Page 28 of If the Duke Dares
“No one from the New Inn is going to speak to anyone here and vice versa.” Except the stable master at the New Inn knew he was lodging here because Acton’s horse was there. Damn. Still, it probably didn’t matter.
Probably.
She leaned back in her chair and studied him a moment. “I don’t understand your motivation here. A rake suddenly behaving like a gallant knight?”
“I am a duke,” he managed to whisper the last word. “It is my duty to care for those—” He stopped himself before he said beneath him. Good God, he sounded pompous. And privileged, just how she’d described a rogue. Honestly, he reminded himself of his father. Had he been a rogue? Most probably. “To care for others. Besides, you aren’t a stranger—our mothers are dear friends.”
Her nostrils had flared when he’d abruptly cut himself off. “So, you feel beholden?”
“Must you take everything and turn it into a negative?” He immediately wished he could take that back. Given what he knew of her parents, negative might be the norm for her. “My apologies. I can’t begin to know what has brought you to this point where you feel as if you’ve no choice but to run into danger.”
“You really think my behavior is dangerous?”
“It certainly isn’tsafe, not for a young lady.”
“How would you even know? Have you ever put yourself in the position of one? I daresay you may have caused potential ‘danger’ to any number of young ladies. Am I wrong?”
She had him there.
“Er, no. I confess there have been times when I have treated…romantic encounters as more of a game, which the Marriage Mart tends to be, in my opinion.”
“I assure you, trying to make a good marriage is not an amusement for most young ladies. It is a matter of family pride, duty, and, in many cases, necessity.”
He did realize that he ought not be officially on the Marriage Mart if he wasn’t intending to immediately wed, which was why he’d kept his activities during the Season to a minimum the past couple of years. “I am trying to do better. You are showing me the ways in which I can, ways I had not even realized, I’m somewhat ashamed to say.” He hoped he was a man of integrity and hearing that he might not be was a blow.
“Am I your self-improvement project?” Was that a whiff of humor?
Acton smiled, grateful for a lighter path of conversation. His roguishness, both past and present, was beginning to weigh on him. “Why not? Think of it as us helping each other.”
Her gaze turned wary once more, and he feared he would lose this battle too. “All right. I’llkeepthe gown. But that is all the help—along with the bath and the bedclothes—that I will accept from you.”
It was the smallest of victories, but he would take it. “I don’t suppose you’d dine downstairs with me tonight?”
She arched a brow. “I think this breakfast was more than enough time spent together.”
Did she? Then she definitely wasn’t going to like it when he insisted on accompanying her home.
She rose, and he leapt to his feet. “Will I see you later this afternoon perhaps?” he asked.
“Probably not,” she responded as she approached the stairs. “I’ll be busy as I’ve a hem to let out.”
He couldn’t keep from smiling as he watched her round the corner on the stairs. He’d finally made some progress with the world’s most disagreeable young lady. No, that wasn’t fair. She was fleeing the prospect of being forced into something she didn’t want. She’d felt there were no other options. How he wished he could learn why. While she might think she revealed too much to him, there was far more he was desperate to know.
He wanted to discover what she truly wanted, beyond just avoiding marriage to him. Then, perhaps he could help her achieve it.
And why did he care so much? Was this truly an effort to improve himself, to better his reputation?
Perhaps a little. Acknowledging that it had taken a chance meeting with his potential bride for him to realize he needed to change his behavior and his attitude made him uncomfortable.
Except she wasn’t his potential bride. She was a woman risking a great deal to avoid marrying him. If all he did was ensure she didn’t marry him, that was the least he could do.
Chapter8
Persephone had borrowed sewing supplies from Moll after breakfast in order to take out the hem of the blue gown. The needlework took her into the afternoon, but when she was finished, she grew bored. The two books she’d packed in her valise were sorely missed.
Compounding her boredom was the knowledge that Wellesbourne was nearby, and spending time with him would almost certainly alleviate her ennui. He might be irritating, but he was also entertaining. He possessed a fine sense of humor. She’d actually enjoyed sharing breakfast with him that morning. It seemed the more time she spent with him, the less she disliked him.
Which was foolish. She could not afford to forget that he was, at his core, a scoundrel, else she could end up like Pandora.
