person who is blackmailing myaunt. Nothing has changed. What has overset you so this morning?”
“I am not overset. You make it sound as though I were having the vapors. I am bloody furious.”
“Oh.”
He shot her a frozen look. “Is that all you have to say for yourself?”
Iphiginia thought about it. “If it would not be too much trouble, my lord, I would like to know what it is that has, ah, outraged you.”
He hesitated, as though debating how much to tell her. “I have just learned that a close friend of mine is being blackmailed.”
Iphiginia stared at him, astonished. “Good heavens. Someone other than my aunt is also being blackmailed after all? This is very interesting news, indeed, my lord.”
“Is it not?”
“Sir, I do not understand your sarcasm. I should think you would be alarmed to learn that the tale I told you may well be true and that a friend of yours is also a blackmailer’s victim. Why are you angry with me?”
“I suggest that you construct a reasonable hypothesis to explain my irritation.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“A guess, Mrs. Bright. Make a guess.”
Iphiginia’s mouth dropped open. Now he was being more than sarcastic. He was becoming impossibly rude. She swiftly composed her expression when she noticed three lounging dandies gazing raptly at her. She blocked their view with her parasol.
“This is ridiculous, Masters. Why are you annoyed with me?”
“Because I have come to the obvious conclusion that you are very likely the blackmailer.”
“What on earth?” Iphiginia came to a complete halt. She yanked her arm free and whirled about to confront Marcus. “You go too far, sir. What do you think I am?”
“A clever, scheming little adventuress who has goneone step beyond the pale.” Marcus’s voice was soft, but it was weighted with steel. “Last night I found your silly masquerade amusing.”
“My lord, please—”
“I was even willing to go along with the charade for a while. I will admit that you are far and away the most interesting female who has crossed my path in some time. However, this morning when I learned the truth, I decided that you were no longer nearly so amusing, madam.”
“No longer amusing? Of all the stupid, idiotic, offensive things to say. You clearly do not know what you are talking about. I will not stand here and listen to your accusations, sir.” Iphiginia turned on her heel. She could hear the tittering laughs of the lounging dandies.
Marcus put out a hand and caught her arm. “Not so fast. I have one or two questions to put to you, Iphiginia.”
“I have better things to do than answer your insulting questions.”
“Such as?”
“Such as find the blackmailer,” Iphiginia hissed. “Let me go, my lord, or I promise you, I shall scream.”
“Devil take it, we are not in Drury Lane. Kindly cease the theatrics.” Marcus brought her forcibly around so that she was once again obliged to face him. “Unless, of course, you want news of this little scene to be all over Town this evening?”
“Why should that concern me? Everyone in Town is already talking about us, my lord.”
“You must believe me when I tell you that the gossip can get a great deal worse than it already is. If you persist in quarreling with me in the middle of a public thoroughfare, I promise you that it will.”
Iphiginia flushed. “Is that a threat, Masters?”
“It is. If you do not maintain at least the pretense of being a lady, I am not going to continue acting the gentleman. I swear, if you try to walk away from me, I shall put you over my shoulder and carry you off to someplacewhere we can continue this discussion without an audience.”
Iphiginia was seething. “You would not dare.”
“Would you care to place a wager on that, Iphiginia?” he asked much too softly. “It was one thing for me to carry a swooning lady out of the Fenwicks’ ballroom last night. It will be quite another if I haul you off as though you were a sack of
“I am not overset. You make it sound as though I were having the vapors. I am bloody furious.”
“Oh.”
He shot her a frozen look. “Is that all you have to say for yourself?”
Iphiginia thought about it. “If it would not be too much trouble, my lord, I would like to know what it is that has, ah, outraged you.”
He hesitated, as though debating how much to tell her. “I have just learned that a close friend of mine is being blackmailed.”
Iphiginia stared at him, astonished. “Good heavens. Someone other than my aunt is also being blackmailed after all? This is very interesting news, indeed, my lord.”
“Is it not?”
“Sir, I do not understand your sarcasm. I should think you would be alarmed to learn that the tale I told you may well be true and that a friend of yours is also a blackmailer’s victim. Why are you angry with me?”
“I suggest that you construct a reasonable hypothesis to explain my irritation.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“A guess, Mrs. Bright. Make a guess.”
Iphiginia’s mouth dropped open. Now he was being more than sarcastic. He was becoming impossibly rude. She swiftly composed her expression when she noticed three lounging dandies gazing raptly at her. She blocked their view with her parasol.
“This is ridiculous, Masters. Why are you annoyed with me?”
“Because I have come to the obvious conclusion that you are very likely the blackmailer.”
“What on earth?” Iphiginia came to a complete halt. She yanked her arm free and whirled about to confront Marcus. “You go too far, sir. What do you think I am?”
“A clever, scheming little adventuress who has goneone step beyond the pale.” Marcus’s voice was soft, but it was weighted with steel. “Last night I found your silly masquerade amusing.”
“My lord, please—”
“I was even willing to go along with the charade for a while. I will admit that you are far and away the most interesting female who has crossed my path in some time. However, this morning when I learned the truth, I decided that you were no longer nearly so amusing, madam.”
“No longer amusing? Of all the stupid, idiotic, offensive things to say. You clearly do not know what you are talking about. I will not stand here and listen to your accusations, sir.” Iphiginia turned on her heel. She could hear the tittering laughs of the lounging dandies.
Marcus put out a hand and caught her arm. “Not so fast. I have one or two questions to put to you, Iphiginia.”
“I have better things to do than answer your insulting questions.”
“Such as?”
“Such as find the blackmailer,” Iphiginia hissed. “Let me go, my lord, or I promise you, I shall scream.”
“Devil take it, we are not in Drury Lane. Kindly cease the theatrics.” Marcus brought her forcibly around so that she was once again obliged to face him. “Unless, of course, you want news of this little scene to be all over Town this evening?”
“Why should that concern me? Everyone in Town is already talking about us, my lord.”
“You must believe me when I tell you that the gossip can get a great deal worse than it already is. If you persist in quarreling with me in the middle of a public thoroughfare, I promise you that it will.”
Iphiginia flushed. “Is that a threat, Masters?”
“It is. If you do not maintain at least the pretense of being a lady, I am not going to continue acting the gentleman. I swear, if you try to walk away from me, I shall put you over my shoulder and carry you off to someplacewhere we can continue this discussion without an audience.”
Iphiginia was seething. “You would not dare.”
“Would you care to place a wager on that, Iphiginia?” he asked much too softly. “It was one thing for me to carry a swooning lady out of the Fenwicks’ ballroom last night. It will be quite another if I haul you off as though you were a sack of
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