The Viscount Always Knocks Twice (Heart of Enquiry Book 4)

The Viscount Always Knocks Twice (Heart of Enquiry Book 4) Read Free Page A

Book: The Viscount Always Knocks Twice (Heart of Enquiry Book 4) Read Free
Author: Grace Callaway
Tags: regency historical romance
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so quickly that she tottered before catching her balance.
    “Gladly.” His derisive tone wiped any gratitude for the rescue from her mind. He snatched the glass she’d forgotten she was holding and strode to the side table, taking undue time setting it down. When he returned, he said with a scowl, “I wish to speak to you.”
    “About what?” Why do I sound so breathless?
    “About the fact that you are monopolizing Wickham’s time.”
    It took a moment for the words to sink in. When they did, she glared at him and said, “I’m doing no such thing.”
    “I saw you dancing with him. Flirting with him.” Carlisle’s lips flattened into a hard line. “Leave him be, Miss Kent, for he has bigger fish to fry.”
    He thought she was flirting … and with Wick ?
    She said incredulously, “He’s like a brother to me.”
    “Well, he is my brother, and I’m telling you to leave him alone. He needs his focus.”
    “You mean he has to clean up the mess you made,” she retorted without thinking.
    “I beg your pardon?”
    His blistering tone would have incinerated a lesser miss on the spot. For some reason, it just angered her more. “You’re not being fair to Wick.” She crossed her arms. “He has the right to make his own decisions.”
    Hostility smoldered in Carlisle’s eyes. They were the color of scorched earth: black with glints of bronze ore. His hands fisted at his sides, muscles bunching beneath the sleek skin of his jacket as if he were struggling to hold onto his self-control.
    “My family is my business,” he stated with grim finality. “Stay away from my brother.”
    “Wick is my friend, and I’ll spend time with him if I wish. What do you have against me, anyway?” Her resentment broke free. “Why did you spread such vile rumors about me?”
    The crest of his broad cheekbones reddened, but he said emotionlessly, “I spread no rumors, Miss Kent. Some old hens eavesdropped on a private conversation.”
    “You called me a hoyden. Said I’m barely respectable .”
    “That is not what I said.”
    “So you did say something.” She pounced on the admission. “At least be man enough to repeat it to my face.”
    A muscle ticked along his jaw. “You’re a female. You can’t handle the truth.”
    She didn’t know what irked her more, his misogynistic assumption or his dismissive tone. Steam gathered in her head, threatening to pop it off altogether. “Dash it all, I can .”
    “Fine. What I said was that my brother requires a wife who can keep him in line, and you’re not suited for the job. I said that you can’t spell propriety let alone put it into practice,” he said succinctly.
    For an instant, she was speechless.
    “You uppity blighter .” She could barely think over the roar in her ears. “You don’t know me! You have no right to sit in judgment.”
    “I call it as I see it, Miss Kent. Once I form an opinion, I rarely have cause to alter it.”
    His calm superiority enraged her past the point of rationality. “Well, you’re wrong . I can spell propriety, you condescending bastard! P-R-O-P-R-E-I-T-Y. ”
    For pulsing moments, she glared at him: she’d be damned if she was the one to look away first. But the oddest thing happened. Lines suddenly fanned from the corners of Carlisle’s eyes. Flecks of copper glinted in the dark depths. The stern line of his mouth quirked.
    He was… laughing at her? Why on earth…?
    She reviewed what she’d said—and her face flamed. Butter and jam, Papa had always said that her terrible spelling would prove her downfall. The realization of her stupidity was followed by a swift and forceful undertow of humiliation. All at once, her armor of indifference crumpled, and she felt the blow of each and every insult she’d ever been subjected to.
    Hurly-burly… hoyden… never land a husband… The smirking glances of the other debutantes, her family’s worried expressions…
    A muffled sound escaped Carlisle. The past faded, everything narrowing

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