Page 47 of A Scandalous Proposition
‘You can’t do that!’ Florentina jumped to her feet in horrified denial. ‘It’s far too dangerous.’
He waggled his brows at her. ‘Do you have such little faith in my abilities, or dare I hope that your concern is for my physical safety?’
‘Oh, you’re sometimes infuriatingly…infuriating!’
‘Only sometimes?’
‘I dare say if you work at it, you’ll be able to make your infuriatingness a permanent facet of your character.’
He chuckled. ‘Infuriatingness?’
‘You know what I mean.’
‘You have a charmingly unique way of getting your point across.’ Behind the laughter in his eyes she could detect unsettling intelligence. ‘But I’ll not be alone when I face Dawson. I dare say Madison will accompany me, or at least supply me with reliable men.’
She sighed. ‘And I will be there also.’
‘Out of the question!’
‘Why?’
‘Because I will be fully occupied and won’t be able to ensure your safety.’
‘Do you think me incapable of taking care of myself?’
He smiled at her in a raffish manner that made her want to strike him. ‘The Feathers,’ he said mildly.
Damn him, he had a point. ‘That was unfortunate.’
His lips quirked. ‘Florentina, trust me to do the right thing without encumbering me with the responsibility for your welfare.’
‘What’s that to you?’
They faced one another like a pair of prize fighters. Adam’s expression was full of resolve. She suspected hers was truculent but no less determined.
‘Your welfare means a very great deal to my mother.’ Ah, so it was his mother’s feelings that concerned him. ‘There’s no place for a woman in this escapade. You’ll only be in the way.’
‘You will need me there to persuade the captives to come with us.’
‘My Spanish is quite adequate for that purpose.’
‘You fail to take into account Dawson’s charismatic personality. We all believed he was acting in our best interests. He will tell the girls you mean them harm and they’ll believe him.’
‘Perhaps.’
Florentina could sense that he was moved by the logic of her argument and she pushed home her advantage. ‘But if a native Spanish woman is there to tell them the truth, they’ll be more likely to believe her.’
‘No, Florentina.’
‘No?’ She planted her fists on her hips. ‘What do you mean, no?’
‘I mean no, you can’t come. I don’t want you there, nor do I need you.’
‘Surely that’s for Lord Madison to decide.’
‘We can apply to him if you wish but whose side do you imagine he will take?’
‘Oh, you!’ She swirled away from him, infuriated by his intransigence. ‘I suppose you gentlemen will close ranks against me.’
