much, anyway. But it did infuriate her. They didn’t know her, they didn’t know her father. How dare they judge either of them out of hand like that!
“A sweetheart in every port.” “Never getting hitched.” She understood perfectly now. Drew Anderson was a cad. And he found her contemptible?
“You’re scaring all the eligible men away with a scowl like that,” she heard Drew say. “A penny for your thoughts.”
She looked up and saw him standing beside her. She’d stopped staring at him for only a moment. How had he managed to cross the room so fast? If she’d seen him coming, she would have moved off in another direction. She didn’t really want to talk to him.
“My thoughts would cost you more’n that,” she said in a dismissive tone, and glanced away.
“How much more?” he persisted.
“More than you can possibly afford.”
“A pity. I was hoping for some sort of amusement to break the tedium.”
She drew in her breath sharply and glanced back at him. “So you think my thoughts would amuse you? You think they’re filled with silly—”
“I never said that,” he cut in.
“You didn’t have to. It was implied in your tone,” she said, then added under her breath, “No more than one can expect from a brute.”
Apparently he heard her, because he actually sighed. “Is every man a brute to you?”
“No, but you’re the one who manhandled me so roughly you bruised my arm.”
His eyes narrowed at that accusation and he demanded, “Show me your bruises.”
She hadn’t bothered to look at her arm to see if she had any, and was about to say so when he grabbed her arm and turned it. His expression changed immediately. She glanced down to see the bruise as well. It was just a tiny one. Good grief, she’d never in her life been happy to see a blasted bruise, but she certainly was now.
“I told you,” she said with the utmost pleasure.
“Yes, you did,” he replied quietly, and he actually looked contrite, no, actually, he looked stricken. “I apologize, Gabby. It certainly wasn’t my intention to bruise you, merely to help you that day. I’m sorry you bruise so easily.”
The last remark gave her pause. She didn’t bruise easily, and in fact, his grip that day hadn’t been that strong and shouldn’t have left a mark…
She drew in her breath, recalling that she’d been jostled sharply in the carriage on the way to the Malory townhouse when the vehicle rolled over a rather large pothole, enough that she’d cried out and Ohr had remarked on it. There was no doubt in her mind now that that’s how she’d gotten the bruise.
She wasn’t going to tell him. She rather liked his current conciliatory expression… Oh, bother!
“I was mistaken,” she said sharply. “So you can retract your apology.”
“Excuse me?”
The blush came despite her irritation with herself. “I’ve just remembered that I got that bruise in a carriage the day after I saw you on the docks. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t a brute,” she added firmly.
He burst out laughing. It drew too many eyes. A big man like him, his laugh was deep, robust, and damned if it wasn’t distinctly sensual, too. She was barely able to ignore the shiver it sent down her back.
“I see I managed to break your tedium after all,” she grumbled.
“Yes, but I was only hoping for some witty remark that I’m sure you’re capable of. I certainly wasn’t expecting a feast of…silliness.”
His engaging grin said clearly that he was teasing her now. It flustered her, but what surprised her even more was that she wanted to grin back at him.
The man’s moods shifted quickly, and she found this winsome one more disconcerting than his earlier antagonism. It reminded her of that very real smile he’d given her on the docks, which had caused her stomach to flutter strangely.
She needed to get away from him. Her stomach was starting to flutter again. She looked for her current dance partner, who had gone off to
“A sweetheart in every port.” “Never getting hitched.” She understood perfectly now. Drew Anderson was a cad. And he found her contemptible?
“You’re scaring all the eligible men away with a scowl like that,” she heard Drew say. “A penny for your thoughts.”
She looked up and saw him standing beside her. She’d stopped staring at him for only a moment. How had he managed to cross the room so fast? If she’d seen him coming, she would have moved off in another direction. She didn’t really want to talk to him.
“My thoughts would cost you more’n that,” she said in a dismissive tone, and glanced away.
“How much more?” he persisted.
“More than you can possibly afford.”
“A pity. I was hoping for some sort of amusement to break the tedium.”
She drew in her breath sharply and glanced back at him. “So you think my thoughts would amuse you? You think they’re filled with silly—”
“I never said that,” he cut in.
“You didn’t have to. It was implied in your tone,” she said, then added under her breath, “No more than one can expect from a brute.”
Apparently he heard her, because he actually sighed. “Is every man a brute to you?”
“No, but you’re the one who manhandled me so roughly you bruised my arm.”
His eyes narrowed at that accusation and he demanded, “Show me your bruises.”
She hadn’t bothered to look at her arm to see if she had any, and was about to say so when he grabbed her arm and turned it. His expression changed immediately. She glanced down to see the bruise as well. It was just a tiny one. Good grief, she’d never in her life been happy to see a blasted bruise, but she certainly was now.
“I told you,” she said with the utmost pleasure.
“Yes, you did,” he replied quietly, and he actually looked contrite, no, actually, he looked stricken. “I apologize, Gabby. It certainly wasn’t my intention to bruise you, merely to help you that day. I’m sorry you bruise so easily.”
The last remark gave her pause. She didn’t bruise easily, and in fact, his grip that day hadn’t been that strong and shouldn’t have left a mark…
She drew in her breath, recalling that she’d been jostled sharply in the carriage on the way to the Malory townhouse when the vehicle rolled over a rather large pothole, enough that she’d cried out and Ohr had remarked on it. There was no doubt in her mind now that that’s how she’d gotten the bruise.
She wasn’t going to tell him. She rather liked his current conciliatory expression… Oh, bother!
“I was mistaken,” she said sharply. “So you can retract your apology.”
“Excuse me?”
The blush came despite her irritation with herself. “I’ve just remembered that I got that bruise in a carriage the day after I saw you on the docks. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t a brute,” she added firmly.
He burst out laughing. It drew too many eyes. A big man like him, his laugh was deep, robust, and damned if it wasn’t distinctly sensual, too. She was barely able to ignore the shiver it sent down her back.
“I see I managed to break your tedium after all,” she grumbled.
“Yes, but I was only hoping for some witty remark that I’m sure you’re capable of. I certainly wasn’t expecting a feast of…silliness.”
His engaging grin said clearly that he was teasing her now. It flustered her, but what surprised her even more was that she wanted to grin back at him.
The man’s moods shifted quickly, and she found this winsome one more disconcerting than his earlier antagonism. It reminded her of that very real smile he’d given her on the docks, which had caused her stomach to flutter strangely.
She needed to get away from him. Her stomach was starting to flutter again. She looked for her current dance partner, who had gone off to
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