Page 17 of Bookshop Cinderella

“Only until I jaunt off to the Riviera on holiday,” she countered, trying to make light of it.

His lips twitched in appreciation of the joke. “Well, I should advise against making the trip anytime soon. The Riviera is beastly hot in summer. Far more pleasant to be here in London at this time of year, enjoying the season.”

She gave him a wry look as she opened the file on her desk. “As if the London season were any more likely a prospect for me than the Riviera.”

“Would you like it to be?”

Evie frowned, puzzled by the offhand question. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Precisely what I said. Would you enjoy the season if you had the chance to participate?”

She looked down at her notes about exotic foods she’d never eat at the sort of party she’d never attend. “Your inclination to tease me is not amusing, Your Grace,” she said, her voice low.

“Please don’t go all prickly on me, Miss Harlow. I was not teasing, and I meant no offense. I was merely curious.”

“I can’t imagine why.”

“My curiosity stems from a conversation I had with the three young men who accompanied me the other day. A conversation about you.”

Evie turned her head, eyeing him askance. “Me?”

“Yes.”

He said nothing more, and though Evie knew it was probably folly to probe further, she couldn’t help it. After all, who could hear something like that about oneself and not follow it up? “What was said?”

He opened his mouth to reply, but then he hesitated as if suddenly uncomfortable with the question. “You won’t like it, I daresay,” he said at last.

“Given you and your friends, that’s not surprising.”

Her tart reply caused a rueful smile to curve his lips. “You seem to adore putting our lot in our place, don’t you? That very quality, in fact, is one of the things we were discussing. You see, the lads rather took offense to you ordering them about and being so prim and disapproving.”

Evie laughed, genuinely amused. “Did they, indeed?”

“They felt it was damned impertinent of you, scolding them as if you were their nanny.”

Evie’s amusement faded, her cousin’s words from earlier in the day echoing through her mind.

Being a nanny is perfectly suited to your talents and temperament...a most respectable occupation for a spinster.

She swallowed hard. “My, my, how devastating,” she said, striving to keep her voice carelessly offhand. “Having heard that, I just don’t know how I’ll sleep tonight. No doubt,” she added as he chuckled, “you agreed with them.”

He sobered at once. “On the contrary, I disputed their contentions, and thereby launched a spirited debate on the subject.”

That his friends had disparaged her wasn’t particularly astonishing, but the idea that this man did not share their view and had felt the need to speak in her defense was such a surprise, she didn’t know how to respond.

“I can’t imagine how my so-called impertinence could evoke such strong reactions,” she replied after a moment. “There must have been more to the conversation than that.”

“Your instincts do you credit, Miss Harlow. I—” He broke off and gave a short laugh. “I confess, my introduction of this topic was deliberate and for a specific purpose, but now that I have launched it, I am finding it far more difficult than I had anticipated, and I am realizing—belatedly—that in discussing it I will very likely offend you, something I do not wish or ever intended to do.”

Evie was of no frame of mind to let it go now. “It’s a bit late for regrets, isn’t it? I think you need to tell me what this is really about.”

“Very well. My reason for informing you of this discussion is that a wager was laid as a result.”

“A wager?” She stiffened. “You and your friends made a wager aboutme?”

He grimaced. “Yes.”

“Of all the cheek!” Highly indignant, Evie knew the right thing to do was toss him out on his ear, but much to her chagrin, she realized that her indignation was not as strong as her curiosity. “What sort of wager?”

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