Page 16 of The Duke on Her List
“Well, I suppose I don’t know.”
“Really?” He eyed her. “Do you mean to tell me that this sudden apprehension has nothing to do with your frequent appearances in the scandal sheets?”
An expression of surprise flickered across her face. “What do you mean?”
“You know perfectly well what I mean,” he said. “Did you expect that I wasn’t going to look into the reputation of the lady I was attaching myself to? Did you think that wouldn’t matter to me?”
She kept her cool. “I suppose I thought that if reputation was really so important to you, you would have looked into that question before proposing this courtship in the first place.”
“You don’t deny the scandals, though,” he noted.
“Of course I deny them,” she shot back. “Was the story about the two of us true? If you’re going to take everything in the scandal sheets at face value, you’re more gullible than I estimated you to be.”
“All right,” he conceded. “But even so, it does speak to the boldness of your character, Lady Agnes. Most ladies, if they were involved in a scandal, would learn from their mistake and not make it twice. But you seem to keep finding yourself in situations that the gossip columnists want to write about.”
“I don’t control what they want,” Agnes said. “All I control is what I do. And I’m not going to remain meek and houseboundbecause I’m frightened of having untrue stories written about me. If that was the way I felt, I wouldn’t be here with you right now.”
She had a point. It was clear to him that she’d experienced the phenomenon of being the subject of gossip more than her fair share of times—although, can it really be called unfair if she habitually puts herself into controversial situations?
After his conversation with Nathaniel and Jonathan, he had gotten curious about her. It had occurred to him, in the course of that discussion, just how little he really knew about Lady Agnes, and finding out more had seemed the sensible thing to do. He wasn’t sure what had prompted him to seek out old scandal sheets, but the moment he’d done so, he had known it was the right move. Her name appeared several times.
He wasn’t as disturbed as he was making it seem—he’d known already what kind of lady he was dealing with. After all, she had proudly declared that she kept a List of Improper Ideas, and that she meant to accomplish everything on that list.
And who knows what kinds of things might be in store? I really should have asked to see it before offering to help her—but it’s too late for that now. I gave my word, and I mean to stick to that.
Still, it was helpful to understand that Lady Agnes was not the kind of person to shy away from any sort of excitement. What that meant was that she wouldn’t get halfway into some adventure, get frightened, and pull out of it. She would seethings through—just as she had seen it through when she had decided to break into his house, he thought wryly.
The dance ended, and she stepped back, putting some space between the two of them. Gabriel stood his ground. “Shall we have one more?” he said.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” She raised her eyebrows.
“That’s hardly relevant. The point of this is to make an impression on people, not to enjoy ourselves.” Although now that she had asked the question, hewasenjoying himself. There was something intriguing about Lady Agnes. She was lovely, with thick black hair that didn’t seem to like to stay where she’d pinned it—a few locks always seemed to be falling around her face—and green eyes that flashed when she was provoked. More than that, though, he enjoyed conversation with her. He could never guess at what she was going to say or do next. Everything out of her mouth was a surprise to him, and he enjoyed that immensely.
“One more dance,” she agreed. “And after that, I think it will be time for me to return home for the evening.”
“So early? You haven’t been here for very long.”
She quirked her lips in half a smile. “When you’re a subject of gossip as much as I am,” she said, “you learn a few things about controlling your image. We’re doing this tonight because of the impression we want to make on people—two dances is perfect. Anything I do after that will only damage the image. I’ll dancewith someone else and people will believe that I’m not devoted to you. Or I’ll spend the rest of the evening standing alone, and they’ll decide that you’re not devoted to me. Or the two of us will dance again, and they’ll say that we’re being improper. There’s no way to win that game, so the best thing is not to play.”
He was surprised anew. “So you do know how to manage gossip.”
“I don’t usually care to. But this is important to you,” she said. “And you’ve promised to help me, so I want to do it right. And…” she bit her lip. “There is Helena to think of. I wouldn’t like her to be tarnished by anything we do here.”
He was quiet for a moment. “That’s thoughtful of you,” he murmured. “I didn’t realize you were taking her into consideration.”
“I liked her when we met,” Lady Agnes said. “She seems like a remarkable young lady. And I know what it’s like to be in that part of your life, to feel as if you have so little control over anything. I’d never want to do anything to make it more difficult for her.”
He frowned. “Helena doesn’t feel as though she lacks control,” he protested. “I consult with her about every decision I make.”
“Do you? What about your decision to restrict her reading material?”
This again! “Why is it so important to you that my niece read whatever she likes?”
“I don’t think I’m alone in finding that important,” Lady Agnes said. “I think if you asked ladies, you would find that many of us yearn for the freedom to learn and to pursue our passions. You ought to appreciate the fact that you have a niece who wants those things, Your Grace. She’s quick-witted and intelligent, and she could really make something of her mind if you allowed it. And it wouldn’t prevent her from finding a successful match when the time comes—unless you’re saying you’d refuse to marry a lady because she had read a few books?” She raised her eyebrows.
“Well, I’m not going to marry anybody at all,” Gabriel said. “So it’s hardly relevant to ask me.”
He expected her to pull at that thread a bit. Most people did. They wanted to know why he wasn’t going to marry, or if anything would ever make him change his mind. But Lady Agnes merely nodded. “I’m not going to marry anybody either,” she said. “So I understand that.”
