Page 37 of His Betrothed
“I know the contentment of providing for myself. Can you say the same?”
Using the tree for support, Spencer struggled up onto his good leg. Her usual serenity was replaced by unexpected fire in her wild gray eyes.
“I do what’s necessary,” he said slowly. “I can be proud of that.”
“Not from the thingsI’ve heard and seen.”
“You don’t know everything, Lady Roselyn. And if you believe rumors, then you are too naive.”
“So you’re denying these stories?”
“I have heard nothing to deny.”
Though there were enough true stories about him to make a virgin quake in fear. Roselyn wasn’t a virgin—and he found himself wanting to shock her out of this prim, sanctimonious frame of mind.
“Go ahead,” hecontinued, smiling. “I want to hear one of these rumors.”
“This is hardly a rumor, not when all the court knows what you did six months ago.”
Spencer felt an inkling of disquiet. Six months ago he’d been in Spain, spying for the queen, but no one knew it.
“How can you stand here and pretend you do not remember such a scandal?” she said,throwing up her hands and stalking away from him.
Whathad his brother done?
“Lady Roselyn, I pretend nothing. There are just so many…rumors to choose from.”
She looked disgusted with him, and suddenly he noticed the blush stealing up her neck and reddening her pale skin. She wasembarrassed—he could hardly allow her to back down now.
“Go ahead, Lady Roselyn.”
“Stop calling me that,” she said crossly.
“I cannot show you the respect of your rank?”
“Not when you don’t mean it—and I do not go by my title anymore.”
“But I heard my bailiff call you that.”
“Let us go back now,” she said sternly, marching up to slide her shoulders beneath his arm.
Spencer didn’t quite know what came over him: he caught her against his side and held her still, until she looked up at him with wide, astonished eyes. He should avoid the subject of these recentLondon scandals, but he wanted to see how shocked she would be to repeat them.
“The rumors?” he prompted. Standing so close to her, he suddenly realized he could see the faint shadow of the valley between her breasts.
Color blazed across her face again, and she stared straight ahead, not up at him. “What were you thinking of to send such a statue to Her Majesty?”
That distracted him from hisearthy, dangerous perusal of her. What statue? What had his brother done in Spencer’s name?
His mind worked frantically. “How can one enjoy life without causing an occasional shock at court?”
“But a statue of yourself?” she said, clearly aghast, as her wide gray eyes lifted to his.
He allowed himself a smile, while inside he was laughing.Oh, Alex, he thought with grudging respect. “Well, thequeen always said I had a fetching profile.”
She made a strangled, choking sound. “Thornton, how many innocent young girls do you think this statue corrupted with yournakedprofile?”
