She glanced down at the book where she had made her notation. “Given the scourge on your name, a new lover is not what you need. I am sure the mistress you have is enough.”
“I have no mistress.”
Why did that knowledge loose the heavy press against her belly. Rubbish, she cried silently. “When did you end your liaison?”
“Yesterday,” he murmured with a provoking gleam in his eyes.
“Your future lady will be heartened to know of it if the rumor is ever whispered to her. It signals that you are indeed serious about courtship.”
From the amused look in his eyes, Mina suspected he had ended the affair for an entirely different reason. Knowledge bloomed through her.
“You’ve found a replacement. That is why you moved on from your current mistress!” She hurriedly said, “Forgive my careless words, my lord. It is not my place to speculate on your private business. I spoke without thinking.”
He waved a hand, relaxing against the cushions. “An apology is not necessary, Miss Fernsby. Things are not so formal between you and me. And you are correct in your speculations. I have met someone who has invaded my dreams and waking thoughts.”
The intimacy of that confession robbed her of breath, and she almost squirmed in her seat. “So, you have a new mistress. Discretion will—”
“Not as yet, and I hope for her to more become my lover than a kept woman.”
Mina eyed him warily, not liking the way her heart shook. They stared at each other for several moments; and then, with a smile about his mouth, he leaned forward and plucked up one of the newssheets she had spread over the table, then he sat.
“It seemed I also snubbed Lord Morton last week,” he said a wry twist to his mouth as he scanned his latest scandal.
Grateful for the change in topic, Mina said, “You rode past him without nodding.”
His Lordship inclined his head. “I do not know the man. He does not know me. Why in God’s name would he be offended if I did not nod to him?”
“It is assumed by those observing that you know of the gentleman; after all, they are familiar with you. I highly doubt anyone has paused to acknowledge that you are known for some wild ways while the marquess is held to be a man of great honor.”
Humor tugged at his mouth. “Dishonorable, am I?”
“Some might think it.”
His eyes sharpened and gleamed with shrewdness. “But not you?”
“I’ve come to think of you as a lovable rogue,” Mina teased before she thought better of it. Closing her eyes, she cursed silently. “My lord—”
“Ah, what is this pitter patter of my heart I wonder, Miss Fernsby?”
“I suspect it to be gas,” she said crossly.
He chuckled, his eyes glittering with his enjoyment. “I have never met a lady like you.”
“And what kind of lady is that, Your Lordship?”
Mina should not have asked; she knew it, yet there was a hunger stirring inside of her that was hard fought to suppress. “You need not answer, my lord,” she said quickly. “Please allow me to expand on the lesson of acknowledging your peers. As per Tusler, the general salute of persons passing one another in carriages, is merely letting down the side glass and bowing. Should you, when either riding or walking, pass a person who is your superior in rank, it is your place to bow to him and continue moving. Should he stop for a spot of conversation, it is polite and well-mannered to engage in conversation. If the person is of lower rank, of course it is to you that person should bow. You are an earl. A peer of this realm. A man who decides with others the laws that govern the country. You have more people relying on you. I do fear you cannot afford to alienate those most influential members of society.”
“Informative,” he said, his eyes searching hers. “I would like to answer the kind of lady I believe you to be, Miss Fernsby.”
“I do not—”
Mina almost gasped when he leaned forward and placed a single finger over her lips. That gasp almost turned into a swoon when she nipped sharply at that finger for having the audacity to try and silence her. Good heavens! She had lost all sense of herself. This was not the character she should be showing the earl.
She hurriedly stood. “My lord, I cannot say what came over me just now.”
He also rose, a contemplative expression in his eyes. “You were merely true to yourself, Miss Fernsby.
Before she could protest, he continued thoughtfully, “You are wonderfully forthright…but not in a manner that is belligerent. You speak so softly and charmingly it takes one a few seconds to feel and taste the tart in your words and your stare. You are kind…a lady of peculiar but with a much-appreciated sense of humor. It is appreciated, for it is warm and genuine. You do not seem to know pretention; and, because of that, I believe you to be honest and you are a lady who respects honesty in return.”