Page 10 of Seducing a Frigid Lady
The moment that the words left her lips, she felt the colour rushing to her cheeks. Pursing her lips, she bit the inside of her cheek to stop from saying anything else.
At first, the viscount’s only response was to snort. It was an immediate reaction and one that left Priscilla feeling more than a little flustered. She was most surprised by his relaxation in her presence, the way he was so openly amused by her.
“Forgive me, I did not mean to laugh,” the viscount declared, shaking his head and pursing his lips as though he was having a hard time of refraining from showing his amusement.
“But I have heard a few things from my cousin that lead me to believe you would be the last lady to try and trap anyone in marriage.”
At that, Priscilla scowled and placed a hand on her hip. “What exactly is it that you believe you know about me, my lord?”
Though she feigned offence, a part of her was already beginning to grow amused. So often, men tried to tell her that they knew her, that they were certain they could see right through her and tell exactly what she wanted.
And almost every time they were so, so wrong. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time that anyone had gotten the measure of her right. Whether that was because they had truly gotten it wrong or because they were thinking wishfully, she was unsure.
“I do not wish to cause offence,” the viscount insisted, looking a little hesitant. And for once, Priscilla was pleased. It was not often that gentlemen were cautious around her.
Usually they were all too quick to assume that they could be the one to make her come around to the idea of marriage, all too quick to believe that they were so spectacular that no woman could possibly deny them anything.
“And if I were to assure you that you couldn’t possibly offend me?” she asked. Again, the viscount looked at her uncertainly and Priscilla had to admit to herself that he did look rather handsome in such a light. His eyes rounded slightly, almost like that of one of her father’s dogs when it had been scolded or was in fear of being so.
“I fear nobody can make that promise,” the viscount protested. Priscilla continued to meet his gaze unwaveringly, silently demanding that he give her the truth. And finally, he sighed and stated, “Max told me that there are a few members of thetonwho call you the Ice Queen.”
Priscilla laughed. It was not a forced laugh or even one for the viscount’s benefit, but a gut-wrenching laughter that burst from her lips before she really even knew why she was so amused.
“The Ice Queen,” she said, tasting the name on her tongue, “I rather think I like the sound of that.”
Lord Sinclair looked perplexed. “What is so funny?”
“I believe it is funny that you would listen to such idle gossip, my lord,” Priscilla explained, clasping her hands gracefully before her. “It is well known that thetonlikes to create stories where most of the time there is none to be told.”
He eyed her closely, looking as though he was trying to work out whether he had actually offended her. And Priscilla found herself adding, “I can imagine that most of what you have heard about me is untrue, as I rarely socialise with the likes of these people.”
She gestured with her hand in the direction she had come before she clasped her hands together again.
Her heart hitched into her throat as the viscount made a move towards her. He was close now, so close in fact that if she reached out, she would be able to touch him. More infuriating than the fact he was so familiar as to get so close was the fact that suddenly, Priscilla wished to move towards him.
“I care not whether or not what they say is true,” he told her, his voice low and perhaps even a little sinister. “Though a part of me hopes it is as I can think of more than one member of thetonwho is in great need of being put in their place. Especially the gentlemen.”
Immediately much more interested in their conversation, Priscilla dropped back down onto the bench she had been sitting on.
“That is an interesting view, my lord,” she stated, a little surprised when he came to sit beside her. Heart racing, she grew alarmed when she realised that she did not mind his closeness, but in fact rather liked it. She could feel the warmth of his body heat radiating beside her own and it caused her to realise that the evening had turned slightly chilly.
“Considering your… reputation, I would hazard a guess that you were one of those gentlemen.”
“My lady, do you take me for a rake?” the viscount gasped, looking quite astonished and perhaps a little offended. But the way the corners of his lips twitched upwards suggested that he found it amusing. Though she opened her mouth to respond, he beat her to it.
“I suppose that is what I am, though I will tell you that I have never had a romantic entanglement that the lady was not clear about from the beginning.”
Priscilla watched him silently for a moment, wondering whether he might be lying to her, maybe even to himself. “How can that be so, my lord?”
“I am very careful about the kinds of women I offer my attention to,” the viscount explained with a shrug of his shoulders. “For example, I would never allow myself to enter into a connection with a woman who was only interested in marriage or a woman who might easily fall in love with me.”
Priscilla bit back the urge to laugh. The way with which he spoke suggested just how arrogant and big-headed he was about the entire thing and yet there was something else, something that intrigued her, something she almost respected.
“Why should there be any harm in having a little fun so long as both parties are on the same page and discreet about their business?” the viscount asked.
Business, is that what you would call it?Priscilla wondered, feeling an odd heated sensation in her gut at the thought of whatbusinesswith the viscount may well look like. She forced the thoughts away just as quickly as they had popped into her mind.
All her life she had only ever heard from her aunt that romance was for marriage and marriage alone, yet the thought that this man believed the two could be very separate things intrigued Priscilla greatly. Of course, she had heard of such entanglements from the gossip mill, but the word romance had never even entered into it.
