Page 19 of Her Rogue to Ruin
After Berwick, she needed a cleansing breath of fresh air. Though she wasn’t certain even that would prepare her for stepping into Lord Pemberton’s arms for a dance.
* * *
Phin caughther out of the corner of his eye during the last turn of his dance. He was partnered with a young lady whose matchmaking mother had all but delivered her into his hands when he’d walked into the ballroom.
Then Portia had flitted by—a flash of purple silk and red hair—and the urge to follow her was almost impossible to resist.
But he persevered, leading his partner through the last steps, thanking the girl, and then exiting the ballroom to find the only lady he wanted to dance with.
He searched each open room as he made his way down the hallway and then noticed the French doors that likely led to a balcony over the back garden. Instinct told him that’s where she’d gone.
Phin found her leaning against a stone balustrade, standing in shadows just beyond the lantern glow.
She flicked a glance back at him and then continued staring out into the moonlit garden. “Have you come to try to change my mind?”
“No.” For a moment, he didn’t understand the question. But, of course, she meant the painting. “Not at all. I saw you rush by and wanted to make sure that you’re alright. Did he upset you?”
She was quiet so long, he was worried he’d upset her further with the question.
“For a moment, he did, but he also gave me clarity.”
“How so?” Phin stepped closer, taking up a spot next to her and resting his forearms on the balustrade as she was. He swallowed hard when he caught her floral scent on the breeze.
“He judges me for being a woman of business. Even for being a member of Fiona’s club. But it just makes me more resolved.” She shrugged. “So perhaps I should thank him.”
“No, you should definitely not thank him. He sounds like a bit of an arse.”
Portia laughed, and every ounce of tension in his body eased at the sound.
“That he is.”
“You should be respected for what you’ve done. What you’ve accomplished.”
She turned to face him. God, she was close enough to taste if he but dipped his head and took her lips.
“So you respect me, do you?”
“Utterly and completely,” he told her and willed himself to stop thinking about how much he wanted to kiss her. “I hope you don’t feel my request earlier today casts that in doubt.”
Phin didn’t wait for her answer and heard himself rushing on.
“I suppose it’s also part of why I came out here. I wanted to…”
She turned, not just her gaze but her whole body, toward him. He turned too. They stood face to face. He held her gaze so long, he almost forgot who was, where he was, and what he’d begun to say.
“What is it that you wanted?”
He didn’t know if was imagining the seductive timbre of her voice, but he liked it.
“To make sure you don’t think me the worst kind of rogue.” Though he paired the words with a grin, he meant them in all seriousness. Her opinion of him mattered.
“Not the worst kind, no.” She smiled too.
Phin chuckled and dipped his head, then squared his shoulders as he faced her.
“Then honor me with a dance.”
“Perhaps I will, Lord Pemberton, but I’ve also decided to take your commission.”
