Page 64 of Seducing Sophia (Scholars of Seduction)

“Of course not!” A wicked glint shone in Maria’s eyes. “I’m conducting a study to ascertain to what ends a man will put himself when faced with the prospect of seducing a woman.”

“You’re sure he’s trying to seduce you?”

“Absolutely,” Maria said. “He claims to be a keen zoologist, and has praised me on the excellent traits displayed by my pugs, saying they’re exemplary specimens that he’s eager to research.”

Research…isn’t that what Adrian had said when he’d confessed his original plan to seduce her?

I was tasked with the mission of using music.

Then she recalled where she’d heard the name before—Axford was the man Adrian had pointed out to Sophia when they’d taken a walk in the park. He must also be a friend of the Duke of Peterton.

Perhaps he’d been tasked with a similar mission of seduction—but where Adrian had used music, Axford was using zoology.

“Maria, I think you may be right,” Sophia said.

“Of course I am,” Maria replied. “When a man flatters a woman to excess, it’s never through strength of feeling. When a man flatters pugs to a similar extent, it’s plain that he’s playing a very specific game. Lord Axford doesn’t have a sincere bone in his body.”

Sophia stifled a laugh. Maria was a shrewd businesswoman. Her wide-eyed beauty gave her an air of innocence, but it disguised a sharp intelligence.

“Do you know what game he’s playing?” Sophia asked.

Maria shrugged her shoulders. “Who knows what scheme these men indulge in, or what they discuss with each other in their clubs? I’ve heard of a bet book at White’s, for instance, where men waste their time, and funds, making infantile wagers with each other, such as which, of two raindrops trickling down a window, will reach the sill first—or which, of two men, will seduce a particular woman first. I suspect Lord Axford has entered into such a bet. What other reason would he have for directing his attention toward me?” She let out a laugh. “Axford is weak-minded enough to believe that I have fallen for his scheme.”

“What do you intend to do?”

“I don’t know yet,” Maria said, smiling, “but I’ll have a lot of fun in the meantime. If he thinks to seduce me into a scandal, then he’s about to learn a very sharp lesson—one that I’ll take great pleasure in teaching him.”

Sophia giggled. She almost pitied the man. Maria—with her sharp wit and penchant for increasingly ingenious practical jokes—was more than a match for Axford, and the whole of Peterton’s set.

“I shall leave you to your victim, Maria,” she said, nodding toward the gentleman, who had raised his hat. “Your admirer awaits.”

“Very well.” Maria tugged at the leads. “Come along, mes petites!” she cried. “Let’s see what sport we can have with our admirer today.”

She set off toward the gentleman, the little dogs trotting obediently alongside. Sophia veered off the main path, and followed a track into a secluded area of the park. Her favorite spot was a rarely used bench almost completely concealed behind rhododendron bushes.

London was a city full of noise and chatter and, when summer was in full swing, Hyde Park was almost as busy as the city at this time of day. But here, on an obscure little path, the voices faded, and she could almost believe herself back in the country.

As she approached the bush concealing the bench, she spotted a flash of dark red—the sleeve of a man’s jacket. The owner must have claimed her bench. Perhaps he was waiting for a lover.

If she wanted solitude, she’d have to find another sanctuary. And, whoever he might be, if he was waiting for a lover, he’d not appreciate being disturbed.

“I wondered when you’d come here.”

She stopped at the familiar voice, her heart fluttering.

He spoke again. “Sophia?”

She approached the bush, to find him standing beside the bench.

“What are you doing here, Colonel?”

He flinched.

“Adrian, please,” he said.

“If I recall,” she retorted, “at our last meeting, you insisted I address you properly.”

His eyes narrowed, as if in pain, and he nodded. “If I recall, at our last meeting—I acted like a complete and utter arse.”

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