Especially not with some chit twelve years my junior.”
Abruptly she dropped the weapon and sat on the chairhe’d vacated earlier. “Then I surrender,” she said, turning her gaze to the fire.
Perhaps he’d gone mad, hadn’t realized it, and was now ensconced in Bedlam, talking to himself. “Beg pardon?”
“I know you like me, because you kissed me. Twice. But then you simply left our—my—presence without a word. So I thought I would try arguing with you, since that seems to pull you out of that haughtiness of yours. You walked away again. My next option was to provoke a fight. Not even that did more than cause you a moment of annoyance. So I surrender.”
He clenched his jaw so his mouth wouldn’t drop open. “You mean to say that this—all of this—was some sort of seduction?”
“My father’s read all about you and your family, and he’s quite an admirer of yours. A union between us was his dream, I suppose. He even asked me to pretend to be three years younger than I am, because he said that gentlemen who remarry prefer young wives. But then after you kissed me that second time, you’ve done nothing but avoid me.”
Sebastian blinked several times as he tried to absorb what she was saying. He prided himself on knowing things, frequently before anyone else did. His siblings even credited him with the ability to read minds. On rare occasions he found himself surprised. Since he’d made Princess Josefina’s acquaintance he’d been in that state almost constantly, but never more so than at that moment. “You’re five-and-twenty, then,” he began, considering mathematics the easiest bit to grasp.
Josefina sighed. “Yes, I am. I’m sorry I lied to you.” She stood again, retrieving the rapier and replacing it on its wall bracket. “I’d best go; Harek’s probably looking for me.” She stepped back into her shoes.
“Will your father set you after Harek now?” he asked,taking a step after her. When she entered a room, the lights brightened. Letting them dim again seemed criminal.
“Of course he will. He wants me to marry, and as a princess, even a new one who can’t remember her station, I can’t wed less than a duke.”
He wasn’t used to being considered on the bare cusp of acceptability, but for the moment he put that aside. It simply wasn’t the point, and he needed to concentrate. “Do you like him?”
She reached the door and looked back over her shoulder at him. “I like you . Good evening, Your Grace.”
Bloody hell . “Why don’t you and Harek join me in my theater box tomorrow night?” he suggested. “Harek doesn’t have a box, and mine is the best in the house.”
Josefina faced him. “Why?”
Because I like you, as well . “Because an appearance of cooperation between your former and present liaisons will be more helpful than the appearance of a rift.”
She studied his face for a moment, then nodded. “I shall inform him.”
“Very good.” He took a breath. “Just to satisfy my curiosity, Your Highness, what in the world made you think that being outrageous and argumentative would attract me?”
“Because everyone speaks your name with bated breath. You don’t have enough people being argumentative or outrageous in your life,” she answered. “That is still my opinion.”
Then she left the room. He hadn’t mauled her this time, at least, but that was more because of the rapier than because of any self-control on his part. This Josefina, the less arrogant, more sincere one, seemed closer to being a princess than the previous one. And she attracted him even more. Still more troubling, when he talked with her, argued with her, kissed her, for the first time in four years he didn’t feel…lonely.
That had been close. Thank goodness she’d seen him reading that book. All her father needed was for a very influential duke to decide he didn’t like the Central American coastline and discourage all of his peers from purchasing bonds,
Abruptly she dropped the weapon and sat on the chairhe’d vacated earlier. “Then I surrender,” she said, turning her gaze to the fire.
Perhaps he’d gone mad, hadn’t realized it, and was now ensconced in Bedlam, talking to himself. “Beg pardon?”
“I know you like me, because you kissed me. Twice. But then you simply left our—my—presence without a word. So I thought I would try arguing with you, since that seems to pull you out of that haughtiness of yours. You walked away again. My next option was to provoke a fight. Not even that did more than cause you a moment of annoyance. So I surrender.”
He clenched his jaw so his mouth wouldn’t drop open. “You mean to say that this—all of this—was some sort of seduction?”
“My father’s read all about you and your family, and he’s quite an admirer of yours. A union between us was his dream, I suppose. He even asked me to pretend to be three years younger than I am, because he said that gentlemen who remarry prefer young wives. But then after you kissed me that second time, you’ve done nothing but avoid me.”
Sebastian blinked several times as he tried to absorb what she was saying. He prided himself on knowing things, frequently before anyone else did. His siblings even credited him with the ability to read minds. On rare occasions he found himself surprised. Since he’d made Princess Josefina’s acquaintance he’d been in that state almost constantly, but never more so than at that moment. “You’re five-and-twenty, then,” he began, considering mathematics the easiest bit to grasp.
Josefina sighed. “Yes, I am. I’m sorry I lied to you.” She stood again, retrieving the rapier and replacing it on its wall bracket. “I’d best go; Harek’s probably looking for me.” She stepped back into her shoes.
“Will your father set you after Harek now?” he asked,taking a step after her. When she entered a room, the lights brightened. Letting them dim again seemed criminal.
“Of course he will. He wants me to marry, and as a princess, even a new one who can’t remember her station, I can’t wed less than a duke.”
He wasn’t used to being considered on the bare cusp of acceptability, but for the moment he put that aside. It simply wasn’t the point, and he needed to concentrate. “Do you like him?”
She reached the door and looked back over her shoulder at him. “I like you . Good evening, Your Grace.”
Bloody hell . “Why don’t you and Harek join me in my theater box tomorrow night?” he suggested. “Harek doesn’t have a box, and mine is the best in the house.”
Josefina faced him. “Why?”
Because I like you, as well . “Because an appearance of cooperation between your former and present liaisons will be more helpful than the appearance of a rift.”
She studied his face for a moment, then nodded. “I shall inform him.”
“Very good.” He took a breath. “Just to satisfy my curiosity, Your Highness, what in the world made you think that being outrageous and argumentative would attract me?”
“Because everyone speaks your name with bated breath. You don’t have enough people being argumentative or outrageous in your life,” she answered. “That is still my opinion.”
Then she left the room. He hadn’t mauled her this time, at least, but that was more because of the rapier than because of any self-control on his part. This Josefina, the less arrogant, more sincere one, seemed closer to being a princess than the previous one. And she attracted him even more. Still more troubling, when he talked with her, argued with her, kissed her, for the first time in four years he didn’t feel…lonely.
That had been close. Thank goodness she’d seen him reading that book. All her father needed was for a very influential duke to decide he didn’t like the Central American coastline and discourage all of his peers from purchasing bonds,
Similar Books
