Page 11

James had called her a dove, not realizing that she had talons.

“Your Grace, there is someone at the door,” the butler said through the bedchamber door, interrupting what had been a very soothing bath to wash away the grime of the unpleasant day.

“Tell them I am in the bath!” Thomas replied with a groan.

Was he to have no peace, even at such a late hour? It was just past midnight, not an appropriate time for callers.

The butler sounded like he was choking. “I don’t think I should, Your Grace. Apologies, but they will not leave, and I… can’t chase them off.”

Assuming it was a friend in need of a companion at the gentlemen’s club, Thomas reluctantly heaved himself out of the bath, threw on his housecoat over his wet body, and headed downstairs. The less dressed he was, the less chance he had of being coerced into late-night merriment.

However, he regretted his decision as he opened the front door and found the last person he had expected standing there.

Sophia Kendall’s eyes widened, her mouth falling open as she looked at his state of undress, her gaze trailing to places it should not. The more she stared, the more relaxed he became, a smirk curving his lips.

“You’ll send the scandal sheets into a frenzy if you are seen staring at me like that,” he said coolly, since she had not spoken.

She balked, her freckled cheeks dusted with the prettiest pink. “I was not staring,” she remarked. “I was… shocked. Who would not be when a supposed gentleman answers the door in… well… in not much at all?”

“Maybe I knew you were coming.”

It had been a long day; he deserved to be allowed to toy with a Kendall a little bit.

What a pity you are one.

Her piercing green eyes were uncommonly beautiful.Shewas uncommonly beautiful, going against all of the fashions of the day. She wore her glossy dark hair looser than most, wavy locks escaping to frame her face, shorter pieces fanning out across her brow. She had freckles and a complexion that suggested she was not afraid of the sun, an angular face that some might have deemed too sharp, and the poutiest lips he had ever seen.

“I doubt that,” she muttered, glancing furtively over her shoulder. “I will not trouble you for long, Your Grace, but… I came to tell you that I do not want this feud to continue. I do not want to see anyone else hurt, knowing I could have stopped it.”

He leaned against the doorjamb. “How noble of you. I trust your family doesn’t know you are here?”

“No, but they will.” She straightened her posture, drawing his gaze to the swell of her breasts, which were heaving with the effort of her conviction. “I mean to convince them to accept the truce you offered, but I thought I ought to inform you first.”

He took a half step towards her. “Inform me of what, exactly?”

“What do you mean?” She frowned, breathing harder.

“No, Lady Sophia. What doyoumean?”

She blinked, resting her hands on her hips, highlighting the curve of her waist as the fabric of her dress tightened with her touch. “You are being obtuse.”

“I am asking for clarification,” he corrected. “It is of vital importance in matters of business, so there can be no misunderstanding.”

She cast another anxious look over her shoulder, drawing his eyes to the slender curve of her neck. “Obviously, I mean that I will marry you.” She looked back at him, her eyes bright. “I accept the proposal. My family will, too.”

Thomas noticed that a small white feather had fallen onto the velvet of her spencer and moved closer to remove it. “Say please,” he replied, plucking off the downy feather.

“What?” She seemed taken aback, staring at the feather, which was now pinched between his fingertips.

“You are asking me for a favor. You should say please.”

“A favor?” she choked out. “Youmade the proposal!”

He shrugged. “And did I, or did I not, tell you that I would not seek peace again? Asking me to reconsider is asking me for a favor, Lady Sophia.”

He was not normally so loquacious with Sophia, preferring to say very little during their previous, brief encounters. But as she had mustered the courage to come to him in the dead of night, against her family’s wishes, he figured he ought to be more obliging.

You certainly have more courage than the rest of them.