She was not watching him, so she could not tell whether the abrupt movement he made away from her chair was surprise, or simply embarrassment at her words.
‘Thank you. But I do not look for thanks for acting in a way that any gentleman would consider appropriate under the circumstances.’ His voice sounded as stilted as the words. Tallie began to pinch the letter into tiny, perfect pleats.
‘I doubt that many gentlemen would have the initiative to put in place such a careful screen of watchers and informants, nor would many men have the courage to go out onto that ledge as you did.’ She was managing, somehow, to keep her voice as calm and level as his.
‘I did what seemed necessary at the time, including the breaking and entering. Which reminds me, I really must send a note to that householder to warn him that his attic is now unsecured.’
Despite everything, a little snort of amusement escaped Tallie and she looked up. ‘I hope you do not mean to sign it?’
He smiled in return. ‘No, I think that would be taking honesty a little too far. I will include some money for repairs, but I do not intend to add my seal.’
Nick came and sat opposite her, crossed his legs, steepled his fingers and regarded her over the top of them. ‘My agent has collected your clothes from Mr Harland and has ensured that the canvases have been removed and stored securely. Hemsley will not be able to find any evidence to connect you with that studio now, however hard he tries.’
‘Well, that is a relief,’ Tallie said briskly, setting her hands on the arms of the chair and beginning to rise. ‘Thank you for setting my mind at rest. How very efficient your agent is.’
‘Please, do not go. Surely you did not think that was all I wished to speak of?’
His eyes were steady on her face and Tallie schooled her expression carefully to one of mild puzzlement. ‘Why, yes. Was it not?’
‘No. Tallie, you realise that after last night you have been completely compromised?’
‘But no one saw me,’ she protested. ‘Except Mr Harland, who does not count, and your coachman, who I am sure will be totally discreet.’
‘I am referring, not to our rooftop escapades, which by some miracle we did scrape through unseen, but to the fact that you spent last night in my bed. With me.’
‘You put me there,’ Tallie pointed out. ‘And nothing happened.’
That maddening eyebrow lifted as he lowered his hands. Tallie saw his mouth was twisted into a wry smile and found herself hopelessly distracted by the subtle changes of expression those flexible, sensual lips could evoke.
‘Your definition of “nothing” is an interesting one,’ Nick observed evenly. ‘For myself, I retain a very vivid recollection of how your body felt in my arms and how it felt to kiss you.’
Tallie flushed, but held his gaze. If he could recall how her body felt, she was certain she was branded scarlet at every point his naked frame had touched hers. ‘You have kissed me before. Jack Hemsley kissed me, come to that. No one suggested I had been compromised as the result.’
‘There is all the difference in the world between a few kisses and being in a man’s bed. Face it, Tallie, you are ruined.’
What was it she had said to him, days … weeks ago? That this struggle of wills between them felt like a war? What was happening now felt like a duel.
She took a moment to calm her breathing, then asked politely, ‘In what sense ruined? For what am I now unfit? I am physically exactly the same. I have perhaps acquired a little more knowledge of certain matters that I did not have before, but those can stay shut up in my mind. So, please define ruined, Cousin Nicholas.’
Suddenly his control snapped. Nick brought both hands down hard on the arms of his chair and was on his feet in a fluid movement, which gave her a glimpse of what a lethal swordsman he would be.
‘Damn it, Tallie. For marriage, of course.’
It took an effort of will not to press back into the illusory safety of the high-backed chair. Mentally Tallie rallied, raised her guard and riposted, ‘Why? No one else knows. I am still a virgin. And in any case, I have never had any intention of marrying, so the entire matter is academic.’ She saw him begin to open his mouth and added tartly, ‘And kindly do not swear again.’
‘Swear?’ Nick’s eyes narrowed dangerously. ‘Of course not. I apologise. What I will do next, if you persist in this ridiculous pretence that nothing of any consequence occurred last night, is to put you over my knee and—’
‘Inflict violence upon me?’ Tallie enquired sweetly. Her mind and consciousness seemed to be existing on two levels. On top there was a dangerous enjoyment in sparring with Nick, provoking him, seeing how she could strike sparks from his temper. Underneath something was shrivelling, dying. The man she loved was telling her that his actions had made her unfit for marriage to anyone else. It could only be a matter of moments before he explained that—as any gentleman must—he would therefore marry her himself.
Nick stood glaring at her. ‘No, of course I would not hurt you. It is just that you are so—’
‘Irritating? I must be, to make you lose your prized self-possession, your froideur.‘
He stilled, his eyes narrowed, regarding her. ‘Is that what you think I prize? Self-control? Coldness?’
‘Is it not? I heard it in your voice before I even saw you. Calm, controlled, slightly aloof, just a very little amused at the caperings and emotionalism of us lesser mortals. You need to know everything, be in command. No surprises for Lord Arndale. No messy emotion or ill-bred displays of temper.’ Now even the fencing was no longer amusing. All she wanted was to hold him off, perhaps hurt him a little, just a very little to counterbalance the pain inside her.
It seemed she had succeeded. The grey eyes were like black flint, the sensual, mobile mouth a hard line. Tallie expected a stinging rebuttal. What she got were hands on her shoulders pulling her hard into a crushing, furious embrace. She struggled, stamped one slippered foot futilely onto leather boots, lifted a hand to strike out and found both captured and pinioned neatly between their two bodies, ducked her face away from the angry purpose in his and found that with his free hand he had grasped her chin and was forcing it up.
‘Now this, Miss Grey, is a display of messy emotion and ill-bred temper,’ he ground out before bringing his mouth down hard on hers.
Tallie struggled furiously, her lips a tight line against the onslaught of his anger and her own desperate desire to yield to him, open to him, let him do what he would with her. She closed her eyes, felt the heat beginning to flood through her, felt her legs begin to tremble and suddenly she was no longer struggling.
She had no idea whether he had sensed her capitulation or had merely decided the demonstration of mastery was sufficient. Tallie found herself released as rapidly as he had seized her and sat down. By some miracle the chair was behind her. Furious with herself for her weakness and with him for exploiting it, she dashed the angry tears from her eyes and glared back at him.
Furious grey eyes glared back. ‘Now, Miss Grey, as we have both comprehensively insulted and offended the other, might I suggest we return to discussing what we came in here to resolve?’
‘What you, my lord, came in here to resolve. As I thought I had made clear, there is absolutely nothing I wish to speak about, other than to reiterate my gratitude for your actions yesterday. They were, if nothing else since has been, the actions of a gentleman. No, that is unfair.’ She held up a hand to silence him and continued in a manner of frigid politeness, which she could see was inciting him to even greater depths of anger. ‘I must also be grateful for the manner