Page 55 of The Good Duke
She silently willed him to say something.
Nay! Don’t say anything.
A smile. She’d prefer his grin—even that roguish one he’d adopted over the years.
Simon dusted his palms together with a meticulous slowness that only redoubled her dread.
He spoke slowly. “Upon careful consideration this morning—”
No!“I’m sorry,” she said on a rush, not allowing him to continue in what would be the death knell of her future and all hopes of security. “I’ve been combative and rude and inappropriate, Your Grace.”
Simon quirked a dark blond eyebrow. “Your Grace now, am I?”
Her stomach dropped. “You are right. I’ve been grossly disrespectful and inappropriate in my use of your Christian name.”
He frowned darkly.
“You have my promise it shall not happen again, S—Your Grace,” she immediately corrected.
His scowl only deepened.
Mrs. Belden, along with any other employer, would have shown her the door well before this latest offense. Why should Simon the duke be any different? He wouldn’t. Members of the peerage both expected and demanded respect.
Simon made to speak, but Persephone scrambled onto the edge of her armchair, clasped her hands in supplication, and then clasped them at her chest. “Given the nature of my arrival—”
“You mean given the fact you broke into my household?”
Did she hear amusement in that question? Or did she merely shore it up out of desperation?
“I should be more deferential and appreciative. You could have very well called the constable on me and had me tossed away in Newgate.”
“I gave it a thought.” A glimmer flickered in the endless blue of his eyes.
Was he jesting? She hated that she could not tell. “D-Did you?” Persephone dampened her mouth.
He just stared at her in return.
“O-Of course you did. Why would you not have?” And then she did that which she always did when nervous—she rambled. “We are not friends. Not any longer. Our fathers had a nasty falling out…of which I was the one to blame.”
Why did you bring that up?a voice silently castigated.Change the subject. Now.
“Why, we may as well be strangers. Wearestrangers,” she amended.
And then belatedly thought better of that clarification.
Persephone grimaced. “Not that we’recompletestrangers because if wewere, me entering your home would certainly constitute a break-in…and…and…”
The fight went out of her.
“And again, I can only offer my sincerest apologies for the forwardness in which I’ve spoken to you,” she finished.
Simon just stared at her. Persephone let herself collapse against the camel backing of her chair.
She tried to make out something, anything, in his previously revealing eyes.
There was an absence of rage or annoyance; thatwasgood.
But neither could she make out…anything.
