Still, he had found Lady Alyssa uncommonly interesting, unusual as it was for him to be drawn to a female he wasn’t trying to persuade into his bed. Which, unfortunately, was not possible in this case, despite the promise of passion in that lush body and those mesmerising eyes.
Ah, what delights he could teach her!
Too bad those delights came with wedding lines attached. While acknowledging that, he could still look forward to conversing with a lady whose personality was as intriguing as her physical charms.
What, besides the physical, was it that had so impressed him? he asked himself again.
The independence and sense of purpose that led her to tramp the countryside unescorted to pursue her sketching was part of it. And the fact that, unlike most unmarried females, she seemed driven by something other than a pressing need to find a husband. Or at least, to capture the attention of any gentleman she encountered.
Now that he considered it, he realised she’d made no attempt to attract him at all. A novel experience for a man who normally had all manner of lures cast his way. If he’d not been so distracted by her sketching and pressed to inform her about her threatening situation, he might have felt downright insulted by her apparent lack of interest.
Also exceptional was her ability to discuss in a calm, rational manner a disturbing situation that would have reduced most females to tears. Since when had he met a female who employed logic in evaluating a situation? Or who, in distressing circumstances, retained enough presence of mind to admit her conclusions might be in error?
In short, she acted with a deliberate, almost...masculine sense of intelligence and self-control. Though, he thought, recalling her lush form, there was nothing at all mannish about her.
Unique and impressive indeed!
He’d like to ask her what she intended to do with those excellent sketches. Ladies did not produce items for sale, but he could try persuading her into gifting him one. He’d give it pride of place on his library wall—a memento of a most unusual lady.
Then he spied her hurrying across the meadow—and felt again that rise of anticipation.
Spotting him, she made her way over, sketchbook and pastel box in hand. There was not, he noted with a frown, any maid trailing in her wake.
‘Sorry to be late, Mr Tawny,’ she said as she reached the shelter of the trees. ‘I almost couldn’t get away.’
He gave her a severe look. ‘Where is Molly?’
‘Just gone down for breakfast. I couldn’t be cruel enough to drag her away from that, especially since, as you’ve discovered, she hates accompanying me to sketch. Besides, I was coming to meet you, so I knew I’d be in no danger.’
‘You might meet someone else coming or going. I trust you now believe there might be danger in that?’
Her expression turned exasperated. ‘It was just as you predicted. Not only did Quinlen and Rossiter continue their attentions, Lord Denbry made straight for me when he arrived, despite the fact that there were several more beautiful ladies in the room. Just in case any of the three had suddenly developed some malady affecting their vision, I conducted myself through charades and the evening activities as the most shy, backward ingénue on the face of the planet! In spite of that, their attentions continued unabated.’ She paused, chuckling. ‘They must have been praying for the evening to end. I know I was; trying to act like a bashful ninny is far more exhausting than I anticipated.’
‘Did none of the other guests notice the marked change in your behaviour?’
‘Since I generally participate as little as possible in these gatherings, they don’t know how I normally behave. Though initially, my mother was alarmed! But after I assured her I was only trying to follow her advice, deferring to the gentlemen, she couldn’t really protest the behaviour,’ she ended with another chuckle.
How those gold-flecked eyes mesmerised when she was amused, Ben thought, once again fighting the urge to take her in his arms. ‘A case of being careful what you wish for.’
‘Perhaps.’ Her amusement fading, she said, ‘In particular, I watched Denbry, for the others deferred to him. I even told him at the outset that I had not received a good account of his character from my brother.’
Surprised that she would almost...bait the man, Ben said, ‘To which he replied?’
‘He protested that, as he and my brother had always been rivals, Harleton was unlikely to give him the best report. Then added a great deal of claptrap about how he’d outgrown his misspent youth and now was ready to settle down—with the right lady, of course. That bit of rubbish accompanied by ardent looks and much flattery.’ She twisted her lip in disgust. ‘A great rake, suddenly reforming his womanising ways? Are there truly any females who would believe such nonsense?’
‘That the love of one special lady might convince a man to change his character? It is a romantic notion, you must allow. It would depend, I think, on how persuasive the gentleman was.’
‘And how naïve and sheltered—or desperate, the female?’ she said, her bitter tone making him wonder about her own experiences. Had some rake led her on, then betrayed her, when she was young and naïve?
‘So you do believe now that they are trying to entice you.’
A flush heated her face. ‘Humiliating as it is to acknowledge, I’m forced to admit it must be true.’
Angered again on her behalf, he said, ‘Fortunately, they have no idea they are dealing with a lady far different than the slighting description they received. Now that you know what they are about, you can simply ignore them.’
Her expression hardened, something—indignation?—sparking in her eyes. ‘Yes, they are dealing with a female far different than what they expected—not that my performance last night gave any indication of it. But I don’t intend to ignore them; I intend to continue giving Denbry all the encouragement he needs to believe his scheme will succeed.’
‘You’re going to encourage him?’ Ben asked, frowning. ‘Why in the world would you do that?’
‘What if I had been the sort of anxious, desperate-to-marry female they envisioned? Why should Lord Denbry be able to target the virtue of some innocent maid, callously ruin her life—and walk away, completely untouched? Knowing what he intended, I can’t just...let him go and do nothing!’
Beguiling as it was to fantasise about a warrior princess, it was disturbing in the extreme to consider she might actually act like one. Alarmed, Ben said, ‘I strongly advise you to do just that! Were he to discover that you’d been playing him for a fool, he’d be furious. You know what sort of man he is! Regrettable it might be, and certainly unfair, but gentlemen hold most of the cards in this game; there are any number of retaliatory actions he could take to besmirch your character. All he need do upon his return to London is put it about—very discreetly, of course—that you’d allowed him to take liberties with your person as you walked alone in the garden and your reputation would be in shreds. It wouldn’t be as dramatic as the ruination he planned—but it would limit your ability to secure a suitable marriage almost as effectively.’
‘Perhaps—but don’t I invite that sort of retaliation, regardless of what I do next?’ she argued back. ‘If I were suddenly to shun him, he would be forced to admit he’d miscalculated my character—or his own attractiveness to females. Either result would show him up in front of his friends, who have all witnessed the marked attention he paid me. Wouldn’t that outcome be just as likely to spur him to some retaliation?’
Swallowing the oath that observation prompted, Ben paused, irritated that he’d hadn’t foreseen that possibility himself. She truly was