Page 9 of The Duke of Daring (The Untouchables)
“Call me the Duke of Arrogance, then. I’ve been called worse.” He uncrossed his arms. “You have two choices. You can tell me what you’re about and allow me to help you, or you can go home, where we will inform your grandmother of your transgression.”
“This is not atransgression. It’s a necessity. I merely need funds, you half-wit.” Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink, and she’d never looked less like a man. He longed to see her without her costume. He thought she must be quite lovely.
He didn’t bother tamping down his exasperation. “I ascertained that all on my own, thank you. But then anyhalf-witwould, since you’ve beengambling. Why do you need money?” He held up his hand. “And before you think to evade me again, let me remind you that it’s only a matter of time until you find trouble with this scheme.” He hadn’t expected her to be this stubborn. He decided it was time for a new tack. “Let me prove that you can trust me. I will take you to some hells this evening. You can gamble to your heart’s content, and I will ensure your safety.”
She gave him a mutinous glower. “I do not gamble to content my heart.”
“There’s no need to be defensive. Do we have an accord?”
She tipped her head to the side, and it was somehow a feminine action.
“Don’t do that,” he said. “You look too much like a woman.”
She instantly straightened.
“See how helpful I am?”
Her eyes narrowed. “You could be lying.”
He threw his hands up. “You are the most frustrating woman I’ve ever encountered. Come, let’s just go speak with Lady Parnell.”
She stepped in front of him as he started forward. “No. You can…come with me tonight.”
He breathed a sigh, feeling inordinately relieved. He truly had no wish to visit her grandmother and explain how his accompanying her granddaughter without a chaperone wouldnotnecessitate a proposal of marriage. That was one daring exploit he had no plans to pursue. “Excellent, and at the end of the evening, after I’ve demonstrated both my honesty and my worth, you’ll share your secrets.”
She pressed her lips together. “We’ll see.”
“Do that often.”
“What?”
“Scrunch your mouth up like that so your lips don’t look so—” He’d been about to say kissable, but damn if he had any idea where that word had come from. And it could go right back from whence it came. “Womanly,” he said. “Come, we’ll start on Jermyn Street and then head to my favorite spot on King Street.” Both hells were fair and enjoyed a clientele where she would fit in as a young buck.
Buck?
He looked at her rounded, somewhat lumpy form and again wondered at what the disguise hid beneath. Perhaps she wasn’t as fetching as he suspected. Maybe he was basing his expectations of her physical form on that of her mental acuity—for all that she was stubborn, she possessed a fine intelligence and a keen wit. “Whyaren’tyou married?” he asked.
She chuckled, and the sound was low and provocative. “You clearly did some research about me today, but you didn’t learn everything, did you?” She peered at him askance as they walked.
“Let’s cross here,” he said, waiting for a break in the traffic before gesturing for her to accompany him. When they reached the other side of the street, he said, “No, I didn’t learn everything, and since I’m to be your, er, partner, I thought we might establish a friendship.”
She stopped cold and turned on him. “You are not my partner. Not in any way. Is that understood?” It was as close to a verbal slap as he’d ever received.
“Quite.” They continued on to Duke Street, when he indicated they should turn. He tried a different line of conversation. “Where do you hide that pistol?” He raked her form, trying to detect its location amidst the padding.
“I have a pocket sewn into the inside of my coat.” She patted her lapel. “Tell me, did you win today?”
He coaxed his thoughts back to the present. “What?”
“One of your friends said he’d wagered on you winning today. Did you win?”
Andrew recalled the phaeton race that morning and smiled. “I did.”
“And what was the contest?”
He led her onto Jermyn Street. The hell was just ahead on the left. “Should I tell you? It seems I should be at least half as stingy with my information as you are with yours.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “I’m not married because no one has ever asked. Does that satisfy your curiosity?”
