Page 17 of The Scholar's Key
“Lord Stephen,” she said in surprise when she tilted her head up to see who had so invaded her space. “How… nice to see you again this evening.”
By nice, she meant inconvenient.
“I am glad I found you. I was hoping to have a moment to speak with you alone.”
“I am not sure that is proper, Lord Stephen,” she said, even though she didn’t care much for propriety, but more so sensed an urgency to accomplish what she had come here to do.
“It will be but a moment,” he said, stepping to the side to block her path when she tried to move around him. “I hope you have come to realize, Lady Percy, that you intrigue me.”
“I do strive to be intriguing,” she said lightly.
“I am not sure if you are aware, but I am interested in taking a wife.”
“You say that as though you can walk into the general store and buy one,” she said, to which he smiled slyly.
“And yet, here we are, in a building where so many eligible young ladies are laid out in front of me, their merchants—pardon me,mothers— prepared to share with me all of their qualities as to why I should consider them. Which makes me wonder… is it that you have a deficiency, or are you simply not available for sale?”
Percy stood tall in front of his offensive words.
“As it happens, Lord Stephen, I do not consider attaching myself to a man for the rest of my life to be a contractual obligation. If that is what you are looking for, then I would suggest that you find another besides me.”
“So challenging,” he murmured, his eyes sweeping up and down her body. “Perhaps that is what has scared others away.”
“This conversation is finished,” she said firmly. “Excuse me.”
She made to sweep past him, but he blocked her path once more. She feinted to the left, and when he went to stop her, she deftly stepped back and around him.
He reached out, his fingers encircling her arm, but just when she was about to tell him more clearly to unhand her, they were both stopped by an interrupting voice.
“Lord Stephen, is it?”
Relief swept over Percy when Mr. Rowley stepped in between them, his presence causing Lord Stephen to take a step backward, dropping his hand to the side. He might be persistent, but he was not foolish enough to be caught entrapping a woman against her will.
“Yes.”
“I am Mr. Noah Rowley. I believe you know my brother.”
“Do I?”
“Lord Ferrington.”
“Ah, yes, of course,” Lord Stephen said, even though it was obvious he had no idea to whom Mr. Rowley referred, but he was certainly not going to refute any claim when the man was titled.
“He sends his regards,” Mr. Rowley said, before inclining his head back toward the ballroom, obviously telling Percy to continue. She hated to allow another to fight her battles for her, but she also knew that this was her best opportunity to escape.
“Good evening, Lord Stephen, Mr. Rowley,” she said with a slight curtsy before walking away, even though she was most eager to capture Mr. Rowley to speak to him about the necklace.
She wanted to share what she had learned – and just what she now needed him to do.
CHAPTER7
Noah was cursing himself after his encounter with Lord Stephen. He should have told the man just exactly what he would do to him if he continued his pursuit of Lady Percy with such unsavory intentions, but then, who was he to defend her? An acquaintance? Friends of mutual friends? Besides that, it was not as though he was going to challenge the future marquess to a brawl or a duel.
He had no chance to win either.
So instead, he had taken his leave, seeking out Lady Percy once more, but it seemed by the time he returned to the ballroom that she had disappeared.
He was about to leave himself when he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to find her there.
