that same shop almost daily from the moment that she had made the discovery. She had run the poor gentleman to earth today, if only by chance, and she had been the one to insult him, however unwittingly. Yet here he stood, apologizing to her amid a crowd of strangers, for all the world as though he were at fault, and even adding the notion that it might be because he admired her so well, which she knew was never true. It was not fair. It was time for her to take some responsibility for her own actions. She was not a child. She decided that her own honor, as well as his, called for her honesty about her part in this meeting.
“Your lordship,” she said clearly and with decision, squaring her shoulders and leaving off her apologetic air, “I appreciate your gallantry. But I insist, you are not at fault. It is I, and I assure you that this is true, who avoided Hatchard’s today, for I was the one who earnestly attempted to avoid you today.”
A profound silence greeted this statement, for in many ways it appeared to have turned all the surrounding eavesdroppers to stone. Seeing the immediate look of shock in the marquess’s wide blue eyes, Leonora belatedly reviewed her speech. As the marquess tightened his lips, nodded, and walked away, she could only say faintly, “Oh, but that is never what I meant to say.” Then she could only stand and stare after his retreating back and wait for some kindly providence to take pity on her and come and cause an earthquake to swallow her up completely.
FOUR
A great many gentlemen pride themselves on their utter inability to fathom the feminine mind, as though that were some sort of hallmark of their own masculinity, but Joscelin Kidd, Marquess of Severne, was not among them. It wasn’t that he considered himself omniscient, or even a jot more gifted than any of his fellows, it was only that he had always believed and acted upon the notion that except for a few areas of human experience, the minds of males and females were more similar than not This belief had always served him well. So as he strode away from his disastrous encounter with the Lady Leonora, he wondered just what in the fiend’s name he had done wrong.
He could hear the whispers of gossip picking up behind him even as he walked away, but that did not bother him, it had not for years. More disturbing was the thought that somehow he had wounded the lady, and that was why she sought to pay him back. It was inconceivable that she had acted as she had for no reason, few young persons could be that venomous, and the only cause that he could see for such an attitude would be a desire for revenge for some mortal insult that he had given her. But as he walked the streets of London lost in thought, reviewing his past relationship with the young woman, he could not discover a clue to her malice.
Because, he concluded after a few moments, so far as he knew, they had no past relationship that he could dissect.
He had met the lady five years ago, when she had first come out, even though he had not been present at her formal presentation. Her father had invited him, of course, but he had known it was a courtesy, and out of courtesy, he had stayed away. He owed the viscount a great deal, but it would have been wrong, the young marquess had decided, to repay such a gesture of friendship with an action that could only cause unhappiness. For a gentleman who had just come through the divorce courts, and who still bled the ink of scandal from every caricature and broadsheet in Town, could scarcely go unremarked at a young woman’s come-out ball.
But like all other incendiary matters, scandal’s smoke blows away quickly if there is no fire to feed it. And it was not long before he had been able to attend some affairs, and since his affairs had required that attendance, it hadn’t been long until he had met the lovely Lady Leonora.
He would have noted her even if she had not been his patron’s younger daughter. She had the
“Your lordship,” she said clearly and with decision, squaring her shoulders and leaving off her apologetic air, “I appreciate your gallantry. But I insist, you are not at fault. It is I, and I assure you that this is true, who avoided Hatchard’s today, for I was the one who earnestly attempted to avoid you today.”
A profound silence greeted this statement, for in many ways it appeared to have turned all the surrounding eavesdroppers to stone. Seeing the immediate look of shock in the marquess’s wide blue eyes, Leonora belatedly reviewed her speech. As the marquess tightened his lips, nodded, and walked away, she could only say faintly, “Oh, but that is never what I meant to say.” Then she could only stand and stare after his retreating back and wait for some kindly providence to take pity on her and come and cause an earthquake to swallow her up completely.
FOUR
A great many gentlemen pride themselves on their utter inability to fathom the feminine mind, as though that were some sort of hallmark of their own masculinity, but Joscelin Kidd, Marquess of Severne, was not among them. It wasn’t that he considered himself omniscient, or even a jot more gifted than any of his fellows, it was only that he had always believed and acted upon the notion that except for a few areas of human experience, the minds of males and females were more similar than not This belief had always served him well. So as he strode away from his disastrous encounter with the Lady Leonora, he wondered just what in the fiend’s name he had done wrong.
He could hear the whispers of gossip picking up behind him even as he walked away, but that did not bother him, it had not for years. More disturbing was the thought that somehow he had wounded the lady, and that was why she sought to pay him back. It was inconceivable that she had acted as she had for no reason, few young persons could be that venomous, and the only cause that he could see for such an attitude would be a desire for revenge for some mortal insult that he had given her. But as he walked the streets of London lost in thought, reviewing his past relationship with the young woman, he could not discover a clue to her malice.
Because, he concluded after a few moments, so far as he knew, they had no past relationship that he could dissect.
He had met the lady five years ago, when she had first come out, even though he had not been present at her formal presentation. Her father had invited him, of course, but he had known it was a courtesy, and out of courtesy, he had stayed away. He owed the viscount a great deal, but it would have been wrong, the young marquess had decided, to repay such a gesture of friendship with an action that could only cause unhappiness. For a gentleman who had just come through the divorce courts, and who still bled the ink of scandal from every caricature and broadsheet in Town, could scarcely go unremarked at a young woman’s come-out ball.
But like all other incendiary matters, scandal’s smoke blows away quickly if there is no fire to feed it. And it was not long before he had been able to attend some affairs, and since his affairs had required that attendance, it hadn’t been long until he had met the lovely Lady Leonora.
He would have noted her even if she had not been his patron’s younger daughter. She had the
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