Page 22 of The Difference a Dare Makes

“You are one of the most indomitable ladies I’ve had the fortune to meet. How could you not bear this small discomfort?”

Pippa smiled, hating the warmth that seeped through her body which had retained the chill outside. The marquess rose and went over to the small mantle by the fire, where he plucked up a jar. He opened the lid and brought it to his nose. Whatever he scented seemed to meet his approval, for he nodded. The cottage had a welcoming lived-in feel, and she glanced around, curiosity biting at her. Faded print curtains fluttered in the two front windows, and the small sitting area held a table and two chairs. Atop the table sat a chessboard, and a game was in progress. “Do you…do you know who this cottage belongs to?”

Those golden eyes stared at her for a moment, assessing her in a way he had never before looked at her. Pippa tightened her fingers around the edges of the toga and shifted her foot in the water.

“It belonged to my grandparents, and now it belongs to me.”

“It is a lovely cottage,” she said with a tentative smile. That driving hunger to know this man before her once again swelled throughout her being. The intensity of it forced her to look away from him and outside. “The rain is very fierce.”

“The storm might last through the night and the next day.”

Good heavens. “Theo will be dreadfully worried once I’ve not returned to the estate.” Pippa closed her eyes in regret. “That is the last thing she needs considering how far gone she is in her pregnancy.”

“Perhaps the duchess will not realize that you’ve not returned.”

“I can hope for it,” Pippa said. “I do so hate the thought of worrying her.”

“Once the rain has stopped and the roads are not mud logged, I will return you to the duchess.”

She met his stare, and in his gaze, she saw the knowledge that echoed inside her. Pippa would have been alone with the marquess for at least a night. The world would see her as irrevocably ruined or compromised.

“The duchess will not force you to make an offer,” she assured him, hating that foolish ache determined to make itself known.

Something dangerous flashed in his eyes. “There is no creature or person on earth that can force me to go against my own convictions.”

His words were implacable, and she knew this was not a man that could be pressured against his wishes. The force of his will was palpable. Pippa was suddenly glad she had relinquished the idea of courting him, even if he was so very appealing to her senses.

“I meant she would not try to urge you to do so or anyone there once I ask for their discretion in this matter. We are all friends who believe in…forging our own destinies. They would not force me into an unhappy union merely because of a storm. We all know it is insufferable to live at the whims of others.”

He made no reply, only padded over and gently lifted her foot from the pail. It was only then she noted the pain had eased, only a dull throb lingering. Using a small, worn-looking towel, he tenderly dried her foot. Her entire body vibrated with the awareness of him, and she breathed slowly, hoping to calm the sudden racing of her heart. Was he also affected by her nearness? Pippa peered at his bent head, wishing he was not so hard to read and understand. Satisfied her foot was dry, he dipped his fingers into the jar and removed that peppermint-scented cream.

“Your miracle cream,” she murmured. “It was wonderful for my hand.”

“It is my grandfather’s concoction. It has never failed us.”

“He made it himself?”

William rubbed the last of the cream on her foot and stood. “Yes. He was a physician.”

Astonishment seared through her. “A physician?”

He gave her a cool, quizzical smile. “Yes.”

“Would you permit me to ask his story?”

The marquess’s gaze hooded. “I have never told it to another.”

“I understand if you do not wish to now. I never meant to pry.” Her stomach made a mortifying rumble.

He watched her, tilting his head. “Are you hungry?”

“I…I am.”

William walked over to the counter and, to her amazement, stooped and withdrew pots and pans. The earthen stove was lit, and he placed a pot on the surface and then set about chopping onions and leeks.

Confusion yielded to amazement. “Youcook?”Pippa couldn’t help her own incredulous laughter from slipping out.

A smile tugged at his mouth. “It seems you might learn all my secrets before the storm is over, Lady Pippa.”

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