Page 12 of Corrupting his Duchess
“Is that what you think you’d have to do with me?” he asked.
Anna didn’t look at him.
“No,” she said after a pause, her voice low but clear. “I think you already expect people to be difficult.”
They walked a few more paces in silence. A bird flitted across the path ahead of them, the only sound for a moment was the crunch of their boots on gravel and the soft rustle of her skirts in the breeze.
“You don’t seem the sort who enjoys long conversations,” Anna said after a moment, casting him a sidelong glance.
“I don’t,” he replied.
“Then why invite me on a walk?”
He didn’t look at her. “I suspect you do not offer mundane conversation.”
Anna smiled despite herself. “That sounds suspiciously like a compliment.”
“It’s meant to be,” he said, and now he did look at her. “You should try accepting one.”
“I will, if you ever give me a proper one.”
He chuckled, low and unexpected. “There it is.”
“There what is?”
“That look,” he said. “That tone. You rise so easily to a challenge; it’s like watching lightning try to behave itself.”
She laughed incredulously. “You invited me out here just to spar with me?”
“No,” he said. “I invited you because sparring with you is the only thing this entire house party has made me look forward to.”
She blinked, the breath catching in her throat for half a second.
“Your Grace! That’s… very forward of you,” she said, recovering quickly.
“You strike me as a woman who prefers clarity,” he said, “over charm.”
“And yet you’re using both,” she muttered, removing her arm from his.
Henry slowed his pace, hands now clasped behind his back. “You don’t talk like most people,” he said finally. “You make it impossible not to listen.”
Anna tilted her head, mock serious. “Careful, Your Grace. If you keep praising me like this, I may believe you intend to pursue me.”
He stopped walking. “I do.”
That silenced her.
“You're intrigued, interested even.” He shrugged.
She scoffed, but it lacked strength. “You’re imagining things.”
“Am I?” He took a step closer.
“You’re arrogant.”
“I’m observant.”
“You’re dangerous,” she said, heart racing.
