He inched closer again, forcing her to take a step back or else be mowed down by him. When he moved again, she brushed by a table, making the large white and blue vase there waver. She snatched it and steadied it then focused back on Lord Rochdale.
Clem narrowed her gaze at him when she recognized how much closer to the door she was. “Are you trying to…herdme?”
“I am a gentleman.”
“What does that have to do with you treating me like a herd of sheep?”
“For one, I would never herd a lady.”
Clem resisted a snort. She very much doubted he thought of her as much of a lady. Her mother might be a lady born and bred and the sister to a duke no less but marrying her father for love before he was even gifted the title of the earl lowered them in the eyes of society, most especially with her father’snew moneystatus. Lord Rochdale would surely feel the same.
“For another, we should not be alone,” he continued.
“Your aunt is entirely capable of playing chaperone. There is nothing untoward about me visiting with your aunt.” She glanced about the empty hallway. “Now if you just direct me to her, I shall be out from under your feet in just a moment.”
The marquis shoved a hand through his dark hair and exhaled heavily. “If you had given me a moment to explain, I could have told you that my aunt is not here. Her lady’s maid took her away for some air due to her distress.”
Ah. That explained the lack of dogs. She felt warmth rise up her throat when she met his gaze. “We are alone then.”
“Yes.”
The word hung in their air between them.Yes. Yes, they were alone. Yes, she should not be here. With him.
Alone.
But there were servants around and her driver was not far away. So long as no one of import spotted them, it wouldn’t matter. Firming her posture, she refused to look away from him. All he wanted was her gone and she would not let him win.
“Well, I can do a quick search and be gone soon enough. All the easier without a myriad of dogs about the place.” She smiled brightly. “And no one will be any the wiser.”
His gaze darkened and she held her breath as a little tremor worked its way through her. Maybe staying was a bad idea after all.
∞∞∞
Words unsuited to a gentleman rolled through Roman’s mind.
Did the blasted woman have to be so inappropriate?
Did her touch have to leave some strange, indelible mark on him? He swallowed.Don’t be a damned fool. He couldn’t still feel her palms upon him. How could he? It was an impossibility.
“We should start where her husband was spotted,” Lady Clementine declared.
“We should start by you leaving this house.”
She rolled her eyes in response. “Where is your aunt’s bedroom?” She waved a hand at his stony expression. “Never mind, I’ll find it myself.”
“You damn...” He paused. “You darn well will not.”
Her lips quirked. Not surprising really. The mild curse felt alien enough coming from his lips. Hearing it from him probably sounded even worse. No matter how hard he tried, he never could quite be the perfect gentleman. Nothing could hide the coarseness that always seemed to linger within him, despite his father’s best efforts—and the title to go along with it.
She moved quickly, dashing up the stairs two at a time. Roman’s strides were long but she took him so by surprise that she reached the top of the stairs several steps ahead of him. No quirk of lips this time. Instead, she offered a triumphant flash of a smile.
His gut did a strange twist. What was wrong with him?
No.
What was wrong with her? She was the one dashing about the house unaccompanied and entirely unmindful of the fact they were alone.
And looking far too lovely doing it.