wonder how many othermen she’d played this particular game with. Did she lead them right to the altar before she admitted she was testing her wiles—or just to her bed? But it did finally occur to him that he was encouraging her merely by arguing with her.
He let go of her wrists, tossed them down actually, to say stiffly, and he hoped for the last time, “Give it up. You’re reaching for something that isn’t there. There is only one thing I want from women these days, and it doesn’t take very long to get it and be done with it.”
“You don’t have to be crude,” she said in a hurt little voice.
“Apparently I do. Keep your distance, Amy Malory. Don’t make me warn you again.”
Chapter 12
Amy’s optimism dropped considerably after Warren’s departure. And to think she’d believed she’d made some progress. She’d seen it, felt it, that she was getting to him. But all she’d done was make a fool of herself.
She shouldn’t have rushed it. She could see that now. She should have been more subtle, merely pricked his interest rather than give him a broadside of honesty. But there was the damn time element involved.
One of the brothers, Boyd, she thought, had mentioned that they were going to be in London only for a week, two at the most. Drat it, how was she supposed to accomplish the impossible in so little time without directness? But she’dhave to come up with another way, because directness only managed to infuriate Warren, and she’d never get anywhere with him if she couldn’t get past his anger.
It was the mention of marriage that got his defenses up and kept them up. That had been a really stupid thing to do when she knew how thoroughly committed to bachelorhood he was—and why. Damn that American woman who had played him so false and was going to make Amy’s goal so hard to reach. But that was water under the bridge; in fact, if that woman hadn’t played him false, he’d be married to her now, and Amy wouldn’t be having this problem. Still, it was the mention of marriage that had ruined things today, possibly irreparably. And the damage was done. He knew what she was ultimately after. All she could do now was not mention it again, and hope he’d think she’d changed her mind. He might relax then and nature could take its natural course—if she had six months to work on it instead of a mere two weeks.
Her optimism was definitely suffering. Nor did it pick up any when Warren returned early that evening with his brothers. Drew flirted with her a bit, but Drew probably flirted with every woman he met. Warren, on the other hand, made a point of ignoring her, didn’t greet her, didn’t so much as say two words to her.
Jeremy was on hand this time to lend his father support against the “enemy,” but it wasn’t necessary. The Anderson brothers didn’t stay long enough to provoke any tempers.
Amy could guess why they were eager to be off, though she wished she were a little more ignorant in this case. But with married sisters, a married cousin, and young married aunts, all of whom discussed men quite candidly, their own and those in general, she knew more about them than she ought to at her age. In the Andersons’ case, it was their second evening in London after a long sea voyage. They had visited their sister. They had attended to business. They were none of them married. Virile men that they were, of course they’d go looking for some female company now.
That sure knowledge was devastating—and infuriating. Amy already thought of Warren as hers, even if it wasn’t exactly true yet. So she didn’t think she could bear it, knowing that he was sleeping in some other woman’s arms at night while she was courting him by day.
She’d told him it was inevitable that they’d end up together, but she wasn’t that positive about it, not after today. She was going to have to do something, something drastic, perhaps, that would send him to bed alone tonight and thinking only of
He let go of her wrists, tossed them down actually, to say stiffly, and he hoped for the last time, “Give it up. You’re reaching for something that isn’t there. There is only one thing I want from women these days, and it doesn’t take very long to get it and be done with it.”
“You don’t have to be crude,” she said in a hurt little voice.
“Apparently I do. Keep your distance, Amy Malory. Don’t make me warn you again.”
Chapter 12
Amy’s optimism dropped considerably after Warren’s departure. And to think she’d believed she’d made some progress. She’d seen it, felt it, that she was getting to him. But all she’d done was make a fool of herself.
She shouldn’t have rushed it. She could see that now. She should have been more subtle, merely pricked his interest rather than give him a broadside of honesty. But there was the damn time element involved.
One of the brothers, Boyd, she thought, had mentioned that they were going to be in London only for a week, two at the most. Drat it, how was she supposed to accomplish the impossible in so little time without directness? But she’dhave to come up with another way, because directness only managed to infuriate Warren, and she’d never get anywhere with him if she couldn’t get past his anger.
It was the mention of marriage that got his defenses up and kept them up. That had been a really stupid thing to do when she knew how thoroughly committed to bachelorhood he was—and why. Damn that American woman who had played him so false and was going to make Amy’s goal so hard to reach. But that was water under the bridge; in fact, if that woman hadn’t played him false, he’d be married to her now, and Amy wouldn’t be having this problem. Still, it was the mention of marriage that had ruined things today, possibly irreparably. And the damage was done. He knew what she was ultimately after. All she could do now was not mention it again, and hope he’d think she’d changed her mind. He might relax then and nature could take its natural course—if she had six months to work on it instead of a mere two weeks.
Her optimism was definitely suffering. Nor did it pick up any when Warren returned early that evening with his brothers. Drew flirted with her a bit, but Drew probably flirted with every woman he met. Warren, on the other hand, made a point of ignoring her, didn’t greet her, didn’t so much as say two words to her.
Jeremy was on hand this time to lend his father support against the “enemy,” but it wasn’t necessary. The Anderson brothers didn’t stay long enough to provoke any tempers.
Amy could guess why they were eager to be off, though she wished she were a little more ignorant in this case. But with married sisters, a married cousin, and young married aunts, all of whom discussed men quite candidly, their own and those in general, she knew more about them than she ought to at her age. In the Andersons’ case, it was their second evening in London after a long sea voyage. They had visited their sister. They had attended to business. They were none of them married. Virile men that they were, of course they’d go looking for some female company now.
That sure knowledge was devastating—and infuriating. Amy already thought of Warren as hers, even if it wasn’t exactly true yet. So she didn’t think she could bear it, knowing that he was sleeping in some other woman’s arms at night while she was courting him by day.
She’d told him it was inevitable that they’d end up together, but she wasn’t that positive about it, not after today. She was going to have to do something, something drastic, perhaps, that would send him to bed alone tonight and thinking only of
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