Page 19 of The Lord Next Door I Wished For
“But whatever you and your mother said,mymother has gotten it into her head that you…that you…”
Laughter bubbled up inside of him as he watched her fumble and then—much to his amazement—blush quite prettily. She huffed, leaning in toward him to hiss, “My mother is under the impression that you fancy me.”
He had to hold his breath and duck his head to contain a laugh at her utter disbelief at such a notion.
No, Jane might have changed in many ways, but she clearly could not see that many men must fancy her.
Many men…
All at once he thought of her at the masquerade. Had she been there for some sort of liaison? Had he been entirely wrong about Jane and her situation? Was she plagued by countless suitors in London?
The urge to laugh vanished.
“Jane, do you have a suitor?”
Her head came up and her eyes were wide with surprise.
“Or a gentleman you fancy, perhaps?” he continued as his insides twisted into ugly knots.
“Of course not!”
“Of course not,” he echoed, a little stunned by the shock and sincerity in her voice.
That tension within him eased so quickly he found himself off balance.
“I have no suitor, my lord, and so you see…” She stopped walking and so did he.
Her frown of irritation was adorable as she gave him a baleful look. “Would you please stop that.”
“Stop what?”
“Being so tall,” she said. “It’s hurting my neck.”
He chuckled, and this time he was rewarded with another smile. This one was small and sweet, and he would do just about anything to see it aimed his way again.
It was gone in a heartbeat, though, as they once more walked slowly, ignoring the stares that followed in their wake. When they were out of hearing range of the others, she continued talking as if they’d never stopped. “But you see now, I suppose, wherein the problem lies.”
He knew. Of course he did.
Or rather, he knew what she thought the problem to be. But it was far too easy and too much fun to rile her, and so he said mildly. “I donotsee, I’m afraid.”
She huffed again and tugged on his arm in an impatient gesture, her voice hushed. “They believe that you mean to court me.”
Her aggrieved tone might have been offensive if he wasn’t so dreadfully charmed by it. As heir to a dukedom he’d become accustomed to young ladies employing every trick at their disposal to catch his eye. He’d yet to meet a single one who tried to warn him off.
Until Jane, of course.
“Ah, I believe I see the problem now,” he said.
She sighed with relief. “Good.”
“Yes, it won’t do to have them think I merely intend to court you,” he said slowly, his pounding heart belying his low, even tone.
“Merely,” she repeated, confusion in her tone. “But—”
“Not when I have every intention of marrying you straight away.”
CHAPTERSIX
