done it. Averting her gaze, Izzy searched for a way out. The ugly, over-decorated parlor simply looked back at her, giving no clues for escape. Warm fingers grasped her chin, and she was forced to look into the hooded eyes of a suddenly dangerous man.
"What fish thing?"
There was no help for it. "Ah, that night, you see, when everyone found you in my bed, and they assumed you had… Anyway,
he
burst in and sort of, well, gaped, you understand, like a fish. Open, shut. Open, shut. Open…" She faded, sure that the heavy hand of the nobility was about to fell her. She watched Blackworth the way a rabbit watches a hawk, with doomed fascination.
His grip on her chin tightened, and his lips compressed to a narrow, whitened line. The tendons in his neck flexed and he began to tremble in… rage?
A great shout of laughter dispelled her fears. He not only laughed, he roared. Dizzy with relief, Izzy decided she liked this man, liked him very much. Perhaps a bit too much.
Her eyes ran over him with hunger she did not want to admit to herself. What a man this was. Tall, yes definitely, with broad shoulders, a wealth of unruly dark hair, and a sensual twist to his lips that made her fight back a responsive shiver.
"A fish?" Blackworth sputtered out. "Oh, God. Wonderful. Fits like a glove." He smiled at her. "That sounds just like something my brother would once have said."
A brother? The mind boggled, that there might be two such beautiful men upon the earth. But no, he had spoken of his brother in the past tense. He was no longer of this world, it appeared.
Izzy stopped smiling. How sad. She knew about such pain, the hollow feeling of loss. She felt it every day. Impulsively, she put her hand over his.
"I am sorry. You must miss him."
Blackworth's smile faded and he gave her a long look. "Yes, I still do. Always will, I suppose. He was my best friend."
"What happened to him? Or do you not care to speak of it?"
"There is little to tell. He died while hunting at Dearingham. No one really knows quite how it happened." His expression was closed and cool once more.
His voice was dispassionate, yet Izzy could see the pain in his eyes. She tightened her hand on his. "Do you have any others? Siblings, I mean."
"No, just Manny and I. An heir and a spare." His lips took a cynical twist.
"Your father did not truly call him that, did he? A spare. How cruel."
"No, of course not.
I
," he said with that same dry smile, "was the spare. I recall that he did say it, often."
Izzy was furious. "Lord Blackworth, I do not like your father. Not at all."
He shook his head in amazement.
"Miss Temple, when we are wed, you mustn't antagonize him. My father never forgets an insult. He could make things very difficult for you."
"Oh, dear. We are back to that, again, aren't we? I am sorry, Lord Blackworth. You seem like a very nice gentleman. But I have no wish to marry."
I am free?
Yet, after the first wash of relief, Eppie realized he could not afford to let her reject his proposal. His future, and hers, depended on this marriage.
"Miss Temple, you know we must marry." He used his deciding argument. "The restoration of your reputation requires it."
"Oh, but I do not wish my reputation restored, my lord." She patted his hand and dropped it back in his lap. "But thank you for your very kind offer."
She rose and gave him a polite smile.
"Now, I expect you must be going. I shall see you out. You have been delightful to spend time with. I do hope you will call again, someday."
Eppie grabbed her hand once more and pulled her back down next to him on the settee.
Too surprised to resist, she sat. "You are a most physical person, aren't you, my lord?" she said, laughing breathlessly.
"I apologize, Miss Temple. I do not usually manhandle women."
She cocked an eyebrow at him, as if reminding him of their first unorthodox meeting. He flushed.
"My dear Lord Blackworth, there is no need for this. Being a fallen woman quite agrees with me. I had no
"What fish thing?"
There was no help for it. "Ah, that night, you see, when everyone found you in my bed, and they assumed you had… Anyway,
he
burst in and sort of, well, gaped, you understand, like a fish. Open, shut. Open, shut. Open…" She faded, sure that the heavy hand of the nobility was about to fell her. She watched Blackworth the way a rabbit watches a hawk, with doomed fascination.
His grip on her chin tightened, and his lips compressed to a narrow, whitened line. The tendons in his neck flexed and he began to tremble in… rage?
A great shout of laughter dispelled her fears. He not only laughed, he roared. Dizzy with relief, Izzy decided she liked this man, liked him very much. Perhaps a bit too much.
Her eyes ran over him with hunger she did not want to admit to herself. What a man this was. Tall, yes definitely, with broad shoulders, a wealth of unruly dark hair, and a sensual twist to his lips that made her fight back a responsive shiver.
"A fish?" Blackworth sputtered out. "Oh, God. Wonderful. Fits like a glove." He smiled at her. "That sounds just like something my brother would once have said."
A brother? The mind boggled, that there might be two such beautiful men upon the earth. But no, he had spoken of his brother in the past tense. He was no longer of this world, it appeared.
Izzy stopped smiling. How sad. She knew about such pain, the hollow feeling of loss. She felt it every day. Impulsively, she put her hand over his.
"I am sorry. You must miss him."
Blackworth's smile faded and he gave her a long look. "Yes, I still do. Always will, I suppose. He was my best friend."
"What happened to him? Or do you not care to speak of it?"
"There is little to tell. He died while hunting at Dearingham. No one really knows quite how it happened." His expression was closed and cool once more.
His voice was dispassionate, yet Izzy could see the pain in his eyes. She tightened her hand on his. "Do you have any others? Siblings, I mean."
"No, just Manny and I. An heir and a spare." His lips took a cynical twist.
"Your father did not truly call him that, did he? A spare. How cruel."
"No, of course not.
I
," he said with that same dry smile, "was the spare. I recall that he did say it, often."
Izzy was furious. "Lord Blackworth, I do not like your father. Not at all."
He shook his head in amazement.
"Miss Temple, when we are wed, you mustn't antagonize him. My father never forgets an insult. He could make things very difficult for you."
"Oh, dear. We are back to that, again, aren't we? I am sorry, Lord Blackworth. You seem like a very nice gentleman. But I have no wish to marry."
I am free?
Yet, after the first wash of relief, Eppie realized he could not afford to let her reject his proposal. His future, and hers, depended on this marriage.
"Miss Temple, you know we must marry." He used his deciding argument. "The restoration of your reputation requires it."
"Oh, but I do not wish my reputation restored, my lord." She patted his hand and dropped it back in his lap. "But thank you for your very kind offer."
She rose and gave him a polite smile.
"Now, I expect you must be going. I shall see you out. You have been delightful to spend time with. I do hope you will call again, someday."
Eppie grabbed her hand once more and pulled her back down next to him on the settee.
Too surprised to resist, she sat. "You are a most physical person, aren't you, my lord?" she said, laughing breathlessly.
"I apologize, Miss Temple. I do not usually manhandle women."
She cocked an eyebrow at him, as if reminding him of their first unorthodox meeting. He flushed.
"My dear Lord Blackworth, there is no need for this. Being a fallen woman quite agrees with me. I had no
Similar Books
Red Rose
Mary Balogh
Crying for Help
Casey Watson
Indulge
Megan Duncan
Prince of Legend
Jack Ludlow
Lucky Break
Liliana Rhodes
PrimevalPassion
Cyna Kade
A red tainted Silence
Carolyn Gray
Nighttime at Willow Bay
Kasey Moone
Fencing You In
Cheyenne McCray