Page 13 of Courting Scandal With The Duke
She twirled away, and they were arms’ lengths apart, making conversation impossible. When they came together again, he had recovered from his surprise.
‘Your prospects are limited,’ he said, intending to repress any sort of idea she might have in his regard.
She gave him an arch look. ‘Indeed? I believe my dowry will pass muster.’
‘Is that what you desire? A fortune hunter?’
‘Desire?’ Her voice caressed the word, gave it lascivious meaning.
His pulse tripped. This woman was dangerous indeed.
‘Should desire enter into it?’ she asked.
‘One should have goals, certainly.’
‘Are they the same? Desires and goals?’
Again, his gut tightened at the way she spoke of desire. Such boldness.
She was a widow, he reminded himself. Knowledgeable with regard to matters of the flesh. A widow twice over, in truth.
‘Desires are ephemeral, changing with the wind, today you desire a hat, tomorrow a necklace. Goals, being more logical, and more important, ought to be achievable, measurable. So, no. Not the same.’
‘To me, desires have a more physical connotation, somehow.’
He gritted his teeth at her obvious ploy to continue to shock him. ‘It depends on the objectof the desire.’
‘Indeed.’
Her agreement gave him no pleasure, no sense of having won the argument, since it was more of a challenge than an acquiescence. She was sparring with him. Testing for weakness. She need not bother.
As they traversed the width of the dance floor, he noticed her aunt watching them with an anxious expression.
‘Your aunt worries about you.’
‘No. Aunt Lenore worries.’
‘Isn’t she concerned for your reputation? I understand you are the subject of speculation at White’s.’
She laughed. A low, husky chuckle that sent a pleasurable shiver down his spine. Quite deliberate, of course.
‘London must be terribly boring if people have nothing better to do than speculate about me.’
‘Speculation is a pastime here. Apparently, they are betting how long number three will last beyond the wedding.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘I heard they call me the black widow—after a rather unpleasant spider. Apparently, after mating, the female kills the male. To me, it sounds like an excellent arrangement.’ She seemed quite pleased with the idea.
Shocked, his jaw dropped. ‘Is that a warning?’
A sly little smile touched her lips. ‘That would be telling.’
The woman was reckless in the extreme. To admit to liking the idea of doing away with a husband,having already… Well, not done away with them. He was certain there would be a perfectly reasonable explanation for their deaths or she would have been arrested. But to be pleased that they were dead, and admit to it, was rash in the extreme.
As the dance drew to a close, he wasn’t sure if he should be pleased or sorry.
He was definitely intrigued.
Clearly, this widowed countess was to be avoided in future.
