Page 9 of An Affair with a Notorious Heiress
“My lord?”
He looked down to find the lass gazing up at him expectantly. Right. His focus was supposed to be on the younger sister, not the elder.
“I had a lovely time, my lord,” she said with a sweet voice he couldn’t imagine screaming out his name in rapture.
Why was he even considering these thoughts, comparing her to other women he’d known, to her sister whom he didn’t, when he had no plans whatsoever to carry this courtship through to fruition? “As did I. I wondered if you might care to join me in my box tomorrow evening.”
Her smile withered, her brow furrowed. “Your box? You live in a box?”
Was she serious? He hadn’t judged her to be daft, but then neither had he truly conversed with her about anything complicated or of importance. He offered a teasing grin. “I have a box at the theater.”
Her smile grew brighter, her eyes sparkling like jewels caught by the sunlight. “At the theater! I so love the theater! I’d be delighted to attend with you.”
“Do you think your maid’s megrim will have vanished by then?”
“I’m rather certain of it.”
He didn’t know why he was disappointed by the notion. Not having her sister about would make it easier to achieve his goal. “Then I shall be here tomorrow at half past seven.” He took her hand, pressed a kiss to the back of her gloved knuckles. “I look forward to it, Miss Hammersley.”
“In spite of what my sister said, I do wish you’d call me Gina.”
He smiled. “My manners, it seems, are difficult to cast aside which would no doubt please my mother to no end.”
“You are funny, my lord.”
She was far too easy to please. “Until tomorrow, Miss Hammersley.” He gave a brisk nod to the butler before striding to his carriage, leaping into it, and settling onto the leather bench. His driver immediately set the pair of horses to a trot.
Rexton was tempted to glance back to see if Lady Landsdowne was gazing out a window, but he didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she was on his mind. He needed to quickly find someone for Miss Hammersley so he was free of her and had met his part of the bargain. Before her older sister drove him to distraction.
Partially hidden by the draperies, Tillie stood at her bedchamber window, gazing out on the retreating carriage. She was glad the man was leaving. He unsettled her in ways she didn’t want to explore. He exuded sexuality in the same manner that the sun exuded heat—naturally, as though it had been created to do nothing else.
The jealousy that speared her when he’d asked for a private moment with Gina was entirely inappropriate. He was courting her sister, and Tillie certainly had no interest in him. She’d been married once and by God that had been a lesson in humility and subservience. Her opinion, her preferences, her desires had mattered not one whit. She much preferred having her independence, being completely in charge of every aspect of her life. Never again was she going to let a man have control over her.
Even as she had the thought, she understood Gina’s desire to marry. Not every woman flourished in solitude. There was something to be said for being part of something, of someone. But only if it was the right something, the right someone. Otherwise, one was guaranteed naught but misery.
The door to her bedchamber burst open and Gina flounced in, spread her arms wide, and spun in a circle. “Isn’t he wonderful!”
She flopped onto the bed and smiled up at the canopy as though it represented heaven. “He’s so remarkably handsome and charming. And one day he’ll be a duke and I shall be his duchess. How lucky I am!”
Tillie wasn’t quite so certain. She crossed over, sat on the edge of the bed, and took her sister’s hand. “Sweeting, you have to search beneath his chiseled nose and strong jaw—”
Gina bounced up into a sitting position. “You noticed?”
His features had been engraved into her brain as effectively as they’d been carved into his face. “How could one not?”
“His eyes are such an incredible blue. I could become lost in them.”
“That’s the thing, Gina, you don’t want to become lost when you’re with a man. You need to keep your wits about you. With clever questions, you need to dig into his past, his present, his likes, his dislikes in order to determine what he’s really about. Men put on a false façade when they’re courting, especially when the lady in question is in possession of a fortune. At some point, you even need to make him angry.”
Hard lessons learned.
Shock washed over Gina’s delicate features. “Why ever would I do something as unpleasant as all that? If I’m not biddable, he’ll move on to someone else.”
“If upsetting him causes him to take his affections elsewhere then they never were yours to begin with.”
“Is that what happened with you and Downie? You never talk about it.”
And she never would. Marriage to him had been horrendous. He’d never struck her with his fists, but words sometimes cut deeper. “The man who courted me was not the man I married. It’s important for you to discover all you can about the person you’re marrying. Take this afternoon for example. He spoke very little to you. It’s as though you were a prize he was showing off.”
