Page 35 of What A Rogue Wants
“I think I could start a war over a woman,ifthe woman was you.”
His seductively sweet words elicited a rush of desire in her that left her trembling. “I vow you’re trying to seduce me.” Her words came out husky.
He shook his head and stepped away. “I promise I’m not. I just wanted to say hello, and ask if you could come to my aunt’s apartments tonight. She’s having a small gathering after dinner. Can you get away? Liz has already gained permission for herself, so the two of you could come together.”
He was asking her to come to his aunt’s to be with him. Spend time with him. She could hardly imagine this was true. Yet it was, and she needed to speak before he decided she was dull and rescinded the invitation. “I think I can come. The queen has said she is spending time alone with the king tonight after dinner, and I was not one of the ladies she asked to attend her, so I’ll make the request.”
“Excellent.” Grey took one of her gloved hands and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “I look forward to after dinner then.”
A thrill sent her pulse skittering more. If she could gain permission, she’d be able to sit and talk with him and get to know him better. “What if you’re too tired? Will you send a note?”
“I won’t be too tired. My training should be wrapping up today. There’s a test, and I mean to pass it.”
“I’d no idea equerry training was so difficult.”
“Neither did I. I swear I’m going to tame that beastly horse today.” Grey’s brow furrowed, giving him such a handsome, disgruntled look that on impulse, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.
“Good luck,” she whispered before dashing to the entrance and going inside. She floated through the entranceway, but came crashing back to reality when Grace walked into the room and glared at her.
“Where have you been? The queen’s beside herself. She was about to send one of the guards to search for you.”
Madelaine brushed the snow off her dress, took off her hat and gave it a little shake. “The stole was not where the queen said, so I combed the cottage for it.” She walked over to the entrance table and with her back to Grace, carefully set her hat down and slowly removed her coat. Her ears burned with her white lie. She had searched for the stole, but only for a second. It was Grey who had detained her, but she wasn’t about to tell Grace that. “I didn’t realize how long I searched. I’ll go apologize—”
She forgot the rest of her sentence as she faced Grace. The woman stared at her as if she knew her darkest secrets. “I spied Lord Grey coming out of the woods on our way here earlier, did you?”
“Certainly not.” Thank God she truly had not seen him, or she’d likely be a stammering mess right now. Grey’s equerry training certainly was odd. She’d seen her father train an equerry before and it had never seemed difficult to her. In fact, the training was usually over in a few hours.
“Do you know what I think?”
Madelaine pursed her lips. “I didn’t realize you bothered with contemplation.”
Grace moved and stopped right in front of her. “I think you’re lying.”
“Which proves to me you shouldn’t bother thinking. I’m telling the truth. I didn’t see Lord Grey coming from the woods and even if I had, what of it?”
“I think you saw him and then you met him. And that’s what took you so long. I doubt you looked more than five minutes for the queen’s stole.”
“Lucky for me I answer to the queen and not to you.” Madelaine started to breeze past Grace, but the woman grabbed her arm.
“You’ve a certain look about you, Madge.”
She squared her shoulders. “And what look is that?”
“You’ve the look of a woman falling in love. Your eyes shine, your skin glows, and you’ve had a smile on your face since the day Lord Grey rode into Court.”
Madelaine’s breath caught in her throat. She’d not stopped to truly examine her feelings toward Grey. Was she falling for him? The mere question made her heart constrict. She was afraid he would hurt her or worse yet, ruin her. But she was also afraid there was no turning back.
When he was near, her oddness seemed to hardly matter. Life with him, if things proceeded as she hoped, could be all she had imagined. Grey was the knight of her dreams. The valiant warrior who’d come riding into Court to sweep her away from those who scorned her and save her from a loveless marriage that she would have to succumb to. Except Grey was no knight, but hewasan equerry, so he was quite capable of sweeping her up onto his horse and riding away. She laughed out loud at her silly notions.
“You’re a fool,” Grace snapped. “Do you know how many silly women have had the same ridiculous expression on their face as you do when speaking of Lord Grey?”
Madelaine forced her smile away and stared hard at Grace. She’d disliked Grace, but now she despised her. The woman was planting seeds of doubt in her mind after she’d just managed to rid herself of the doubt that had been there. No matter how she wanted to ignore Grace, the doubt now niggled and worried Madelaine. She’d rather die than show Grace she held any power to worry her. Madelaine lifted her chin. “A good many, I suppose.”
“You suppose correct. And do you know what they all had in common?”
“A dislike of you?”
“You’re gaining quite the barbed tongue, Madge. Good for you. You’ll need it when the ridicule worsens. Believe me, just when you think things can’t get worse, they do.”
