Page 31 of A Virgin for His Grace
"Oh yes," Livia said with cheerful obliviousness to her companion's distress. "He has been positively fierce in defending your reputation at social gatherings, quite ready to call out anyone who dares speak against you. Lady Huxley learned that lesson most thoroughly at Lady Worthington's soiree, did she not?"
The memory of Devon's passionate defense at the soirée sent conflicting emotions coursing through Arabella's chest; gratitude for his protection warring with the painful knowledge that such behavior stemmed from possessiveness rather than genuine affection.
"His Grace is merely protective of his household's reputation," she said with forced composure. "Any scandal attached to me reflects poorly upon his judgment in engaging my services."
"Do you truly believe that?" Livia asked with surprising directness. "Or are you perhaps afraid to consider that his feelings might extend beyond mere professional concern?"
The gentle challenge struck too close to the truth for comfort, and Arabella found herself unable to meet the younger woman's penetrating gaze.
"What I believe is irrelevant," she said quietly. "His Grace has made his position perfectly clear on matters of... personal attachment. He considers such entanglements to be impediments to his freedom."
"Has he indeed?" Livia murmured with a thoughtful expression that suggested she was not entirely convinced by her brother's supposed indifference. "How very interesting."
The remainder of the morning passed in a blur of forced normalcy as Arabella threw herself into Livia's education with desperate intensity. They reviewed proper forms of address for various ranks of nobility, practiced the art of graceful conversation, and discussed the intricacies of social precedence that would govern her interactions during the upcoming Season.
Yet despite her determined focus on her duties, Arabella found her thoughts constantly returning to the approaching three o'clock appointment with Devon. What could he possibly wish to discuss that required such formal scheduling? Surely he did not intend to reference their passionate encounter directly?
The very thought made her cheeks burn with renewed embarrassment and her pulse quicken with unwilling anticipation. Despite her intellectual understanding that their intimacy could lead nowhere, her treacherous body continued to respond to the mere thought of his touch with shameful eagerness.
As the appointed hour approached, Arabella found herself changing her gown twice, unable to decide whether to appear in her most severe day dress to emphasize her professional status or to select something more becoming that might remind him of her feminine appeal. Finally, in a moment of bitter self-mockery, she chose the same dove-gray muslin she had worn on her first morning in his household which was a tangible reminder of the professional boundaries that should govern their relationship.
The walk to Devon's study felt endless, each step echoing through the elegant corridors like the measured pace of a condemned prisoner approaching the scaffold. When she finally reached the heavy oak door, she paused to compose herself, drawing upon every lesson in deportment she had ever received.
Her knock was answered immediately, as though he had been waiting for her arrival.
"Enter."
Devon stood with his back to the door, leaning slightly against his massive desk as he gazed out the tall window that overlooked the garden beyond.
“You wished to speak with me, Your Grace?” she asked politely.
"Indeed." Devon turned to face her, his expression carefully neutral though she noticed the slight tension around his eyes that suggested he was not as composed as he appeared. "Please, be seated. We have matters to discuss that require complete frankness."
Arabella hesitated briefly before moving to sit on one of the chairs set before his desk, adjusting her posture with careful decorum. Devon, meanwhile, remained standing which was an intentional choice that gave him an air of authority he seemed eager to wield.
Without any preamble, he said, “I think it’s necessary to confront what happened between us last night.”
The direct reference to their intimate encounter made Arabella's cheeks burn with renewed embarrassment, though she forced herself to meet his gaze with as much dignity as she could muster.
"Must we, Your Grace? I had rather hoped we might both agree to consider it a momentary lapse in judgment that need not affect our professional relationship."
Devon's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "A momentary lapse in judgment? Is that truly how you would characterize what passed between us?"
The dangerous quiet of his voice made Arabella's pulse quicken with alarm and something else she preferred not to examine too closely.
"How else should I characterize it?" she challenged with more boldness than wisdom. "You made your position perfectly clear regarding any possibility of a future between us. What occurred last evening changes nothing in that regard."
"Does it not?" Devon moved around his desk with predatory grace, coming to lean against its edge in a position that placedhim uncomfortably close to her chair. "I seem to recall certain... responses that suggested the experience was rather more significant than a simple lapse in judgment."
The deliberate provocation sent heat flooding through Arabella's entire being, and she found herself gripping the arms of her chair to prevent herself from betraying any visible reaction to his proximity.
"Physical attraction is not the same as emotional attachment," she said with forced composure. "I am not such a naive innocent as to confuse the two."
Devon's eyes flashed with something that might have been pain or anger. "Are you not? How remarkably sophisticated of you, Miss Greystone. Tell me, do you make a habit of surrendering your innocence to men for whom you feel nothing more than physical attraction?"
The cruel thrust struck home with devastating accuracy, and Arabella felt tears prick her eyes.
"That is unfair," she whispered. "You know perfectly well that I had never... that is, I have no experience upon which to base such distinctions."
