Page 17 of Only a Lyon Will Do
“Pay my brother no attention, Mrs. Moore,” Asher said softly as though to calm her racing nerves.
She broke the spell he was weaving around her by stepping away from the warmth of his body. “It’s hard to ignore the facts, Lord Rowley. You are titled and expected to marry well—when you finally concede to marry at all. I am certainly no debutante nor any of those women who are considered acceptable within theton.”
“You are beyond compare to any of those ladies who could be found in a ballroom, Mrs. Moore,” Gideon interjected forcing Patience to give a nod of her head toward the younger man.
“I appreciate your kind words, Captain Tyler, but the reality of my situation doesn’t change the facts,” Patience answered grimly. It was an honest evaluation of all her problems that a good marriage might fix.
Asher reached again for her hand. “Perhaps we can change all that together,” he suggested with an encouraging smile.
She widened her eyes but his words only caused Patience to frown. Was he offering to make her his mistress? She had no interest in such an arrangement. She would never dream of looking down on those who had accepted that lifestyle—her dearest friend among them—but even beyond the so-called “sin” of being a kept woman, Patience feared the uncertainty of it. A mistress could be discarded on the slightest whim. It was not a position that offered any guarantee of security. No, far better to be a wife, even to a man who did not stir her passions, than to be the temporary plaything of a man she could not trust.
“Would you excuse us for a moment, Captain Tyler. Your brother and I need to discuss something,” Patience said not giving Gideon time to respond. She pulled at Asher’s hand leading him out into the corridor where they could speakprivately. “Just exactly what are your intentions, Lord Rowley? Are you after some meaningless affair?”
“That’s extremely direct, Mrs. Moore,” he exclaimed with a startled expression sweeping across his handsome face.
“Given the circumstances, I see no reason to not be direct, sir, as my future depends on honesty and finding myself a suitable husband.”
“Suitable? As in rich?” he said as though the words were sticking in his throat.
“Suitable as in someone I can trust and come to care for. I don’t give a fig how much money the man has as long as he doesn’t gamble his fortune away and as long as he treats me with kindness and respect,” Patience said moving her hand to her forehead. She sounded like a mean-mouthed old maid. How had such a conversation turned from flirtatious to demanding? This wasn’t like her at all.
“You’re upset with me…” Asher murmured with wide eyes.
“Of course, I’m upset with you. Has no other woman in your life ever been miffed at your behavior?” she asked in wonder that this man possibly had never been turned down by a woman.
“Besides my mother? Not that I’m aware of.”
“Well, I suppose here’s another first for you, my lord. Not everyone is going to fall for your irresistible charms.”
A chuckle left him. “So, you find me irresistible, Patience?” he asked using her given name as if she had given him permission to do so.
“Right now, I find you irritating, and you have me sounding like a shrew. You seem to bring out the bestandthe worst in me,” she huffed in annoyance not only at how he was acting but how she was, too.
“I have enjoyed seeing you at your best but what has you so upset, my dear?” he whispered. He advanced a step while she retreated. He had that look about him like he’d had in thegardens at the Lyon’s Den. Any closer and she was certain he would kiss her.
She held up her hand to halt his progress. “I am upset with you because of your apparent dismissal of this insane connection between us.”
“Dismissal? Did I not just say that I would be quite willing to change your situation?”
“By setting me up as your latest mistress? No. That is not an offer I will accept. I seek marriage, sir, as you know perfectly well. I shouldliketo be married to a man I believe I could love.”
“And you think that could be me?” He sounded as if he wasn’t certain whether or not he liked the idea.
Patience took hold of his hand. A tingling sensation raced up her arm and for the briefest second, she knew he felt it too when his hazel eyes turned to a seductive gleam. “It could be, Asher. I know that something incredible happens between us when we’re together.”
A frown marred his otherwise attractive face. Before he could reply, his mother came down the hallway and looked between the pair of them.
“Mrs. Moore… you are to accompany us on our ride this afternoon in case my son has need of your services. I have cleared the matter with Dr. Thornberry,” the lady proclaimed.
“Yes, my lady. I’ll go get my bonnet for the ride. Please excuse me, Lord Rowley,” Patience said as she quickly retreated down the hallway.
With her heart racing, she left the man standing in the hallway with his mother. She would be spending the remainder of the afternoon in a carriage with Hades… or, as she should now think of him, Lord Rowley. It was only then that she realized she had murmured his given name when she attempted for him to see her point. God help her!
Chapter Twelve
Florinda sat nextto Oliver in his open carriage as they made their way around the park. Looking around it appeared as though all of Society was taking advantage of the uncommonly good weather. The sun shone brightly as she adjusted her parasol as they turned the corner. Couples and families walked the pathways of the nearby park, some stopped by a lake to watch the birds that swam on the surface, and others also took in the warm weather as they rode in their own carriages or on horseback. It was a pleasant day for a stroll.
Until she saw Asher riding in his own conveyance with another man and two women. The gentlemen rode backwards leaving the two ladies the forward view. As their carriages passed one another, Asher didn’t even give her the briefest of nods as their eyes met. He continued his animated conversation with those he rode with and Florinda’s heart lurched at the snub. It shouldn’t have bothered her as much as it did but a little part of her heart cried out for her ex-lover.
