Page 29 of Falling Into Bed with a Duke
“Depends on the light. It might be the only thing I inherited from my mother. The rest of me, I fear, is pretty much my father, which makes me a handsome woman—according to one gentleman who wished to gain my favor. I didn’t find the term particularly flattering, I suspect because his tone indicated that he didn’t mean to imply it as such. His sentiments were along the lines of he hoped that God would be merciful when it came to the appearance of our children. And I’m not sure why I just told you that.”
“He sounds like an arse.”
Her smiled transformed her face into something quite extraordinary. He wanted to capture it in shadow and light.
“I daresay I thought he was,” she said. “I may be plain of feature, but I’m not hideous.”
“You’re not plain.”
“You’re kind to say so.”
But she didn’t believe him. He found that interesting. “If you’re discussing children with the arse, then I assume he was in serious pursuit.”
“He was. However, when I declined his proposal of marriage, he warned me that I would live out my life as a spinster. To which I answered I’d rather be a spinster than his wife. Obviously, I’ve not mastered the genteel art of flirtation.”
Maybe not, but still he was finding himself quite fascinated by her. He liked that there was no artifice to her. She was honest in a way he wasn’t certain he’d ever before encountered in a woman. It was refreshing. Challenging. He didn’t know what to expect from her. “You don’t look old enough to be labeled a spinster.”
“Well, I am. I doubt I’ll go to many balls this Season.”
“Then I’m grateful I had the opportunity to dance with you tonight.”
“I imagine Lady Hyacinth was sorry you abandoned her.”
“Her brother showed up two winks after you left, and he escorted her away.” Which he realized, as the words left his mouth, was insulting to her, especially as he saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes before she glanced up at the orchestra in the balcony. “But I would have left her anyway,” he added hastily, drawing her attention back to him. “I don’t suffer the young gladly. Perhaps because I grew up so quickly.”
“I know it’s been years, but I’m sorry you lost your parents. I can’t imagine the devastation I will experience when mine are gone.”
“I still mourn them. It’s an odd thing to have been without them for all but eight years of my life. There are aspects to them that I barely remember, and some things are so sharp, so clear that it’s as though I were with them yesterday. But it doesn’t sadden me to speak of them, so you needn’t worry there.”
“Is it true what they say about the marquess?”
“That’s he’s mad?”
She nodded.
“Quite.”
HE said it so simply. Without prejudice or fear or condemnation.
“That must have been incredibly difficult,” Minerva said.
“Not particularly. He wasn’t cruel. We didn’t always have his attention, but we had each other, so we didn’t mind. I think he simply broke when his wife died.”
“He loved her that much,” she stated in awe although she suspected either of her parents might react in much the same way when one of them died. She didn’t want to contemplate it.
“I believe he did,” Ashebury said.
“Did it make you want to find a love such as that?”
“On the contrary. It has made me determined to avoid it.”
Then why was he holding her close, gliding her around the room so effortlessly? Lust perhaps. She nearly laughed out loud. When had any man lusted after her?
Last night perhaps, just a bit. His kiss had certainly implied a modicum of desire.
He lowered his gaze to her lips, and they tingled as though they had the power to recall the press of his mouth to hers, the silkiness of his tongue as he outlined them. He had such a lovely mouth. Wide and full, shaped for sin, skilled enough to make a woman lose her head. She suspected a countless number had. She’d almost been included in the group.
With a bit of alarm, she realized that his gaze had drifted lower, and he appeared to be studying the shape of her jawline. He was a man who appreciated strong, solid lines. Would he recognize hers? How mortifying if her square chin gave her away.
