that came too quickly from between them. It had been a very pleasurable experiment, and one that he intended to pursue in future. He did not believe that she would prove a reluctant participant, he thought complacently.
His gaze lifted to her eyes, where he expected to find uncertainty and dawning passion. Instead, he was startled by the blaze of sheer anger in those green depths. He was not given time to digest the meaning of it, however, for suddenly his head was rocked to one side by a stinging blow.
Lord Chatworth stared at her in stupefaction. One side of his face burned with the imprint of her palm. In the seconds before he had recovered, she had already flown to the door of the study.
She regarded him with complete contempt. “I am not frightened of you. I believe that I have sufficiently proven it, do you not think so, Marcus?” With that she twisted the knob and sailed out of the study.
She sped upstairs to her rooms. When she got to her bedroom, she pulled the bell for her maid and, upon the woman’s entrance, asked her help in putting on her walking dress. Within a few short minutes, Babs returned downstairs and walked out the front door in the company of her maid. She had asked that a carriage be brought up to wait on her pleasure, and now she directed the driver to the shops in Mayfair.
She settled back and with a quelling stare at her maid gave the woman notice that she was not in the mood for idle conversation. She badly needed time to think, but she had not felt safe to do so in her bedroom. Foremost in her mind while she had changed had been the uncertainty of whether the earl would follow her. But she had escaped the house without that confrontation and she could breathe easier for a time.
She had lied when she had told the earl that he did not frighten her. But the major portion of her fright was not rooted in his attempt to disconcert and seduce her, which was what had saved her from making a complete fool of herself. She had recognized that he meant to press the issue, and she had gambled that he would not guess the real reason behind her uneasiness whenever she was with him. He had not, which had been proven by his chosen method to overcome her defiance.
Babs thought she had come off from the encounter fairly well, and certainly the earl would think twice before he again trespassed the bounds of their agreement. She bit her lip, worrying at it with her neat white teeth. At least, she hoped that he would do so. She knew so little about gentlemen in general. She had already discovered some differences between her father and the Earl of Chatworth. It would be wonderful indeed if the earl could be relied upon and trusted.
However, she would not hold her breath, she thought with the faintest of smiles. Lord Chatworth was undeniably attractive. If she was completely truthful with herself, she had slapped him as much for his arrogance as her own stupid vulnerability to his experienced charm. And as much as she would prefer to forget it, his lordship was indeed very practiced.
Babs knew very well that the earl kept a mistress. She had seen the missive that first evening, and she had since caught part of the maids’ conversation while they were cleaning the upper drawing room. It had been quite clear that Lord Chatworth enjoyed the ministrations of a “high flyer,” as one of the maids had put it, and had in the past often entertained ladies in his own home.
Babs’ eyes narrowed at the last thought. She might trespass the sweeping terms of their agreement as well. She had no right to interfere with the earl’s amorous adventures outside the house, but she was damned if she would welcome his lightskirts into her home. The vigor of her feelings astonished her. She had not realized before how strongly she felt about the validity of her position as the Countess of Chatworth.
----
Chapter 11
The household fell quite naturally into a pattern. Each evening the earl dined with his new bride before
His gaze lifted to her eyes, where he expected to find uncertainty and dawning passion. Instead, he was startled by the blaze of sheer anger in those green depths. He was not given time to digest the meaning of it, however, for suddenly his head was rocked to one side by a stinging blow.
Lord Chatworth stared at her in stupefaction. One side of his face burned with the imprint of her palm. In the seconds before he had recovered, she had already flown to the door of the study.
She regarded him with complete contempt. “I am not frightened of you. I believe that I have sufficiently proven it, do you not think so, Marcus?” With that she twisted the knob and sailed out of the study.
She sped upstairs to her rooms. When she got to her bedroom, she pulled the bell for her maid and, upon the woman’s entrance, asked her help in putting on her walking dress. Within a few short minutes, Babs returned downstairs and walked out the front door in the company of her maid. She had asked that a carriage be brought up to wait on her pleasure, and now she directed the driver to the shops in Mayfair.
She settled back and with a quelling stare at her maid gave the woman notice that she was not in the mood for idle conversation. She badly needed time to think, but she had not felt safe to do so in her bedroom. Foremost in her mind while she had changed had been the uncertainty of whether the earl would follow her. But she had escaped the house without that confrontation and she could breathe easier for a time.
She had lied when she had told the earl that he did not frighten her. But the major portion of her fright was not rooted in his attempt to disconcert and seduce her, which was what had saved her from making a complete fool of herself. She had recognized that he meant to press the issue, and she had gambled that he would not guess the real reason behind her uneasiness whenever she was with him. He had not, which had been proven by his chosen method to overcome her defiance.
Babs thought she had come off from the encounter fairly well, and certainly the earl would think twice before he again trespassed the bounds of their agreement. She bit her lip, worrying at it with her neat white teeth. At least, she hoped that he would do so. She knew so little about gentlemen in general. She had already discovered some differences between her father and the Earl of Chatworth. It would be wonderful indeed if the earl could be relied upon and trusted.
However, she would not hold her breath, she thought with the faintest of smiles. Lord Chatworth was undeniably attractive. If she was completely truthful with herself, she had slapped him as much for his arrogance as her own stupid vulnerability to his experienced charm. And as much as she would prefer to forget it, his lordship was indeed very practiced.
Babs knew very well that the earl kept a mistress. She had seen the missive that first evening, and she had since caught part of the maids’ conversation while they were cleaning the upper drawing room. It had been quite clear that Lord Chatworth enjoyed the ministrations of a “high flyer,” as one of the maids had put it, and had in the past often entertained ladies in his own home.
Babs’ eyes narrowed at the last thought. She might trespass the sweeping terms of their agreement as well. She had no right to interfere with the earl’s amorous adventures outside the house, but she was damned if she would welcome his lightskirts into her home. The vigor of her feelings astonished her. She had not realized before how strongly she felt about the validity of her position as the Countess of Chatworth.
----
Chapter 11
The household fell quite naturally into a pattern. Each evening the earl dined with his new bride before
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