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“Is that truly what you plan to do?”

“What else is there for me? I am unmarried, and I do not wish to burden my father for longer than the five-and-twenty years thatI already have. You would never know such concerns, as your title is yours by right.”

“There you go with your assumptions. I shall remind you, Miss Kendall, that you do not know me any better than I know you. You are intelligent, but you do not know everything.”

“It is as though you enjoy insulting me.”

“It wasn’t an insult,” he promised, also leaving his seat. “I only mean that I can see you are better than some maid. I do not want you to hate me, no matter what you might think. I only ask that you listen to me, and believe me when I tell you that you have misunderstood something.”

“What is there to misunderstand?” she asked, exasperated. “There is a young lady that does not know any better, and you are clearly taking advantage of that.”

“Or she might be taking advantage of my reputation,” he suggested. “I am not a fool, Miss Kendall. I know when I am being tricked, and just because I do not say it outright does not mean I do not see it.”

“Why would she tempt scandal?”

“Why does anyone? It is not for me to say, but each time you have seen Miss Winston and I, it has been under unfortunate circumstances, ones that I did not plan for.”

There was silence for a moment as she searched his face, though he did not know what she was looking for.

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked. “It is none of my business what you do, and yet you are trying so hard to explain your actions to me. There is no need to, not really.”

“I do not know why. I simply want to. I do not want you to think badly of me.”

“Your reputation does that for you, Your Grace, and you seem quite proud of that. You do not need unfortunate circumstances to help you.”

“So you do think badly of me.”

The thought of that upset him more than it should have. He wanted her to like him, and though he refused to question just why that was, he knew it to be the case.

“Do I think badly of the gentleman that behaved abominably to me? I suppose that I should, don’t you?”

“I only did that because you clearly want me to be that way. If you continue to insist that black is white, eventually you will convince people, after all.”

“Do you mean to tell me that you are not what you want others to believe you are?” she laughed. “Your Grace, I shall be civil with you, but I do not want you too close to me. Beyond ensuring thatyou do not ruin any unsuspecting young ladies, I do not want to see you.”

“I apologize for my actions. I should not have done what I did.”

“No, you should not have.”

She left the library, and though he wished to follow her he did not. He had thought himself so clever for his act, but now he could hardly think back on it without scolding himself for it. He was neither funny, nor clever. He was exactly what he had been pretending to be for years. A rake and nothing more, without even the good memories that a true rake might have gathered.

But he couldn’t forget her sister’s words. They had seen the two of them together, and seen something in Miss Kendall that they had not noticed before. They expected him to care for their friend and sister, and he had failed before they could even warn him.

He shook his head. It was none of his concern, after all. No promises had been made, and they were not even courting. Then again, why had Miss Sarah been so determined? She did not strike him as overly ambitious or cunning, nor determined to make the most illustrious match possible given that she had seemingly chosen a baron for herself.

He tried not to think about it. Thankfully, it was not long before the others returned, and so he threw himself into the middle of it all. He socialized more than he ever had, determined to prove that he was a good man, one that was well-liked. Not only that,but it meant Miss Winston could not come too close to him. He hoped Miss Kendall would be keeping an eye on him, but she was nowhere to be seen.

“You are quite the sociable creature,” Leonard remarked that evening. “Did you enjoy the picnic?”

“Indeed. You certainly know how to host.”

“I do,” he nodded in mock thought. “You should do so yourself sometime.”

“Pridefield,” he warned. “I shall not remind you of my mother again.”

“I know, I know. In any case, it is nice to see you enjoying yourself. It has something to do with that spinster that has caught your eye, I assume?”

“Have you truly noticed?”