Page 41 of The Lady Was Lying
She raised both brows. “You know.”
He did, but he couldn’t help stiffening as he glanced around to be certain no one else was listening. Being overheard would be less than ideal, and thankfully no one was nearby, though several people were watching them.
“Are you suggesting you’re going to tell someone about my past?” he whispered. His words were deliberate and more than a little frosty.
She gasped. “I would never.”
“In that case, my secret will remain safe,” he stated with as much confidence as he could muster.
Belinda did not believe he could be so naïve. Secrets never stayed secret.
“Are you serious?” she demanded, getting far more worked up than she’d intended. Why should she care if he got caught in a scandal? “Too many people know. Someone will slip up. Scandal awaits you, and it would behoove you to be prepared.”
“The only people who know the truth are my mother and your family. My mother has only told one person in thirty years, so I know that she can keep a secret. And your family?—”
“—is large. It won’t be intentional, but it’ll only take an offhanded comment—a single moment of thoughtlessness—and everyone will know.”
“I refuse to worry about something that hasn’t happened.”
“Then you are a fool,” she responded without thinking.
“A fool?” he echoed.
“No offense intended,” she added when she realized what she’d said.
“No offense. No offense?”
Chagrined by her words and her behavior, she winced. She had promised herself when she’d decided to accompany Jane that she would keep calm and support her sister however necessary. How had she failed so spectacularly? And why couldn’t she keep her wits about her when the duke was nearby?
“You’re offended,” she stated.
“Obviously,” he responded. “You’ve decreed that I am a poor match because of a scandal that has not erupted.”
In the normal course of her life, she didn’t apologize much, but she feared she owed James another apology. “I’m sorry. I did not mean to suggest you are a poor match,” she tried. “I simply believe your prospects would be better if you marry sooner rather than later. A love match will likely be easier to find if the options are plentiful.”
He blinked slowly. “Why does it even matter to you? I thought you weren’t interested in marriage.”
“Just because I’m not clamoring to marry doesn’t mean I can’t have an interest in your future.”
“An interest in my future,” he repeated, a furrow appearing between his brows.
“Not an interest.” She attempted to laugh breezily. “A modicum of awareness.”
“Are you attempting to confuse me?”
“Not at all.” This time her laugh was authentic. No one was more confused by her actions than she was. She’d accompanied her sister to help further Jane’s acquaintance with the duke and she’d only succeeded in arguing with him. When would she learn to keep her thoughts to herself? And why had her sister left her and the duke alone?
Chapter Nine
Because she had previously declined to join her family at the Marquess of Hereford’s Annual Winter Ball, Belinda timed her descent that evening to coincide with their departure from the house. After impatiently waiting upstairs until they had disappeared through the open door, she swept down the staircase in a whirl of satin so she could join them without being interrogated.
Sebastian had been the last one out the door, and either he had forgotten something or she had not been as quiet as she’d thought, because he reappeared in the doorway before she reached the bottom of the stairs.
“You’re coming with us?” he asked, stepping back inside the house with a quizzical expression on his face.
“Someone has to monitor Jane’s suitors,” she replied evenly.
He stiffened. “Are you suggesting I’m not up to the task?”
