Page 55 of A Duchess Mistaken
“I cannot help it,” he answered her at last. “You are not an easy lady to ignore.”
“Should I take that as a compliment?”
“I do not mean it as an insult,” he assured her.
She didn’t look away from him. In fact, she shifted, stepping directly in his line of sight, which forced him to look down at her.
Agnes wore a small frown, looking absolutely frustrated. It wasn’t the expression he’d expected to see.
“Have I upset you?” he asked, afraid that he might have said the wrong thing again.
“No, not at all,” she said with a shake of her head, still frowning at him. Johnathan fought the urge to gaze down at the slight pout of her lips, willing away the tremor of heat that coursed through him. “It is only that I now realize that I know very little about you.”
“There is nothing to know about me,” he said but she was already shaking her head.
“I shan’t accept that as an answer. You speak about me as if we have known each other for years and yet I cannot even tell you what your favorite color is. I would not be surprised if you knew mine.”
“I surmise it may be either purple or pink.”
“Oh, good heavens, this is what I mean!” she exclaimed, her cheeks coloring in frustration. “Oh, I am so ashamed of myself.”
“Ashamed?” Johnathan frowned at her in alarm. “You have no reason to be! It is I who should not have said so much.”
“But you have and I am unable to forget it.” She thinned her lips. “I have been so focused on Caroline and Christopher that I…” She trailed off, then caught his arm suddenly, sending his heart racing through his chest. “Tell me who you are, Johnathan. Let us start with your favorite color.”
Despite the chaos her touch was causing on his insides, Johnathan laughed. “I do not have a favorite color.”
She scowled. “Everyone has a favorite color.”
“I do not. Is that odd?”
“I suppose it is not,” she conceded after a moment. She removed her hand and he suddenly felt cold without her touch. “Tell me what you like to do then, when you are not holed up in your office at the crack of dawn.”
Johnathan raised his brows. “How do you know the time I go to my office?”
She blinked as if just realizing what she’d said. Then her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink. “You are not the only observant one, you know.”
A grin tugged at his lips. He had every intention of teasing her about that, mostly because he wanted to avoid having to talk about himself, but then someone called out to him.
They both paused, looking to the left to see a portly man standing at the door of a shop. The man lowered his head in reverence before meeting Johnathan’s eyes. “Forgive me for interrupting, Your Grace. My wife and I were hoping to speak with you for a moment.”
Johnathan recognized the man, though he could not quickly recall his name. He was the village metalsmith who had been seeking a meeting with Johnathan for some time now. Had it not been for his guests, Johnathan would have already gone to see him.
The look on the man’s face told him that it would not be easy turning him down. So Johnathan nodded at him, then turned toAgnes. He placed a hand on the small of her back, murmuring, “Pardon me a moment.”
She sucked in a breath, her eyes growing wide before nodding. He didn’t get the chance to question her on her reaction. He simply headed into the shop and prayed that whatever conversation he was about to have would not be a difficult one.
With his father’s debts and his dwindling wealth, Johnathan didn’t have much hope.
Agnes waited for Johnathan to return. She tried not to peek in the windows, fighting the curiosity that threatened to overtake her. Thankfully, the others lingered about as well, so engrossed in their own little adventures to pay much mind to the fact that she was standing outside the door of a metal shop waiting for the duke.
At long last, Johnathan emerged, the portly man and his—surprisingly equally—portly wife exiting behind him. The couple bore happy smiles, giving enthusiastic farewells to Johnathan as he bid them goodbye. Agnes couldn’t help the curious stare as Johnathan made his way back to her.
“They seemed to be in high spirits,” she commented before he had a chance to say anything.
“Yes, well…” Johnathan tucked his hands into his pockets again and they continued their stroll. Only Agnes had very little interest in the surroundings and far more in the gentleman by her side. “They requested some more time in paying their rent since business has been a little difficult lately.”
“Did you grant it?”
