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So he simply watched as she managed to regain her balance.

It was not until she took several steps away from him that he was finally able to see her face.

Miss Jennings?

She was the sister-in-law of the Duke of Mayfield, who happened to be his friend.

Edwin had seen her around quite a few times, and he had always thought her rather easy on the eyes. Now, as they both stood several steps away from each other, he could not help but notice her flushed face and how her chest heaved as she regarded him, shock visible on her face.

He watched her eye him curiously, her gaze darting across his face before landing on his mask. Her blue eyes were inquisitive, and despite her slender build, she still possessed a fierce demeanor.

“Curious habit, hiding in the walls,” he remarked, in a bid to break the silence.

His words did not seem to please the lady. She frowned, the dusting of freckles on her nose scrunched together.

“Says the man haunting the passageway,” she retorted.

Edwin was taken aback. He eyed her with interest.

Miss Jennings was a curious one, indeed. Most ladies of the ton would have fled at the sight of him. After all, it would not bode well for her reputation if they were discovered together in such circumstances.

And yet there she stood, only a few feet away from him,daringhim.

Now, he wanted to get to know her better. He wanted to know why she was so fierce and so different.

“I do not haunt. Ihunt,” he corrected.

She sniggered, covering her mouth with her hands to hide her amusement.

“A common greyhound would say the same,” she quipped.

His eyes narrowed as he tried to suppress a smile. “I suppose you would have been less lucky if you had run into a greyhound instead of me. The poor dog might have mistaken you for a common thief and attacked if it saw you crawling in the shadows of another man’s estate.”

“I would be safer with a dog. I know that,” she asserted.

“Do you fear that you’ll be attacked by me?” he asked, taking one step towards her.

Instead of moving back or shrinking, she mirrored his step.

“You would not dare.” She jutted her chin.

“You do not know me,” he retorted.

“I know you are a duke, an honorable man, if only a little annoying. You would not dare,” she insisted.

“You seem to know quite a lot about me. I am beginning to wonder if you followed me here,” he countered.

She gasped. “I would never do something of that sort.”

Her jaw tightened, and Edwin knew then that he had finally managed to anger her.

“And yet there is no way for me to know that, is there? After all, what would a lady possibly be seeking in such a place?”

“If you must know, I am looking for my sister, Stella,” she said, her eyes darkening. “Now, you must tell me what you are doing here, or I shall be forced to assume that you have only amassed your wealth by robbing nobles’ homes during balls.”

Edwin’s lips twitched. He enjoyed her wit.

“And I must inform you that I know some interesting individuals. All I have to do is put out the word, and your name will be in tomorrow’s newspaper along with some speculations that you would rather not read.” She smiled, as though proud of herself.