Page 25 of Her Infuriating Earl
Phoebe turned slowly, her eyes as dark as the sky above, reflecting the stars. “You are not going to relent, are you?”
“I cannot,” he replied, meeting her celestial gaze.
“Yet, you realize that you are not the first gentleman who has tried to impress me in order to get closer to my sisters, do you not?”
Daniel wished he had a glass of water to wet his arid throat. “I do not profess to know what manner of gentlemen you have encountered before me, but be assured of my determination.”
“Be assured of mine,” she replied evenly. “You are not my first combatant, and, as of yet, I have not lost a bout.”
He smiled. “Every fighter has to lose, at some point.”
“Untrue.” She smiled back, though it did not reach those heavenly eyes. “Some of the best retire while they are at the peak of their success, so they never have to know the consequence of losing. I intend to be one of those.”
Daniel had never seen anyone more frightening in their beauty before, nor had he ever believed anyone who talked such a brazen talk. Yet, in her eyes, he saw that she meant it.
“I think we ought to return to the drawing room,” he said stiffly.
She turned back around. “You go on ahead. I shall join the party when I am ready. Besides, we would not want anyone to see us walking in together and jump to the wrong conclusions, now, would we?”
He had no choice but to retreat, for now, though he hesitated a moment longer, filled with a sudden desire to step forward and drape his tailcoat over her shoulders, even though she had rejected it. Scolding himself for such a foolish notion, he made his way inside, knowing that the sensible thing would be to abandon this pursuit altogether, giving Phoebe what she wanted.
So, why did her determination to send him away make him all the more eager to stay close? And why, when he thought of being close to her, was Joanna so far from his mind?
CHAPTERELEVEN
Hesitantly, Phoebe placed her last card into the center of the table. “My Lady, I do believe that is a win.”
Amelia stared at the cards and then at Phoebe’s empty hands, unleashing a groan that drew laughter from several gentlemen who were secretly watching nearby. Indeed, the games between Phoebe and Amelia had been a cause for much discussion in the drawing room, with the ladies and the gentlemen wagering on who would win the next round. Although, it was not a difficult bet to make, for Phoebe had won every game since sitting down with Amelia.
“My dear girl, it is customary—nay, expected—to allow an old woman to be victorious at least once!” Amelia cried, laughing merrily as she threw her handful of cards into the middle of the table.
Phoebe blushed furiously. “I did try, My Lady. Truly, I did.”
“Oh, that is worse.” Amelia cackled. “I cannot bear the pity! My heart shall break!”
Phoebe allowed herself a shy smile. “We could play again if you would like. A different game, perhaps. One of your choosing.”
“We have already played three games of my choosing, and you have trounced me at all of them,” Amelia replied, taking a consolatory sip of her drink. “I must know where you learned to play with such tremendous skill. Is there anything you cannot play?”
Phoebe grinned. “The pianoforte.” She flexed her hands. “I have short fingers. I cannot reach the keys properly. My father used to say that a stray cat stumbling across the ivories could play better than me.”
“He did not!” Amelia collapsed into a fit of laughter once more, the sound of it delighting Phoebe.
“I assure you, he did.” Phoebe leaned across her side of the table, to be closer to the older woman. “However, I dare not tell you what he once said about my singing voice, for I am not certain it can be repeated in polite company.”
Amelia roared, clapping her hands together. “I had forgotten how deliciously amusing you are, Phoebe.” She caught her breath. “Goodness, it is glorious to have young people in the manor. It gives me such vigor.”
“Ah, well, I had always wondered how you could be so beautiful, and now I know,” Phoebe said, mischief bubbling in her chest. “You steal a little bit of youth and beauty whenever there are young people in the house.Thatis why you are the most radiant woman I have ever had the honor of beating at cards, and why you invite us so rarely, so that we shall never discover the truth.”
There was a brief moment of silence where Phoebe feared she had said the wrong thing. A second later, Amelia erupted once more into raucous laughter, repeating the jest to anyone who would listen. All around the room, amusement and good spirits rippled, and no one was more surprised than Phoebe that she was the source of it. Usually, she reserved her sense of humor for her friends, when they were by themselves, but Amelia really did feel like a friend. Someone that Phoebe could be herself around.
“I told you she was hilarious!” Olivia declared, looking proudly at her dear friend.
Leah nodded. “I remember one evening where she had us laughing so hard that I could not breathe, and Matilda nearly choked on a mouthful of punch.”
“And Anna squirted her punch through her nose,” Olivia added, grinning. “Can you remember the jest? Goodness, it is on the tip of my tongue.”
Leah shook her head. “I cannot, but Idoknow that my sides ached for weeks afterward.”
