Page 51 of Playing the Scoundrel

“Oh, I see.” Henry tapped the side of his nose. “That explains the interest in the Greeks and Romans.”

“Yes, I do find them fascinating.”

“And I do believe your original assessment of yourself would be correct.”

Miss Follett blinked. “My what?”

“Though I still find you as beautiful and alluring as Aphrodite herself,” Henry said, pausing when she blushed and looked away, “Athena does suit you better. I have a general understanding of all this, but yours is much more all-encompassing, and I find that admirable.”

When he handed her back the book, there was a soft glow of appreciation in her expression, one he couldn’t remember ever seeing before. “You don’t think this will be my disadvantage?”

Henry shrugged. “Maybe to the wrong sort of people, those who would be cruel or bore you to tears, but that part of society isn’t worth your time or attention. The right sort of people will love and appreciate you no matter what, and those are the people you should cling to.”

His words hung in the air, making the silence between them heavy and profound. He hadn’t intended for the conversation to take such a somber turn, but his heart began to pound for she didn’t immediately respond. She sat there looking at him, and he let her. Did she see him like the rest of society did, like his own father did? Or did she see him as a man she could trust, a man who would love and appreciate every aspect of her? Would she ever be able to change the perception that brought her to reject him, or was he destined to be that man forever?

“What’s going on here?”

Mrs. Dunn stood in the library doorway with a walking stick, glancing back and forth between him and Miss Follett.

“Your friend here has just confided in me her darkest secret, that of being a bluestocking.” Henry glanced at Miss Follett and winked, narrowly avoiding the true secret of her sister.

“And I suppose you are to be trusted with the truth then?” Mrs. Dunn walked into the room and took a seat across from them. “You won’t out her in public and ruin her chances for a good match?”

Henry turned back to Miss Follett. Any desire he had to ruin her had completely vanished. His pain had turned into a need for retaliation, but she was right. He cared for her too greatly to willingly make her suffer. Even if he wanted to, he would never out her secret to a society that would crucify her for sins that were not her own. Though if Bernard was the man destined to be her ‘good match,’ it might kill Henry to sit idly by and let her settle for him.

“Of course not. I would never do anything to harm Miss Follett.”

Miss Follett smiled, sealing and breaking his heart in the same moment. “Thank you, Mr. Godwin.”

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