” she stammered.

“Don’t you?” he asked, and she wasn’t sure how he managed it, but they weren’t quite so far apart any longer.

“No,” she said, fighting to maintain her equilibrium. “I don’t, because…because…” She thought about this—thought frantically about it, because there was no way her thoughts could be anything approaching calm and rational in such a position.

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