Page 12 of Stolen by My Knave
Jack didn’t accept so bland an answer. He wanted to understand what his Elizabeth sought. What the fictitious Elizabeth Bennet wanted didn’t mean anything to him. He moved a rook and claimed one of Elizabeth’s pieces. He’d not hold his questions back. “That didn’t answer my question. What are you looking for in a husband, and do not tell me it is love. That is a side effect, not the deciding factor in a relationship.”
She smiled lightly. “Lord Whitewood, do you even know what love feels like?”
“Do you,” he countered.
Her smile waned slightly. “No, I don’t suppose I do. I’d like to think I’d recognize it if I felt it. That’s probably not the answer you were seeking. I’m sorry, but it’s all I have.”
“Accepted on one condition,” he replied.
“And what is that?”
“Tell me what it is you’re looking for besides love.”
He had to believe there was something he could offer her other than that weak, useless emotion. The more he played, the more he wanted from her. She was in a lot of ways his ideal. Marriage had never been something he’d sought, but for her perhaps he should consider the possibility. Elizabeth was different—special. But he couldn’t offer her love. That wasn’t in him to give, but he could be everything else for her. Once she explained what she wanted, perhaps he could devise a plan to win her. She’d have to understand love wasn’t part of the bargain though. Some marriages were built on less than what he did feel for her. In time, she could come to see it was enough to build on. Elizabeth was worth trying to win over.
“I want respect,” she said boldly. “Someone who sees me and understands there is more to me than what’s on the surface. The man I decide to spend my life with will recognize my flaws and want me not despite them, but because of them. As I mentioned before, people are flawed. There are people out there perfectly suited for each other though. That’s what I seek for in my ideal match—my equal.”
While he pondered that, Elizabeth made another move and he followed. They parried back and forth several times before she moved a knight, bouncing it over his rook and placing it direct line of his king. Her soft spoken, “Checkmate.” Threw him into a bit of shock. Bloody hell, how had he lost?
“Oh, goody, I won the boon.” Elizabeth clapped her hand in excitement. “Don’t worry, I won’t claim my winning tonight. But I do want to know one thing before this evening is done.”
Jack looked up, still slightly dazed at his loss. “How did that happen?”
“What?” she asked. “Oh, my winning. You were overconfident and assumed I didn’t know much about the game. Just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean I don’t understand all the nuances of it. Plus, you insisted on conversation, and that’s always a good distraction if applied correctly.”
Damn. She was brilliant. If love were possible, he’d fall head over heels for her. Thankfully, he hadn’t completely lost his mind. “What question did you want to ask?”
“What is your full name? I know your title, but that’s it.”
“You wish to be on an intimate basis with me?”
Her cheeks pinkened at his words. It made her even more delectable to behold. She licked her lips and he repressed the urge to push the chessboard to the floor and pull her into his arms. The desire to kiss her was strong. Luckily, Jack had more control than to give in to his baser instincts.
“I wish to know you better, and that’s a start.”
“Very well,” he agreed. “I am Jackerson Morgan Carwyn.” He grinned. “Or, as most of the ton refers to me—the disreputable Duke of Whitewood.”
“As in Captain Jack Morgan?” She gasped out the words, leaving him stunned once again.
What the bloody hell? How could she possibly know that name?
