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He had asked her to dance with him because he wanted to, but also because he could see that she wanted the same thing. She was looking up at him with curiosity, possibly even desire, and he knew that she wanted him in equal measure. He would not have asked, otherwise.

“It does not matter what I do and do not enjoy. It is my duty to be a good example to my sister, and to help her find a match. Because of you, I have done neither of those things.”

“And yet she has a match, and if you ask me you are a wonderful example of what a lady should be. You have poise, you are kind, and you can navigate society with ease, even when there are attempts to cause you embarrassment. My question is whether or not you liked my attention, not whether or not you thought it was proper at each and every moment.”

She laughed, her face in her hands for a moment.

“We both know that I did,” she whispered. “You know, you truly are the worst sort of gentleman. You may be charming—seductive, even—but such traits are not good ones to have, even if you do have an effect on ladies.”

“Ladies including yourself, yes?”

He stepped towards her, and as she stepped back she was pressed against the banister, looking up at him with wide hazel eyes. She was not looking at him with fear, but with a need that he knew she could not have described even if she wanted to.

He smirked at that, and though he expected her to look at him with frustration she did not. She remained frozen, looking at him as though he had ruined her plans entirely, which he supposed he had. Even so, they had been the perfect plans to ruin.

She never would have done enough to please her father. Such gentlemen as him were never content with what others did for them. She was fighting a losing battle, and he wondered if she knew that. He was always going to do exactly what he wanted with her sister, no matter what Emma did for her, because he never would have allowed himself to admit that a lady had done better than him. He pitied her that she had never realized that herself, as she saw other things so clearly.

“Well?” he asked, she had not yet said anything in response. “Are you included in that list of ladies?”

“You know that I am,” she whispered. “But that does not signify. I am certain that such charms work on every lady. Miss Winston, for example.”

“Do not think about her right now.”

“Do not tell me what I can and cannot think about. If you had your way, I would only ever think of you.”

“And is that such a crime?”

She scowled at him, and couldn’t help but smirk in response. She was fun to fluster, which was why he did it as often as he did. She was always so proper that when he broke her out of that it was exhilarating.

“This isn’t about you, besides the fact that you are here and I wish that you were not. I wish to return to the ball, even if I face a particular scowl in there.”

“Stop thinking about her!”

“How can I when you have used her to anger me all this time?”

Levi sighed, taking a step back so that she could pull away from the banister. She straightened herself, taking a breath.

“I admit, I did find it entertaining at first, but you must know that I did not do anything untoward with her.”

“You did! You used the same charms that you are using right now, but you were not interested because they worked on her. You only like me because I do not care for them.”

“I never tried to charm her. When will you listen to me about that?”

“When it is the truth.”

“Then you ought to listen to me now,” he sighed, exasperated. “I have already told you that it has never been as it seemed.”

“Then how was it, Your Grace?”

“She was trying to trap me. She is an ambitious young lady, I shall not take that away from her, and it has led to her doing everything in her power to make the most advantageous match that she can, even if it risks her ruin.”

She was quiet for a moment, and he hoped that an apology would follow her silence.

“You never refuted my other claim,” she said firmly.

“Which one? You claim that I do quite a lot.”

“That you are only interested in me because I lack any interest in you in return.”