He soundedsoconfident. As ifhisdecision had settledherfuture.
“But…” Her voice trailed.But what?
Outright refusing the “honor bestowed” by so popular a member of thetonfelt…unwise. Especially while his knife remained unsheathed somewhere in the vicinity of her thigh. And should he break out in angry, insulted protest, anyone still inside the theater would hear.
She would be ruined.
“You welcomed my advances. Any lady of character,” he paused, “such as yourself, would not have done so had she not beencertainof myhonorableintentions.”
Her stomach dropped.
“My expectations were certainly clear to the marquess earlier this evening.”
“Adrian? You askedAdrianfor my hand?”
“Unseemly,” he interrupted, curt and hard. The whites around his eyes widened and his nostrils flared. “In the future, I forbid you from calling the marquess by his Christian name.”
Willardforbid?
“Impertinence,” he muttered.
Impertinence?Millie calling her brother-in-law by his Christian name, the name he preferred those closest to him to use, was certainlynotimpertinent. The flame in her stomach burst into fiery blaze. Rage, explosive and hot, funneled blood back into her now-tingling limbs.
Ugh.Whatwasthat horrible animal scent Willard wore?
“Adrian,” she repeated forcefully, “cannotgivehis permission for me to wed. Only my legal guardian can accept anofferfor my hand. And, likeAdrian,hewould never do so withoutmyconsent. Not Asquith.”
“Never”—Willard’s face went ugly—“mention thatsimpleton’sname in my presence. In fact, you will never mention him again at all.”
His snarl set every warning bell ringing. He had lied about Asquith, too!
What she suspected had been fear instantly became fury. What had come over her before?
Finally—thank heavens—she found her mind able again to think and plan.
She had to get away. She had to distract him, or better yet, disarm him, too. And to do so, she had to be sly.
She fluttered her lids downward as she if she’d just perceived the truth behind his chastisement and was now mortified by her own behavior. But all the while, she searched for the door handle behind her.
Then, as silently as she could, she compressed the latch as she spoke.
“I—I am sorry, my lord,” she said in a meek voice she hardly recognized as her own. It had been a long time, but she’d had years of practice playing such games with her father. She’d not forgotten how to placate a belligerent man. “I—I don’t know what just came over me. You are right, of course.”
She forced her body to slacken.
“Howam I right?” He sounded suspicious.
“Your decisionisthegreatestof honors.” She looked deeply, penitently, into his eyes. “I—I found myself overwhelmed. I had no notion—” She stopped herself, remembering what he’d said about ladies that allow liberties. “I had hoped to be your—” She could not bring herself to say wife. “Yours.” She widened her eyes. “Of course, I had.”
“I suppose you need some time to…adjust.” His eyes narrowed. “Do you now understand my expectations?”
“You’ve made yourself clear.” She bit her lip and wrinkled her brow. “I don’t know what came over me to speak to you in such a disrespectful manner. You, who have been nothing but charming and kind to me.”
“You promise complete obedience?”
To herself?“Oh, yes!”
“That’s better.” He eased away. “I forgive you.” He paused. “This time. Now, you will prove your intentions and seal your solemn vow. You may kiss your betrothed.”