Page 21 of His Scandalous Lessons
“Anne.” He sounded as if he were holding back laughter now. “Turn around and tell me why you came. I’m perfectly harmless.”
Anne held her breath and did as he asked. Good god. He was lying there with a hand tucked under his cheek, staring at her with a grin. Was this what all his lovers saw in the morning? It was excessive. He ought to be ashamed of being so tempting.
Gathering her courage, Anne strode toward the bed. She didn’t have time for his pretty body, or for imagining the way he’d touched her in the gazebo. Now that the other gentlemen had arrived at Ravenhill, she had to focus on her task.
Eleven days.That was all she had.
“I require your guidance.”
He arched an eyebrow. “In the middle of the night.”
“Yes. I’m to go on a walk with Granby tomorrow morning. I’ve surmised during our time together that you don’t rise until noon, and this couldn’t wait.”
“Let me guess: Granby rises before noon. Perfect, utterly dull Granby,” Richard said with a sigh.
What was wrong with him? “Are you drunk?”
“Wish I were, sweetheart.” He patted the bed beside him. “Come here.”
“It seems like a bad idea, getting into bed with you after what happened in the gazebo.”
Richard gazed up at her, his eyes darkening. “Do you regret that now?”
How could she regret something so lovely? No, she’d recall it for the rest of her life, she knew. Far into the future, when she was with another man, she would think on that moment as the first time she had ever experienced tenderness.What do you want? Didn’t he understand how significant that question was? How four words could change her life?
“No,” she whispered. “How could I regret that when I've spent every night dreaming of it?”
Richard began to reach for her. “Anne—”
“No.” She caught his grasp. “I can’t. I have eleven days, do you understand?” She heard his exhale before he nodded. “Good. Now how do I speak with Granby? This isn’t like a dance. I’ll have to spend an hour or two alone with him.”
“You’ve successfully managed to spend an hour or two alone in my company without perishing.”
Anne waved a dismissive hand. “Yes, but you don’t count. I can make mistakes in front of you. You can’t compare a rehearsal to a performance, Richard. And I like you.”
“While that’s an exceedingly nice compliment, it doesn’t bode well for Granby.”
“I’m not here to flatter Granby, am I?”
“Oof.” He pressed a hand to his heart. “You wound me. All right, I’ll play.” He shifted in bed to sit up. The movement did strange things to his muscles — made them flex — and — “Granby likes horses.”
She blinked up at him. “Horses? What?”
“Large creatures. Four legs. Good for traveling—”
“I know what a bloody horse is,” Anne said impatiently. “I just don’t know a damn thing about horses.”
Richard shrugged. “Even better. Granby knows more about horses than women. Have him talk about horses, express the tiniest interest in horses, give him that one smile you do, and he’ll be eating out of your palm by the end of the day.”
“The smile I do? What smile?”
Now he looked irritated. “Theone.”
“So I’ve surmised. The question iswhichone?”
“The one with the dimple.”
Anne pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing. “You noticed my dimple?”
