Chapter Three

“ Glorious!” Benedict took a deep breath and shot a grin at Selina. “Does it not instantly raise your spirits?”

She nodded happily. “Truly. And there is not a cloud in the sky. We shall be rewarded with sunlight all afternoon, I suspect.”

Benedict nodded. Selina would have the beautiful walk he had promised her. He too had been eager to take in the sunshine and fresh air. But having a beautiful woman at his side as he did so, made the experience all the better.

“Is it not a lovely day, Lady Thalia?” he asked, casting a glance over his shoulder at the woman behind him.

She did not reply, simply glancing about with a muffled sort of appreciation.

The presence of Selina’s sister did indeed cast a shadow on the outing – her obvious disdain for him leaving her features warring between a scowl and a mask of polite indifference.

But strangely, he was not altogether outraged. She truly was a thorn in his side, preventing him from seducing Selina as quickly and thoroughly as he had with so many other women. Still, he had enjoyed his conversation with Thalia last night. She was witty and sharp. And her blush had been quite gratifying. Benedict looked forward to the opportunity to rattle her further; he found he enjoyed seeing her so unsettled.

Turning back to his conquest, he found that Selina’s smile was not only endearing but a confirmation: she, like so many women, seemed to be quickly warming to his attentions. “Tell me, Lady Selina,” he began, casually strolling along beside her while Thalia walked just a few paces behind them. “How do you fill your days? What diversion might a glorious creature like you find herself most enamored to?”

Selina thought for a moment. “I am fond of music,” she confessed. “I would happily sit at my piano for hours on end if I were able.”

“You shall have to play for me sometime,” Benedict replied.

Smiling up at him, Selina nodded her approval. “What would you like to hear?”

Benedict chuckled. “How very amiable you are.” He thought for a moment. Then, a delighted smile twisted up the corner of his mouth. “Why don’t we play a game? Try to guess what music I would like to hear. Look at me,” he said, pausing to take a stride away from her, holding his arms out, “and tell me what you think I might enjoy most?”

“I hardly know you, Your Grace,” Selina laughed. “How would I ever be able to guess at such a preference?”

Benedict chuckled. He waited as Selina narrowed her eyes, scrunching her face up in adorable, youthful perplexity. “Something romantic, I should think,” she began slowly. “Or perhaps something modern and new.”

“You guess the wrong thing,” Thalia piped up. Her tone was dry. Bored. “You should pay mind to the performance of the piece.”

“Oh?” Benedict’s lips twitched in amusement.

“I should guess that he would favor a duet,” Thalia continued. “As does every man who loves the sound of his own voice.”

The insult was clear but Selina, it would seem, had not noticed. “Indeed, you must have an exquisite singing voice,” she added admiringly. “You shall have to sing for me the next time I play.”

Still watching Thalia carefully, Benedict replied. “Does the Lady Selina command it?”

“I do,” she giggled.

As the younger sister turned away, happily resuming their walk, Benedict let his gaze hover on Thalia for a moment more. He slowed a little, matching pace with the woman. “You, I suppose, should prefer to play alone,” he murmured, low enough that Selina might not hear. “Something sad and monotonous, without any words.”

Thalia’s quick reply made Benedict grin. “Better to be quiet – dull as others might think you – than to drown out the wiser minds in the room with inane babble.”

As he chuckled, annoyance flickered across Thalia’s face. He had not yet seen the eldest sister wearing anything but a frown of annoyance. He wondered, briefly, what it would take to wipe such an expression from her face. There were things he might do to her, of course, that could encourage her to show a more pleasurable countenance. He smiled to himself, eyeing her up and down, thinking of all the things a man could do to illicit an expression of pure ecstasy from her. He would gladly turn her insults into moans.

“Selina,” she called out, holding Benedict’s gaze as she did. “Perhaps we should consider taking a turn back toward the estate. His Grace must be quite tired. No doubt he found many amusements at the ball last night long after we had gone.”

“Oh! Thalia, look,” came Selina’s voice from up ahead. “There, by the lake. It is Lady Harriet, and Lord and Lady Walston.”

Hurrying back toward them, Selina cast Benedict an apologetic look. “They are to leave tomorrow. They shall be gone for some time. I had hoped to see them last night, but they did not attend the ball.”

“Then by all means,” Benedict replied, “you must go and wish them a safe journey.”

“I shall have to hurry to catch them,” she mused, glancing over her shoulder. “You will have to catch me up.”

“We shall,” he assured her.

Then, as Selina bustled away, Benedict slowed his pace. Letting his smile fall from his face, he turned to look at his remaining companion. His mask of civility gone, he fixed her with a hard stare. “We find ourselves alone, Lady Thalia.”

“Not quite,” came Thalia’s stilted reply. She blinked as Benedict’s features changed before her eyes. His smile faded, leaving his face blank, but his eyes filled with an intensity that unnerved her. Glancing around, she gestured to another couple on the other side of the park.

Benedict followed her gaze. “True enough. Not quite alone,” he murmured. Turning back to her, he took a step closer. “But we are removed enough that our conversation may not be overheard.”

“Is there something you wish to say to me, Your Grace?”

As he took another step closer, Thalia managed to hold her ground. But she could not deny that she was suddenly and unexpectedly daunted by him. Far taller than her and broad-shouldered, he towered over Thalia with a strange look in his eyes.

“There is. What exactly do you think you are doing?” His voice was low and level. Not angry. But there was nothing of his easy mirth from earlier in the morning.

“I am chaperoning my sister through the park so that I may protect her from the rake who wishes to court her,” she stated, raising herself a little in the hopes that she might seem undaunted.

Benedict laughed. “That was not what I was asking.”

“Then you should speak more clearly,” she retorted.

Again, Benedict chuckled. But his eyes were still flashing with something dangerous. “What,” he began again, taking his time enunciating every word, “Are. You. Doing?”

Thalia hesitated. “I do not understand.”

“You do. You know exactly what you are doing.” He watched her carefully. “And I believe I have every right to ask about your intentions. Why, Lady Thalia, do you make such a pointed attempt to stand between myself and your sister?”

Taken aback by the directness of his question, Thalia scrambled for a reply.

“I do not believe I have given you any reason to doubt my intentions,” he continued. “At least, not in the short time we have been acquainted. You seem quick to judge me on behalf of your sister.”

His calm demeanor seemed to hide something deeper. But whether it was irritation or amusement, Thalia could not tell. She forced her shoulders back, her head held high. “If I am quick to judge, it is because I am quick to listen. And all of the ton has heard of your exploits, Your Grace. From what I hear, you have enjoyed nearly every woman in the ton , tucked up in some darkened corner. You may carry on however you wish – your behavior with others is none of my business – but I would be remiss to ever let you court a relation of mine.”

“Ah, you profess to know and understand my character and history. Is that it?”

Thalia nodded.

“Hmm,” he searched her eyes thoughtfully. “In one thing, you are right. I have indeed enjoyed many women. In many different places. I am sure you are curious, so go ahead and ask: what is the most nefarious thing I have done with a woman? Where is the most scandalous place in which I have had her?”

Thalia opened and closed her mouth, utterly scandalized as Benedict took another step closer. Now he was inches away from her, far too close for propriety to allow. But, for some reason, she did not move. She could not step away.

His hand was on her arm now, grasping her forearm as he leaned close, his breath brushing the tip of her ear with a heat that made her shiver. She knew she should pull away, but for some reason, she could not. The heat of his touch seemed to shoot up from the point of contact, making her arm, shoulder, and chest burn. He did not hold her tightly, but she could not have moved an inch if she had tried.

“I will tell you why you are so offended,” he murmured. “It is because you want me for yourself.”

Gasping out a scoff, Thalia pushed him away. Chills ran down her spine at the insinuation. And, to her astonishment, it was not an altogether distasteful sensation. “You are a fool as well as a rake. To think that I would – that I could – why, it is absurd!”

Benedict chuckled, low and dangerous. His eyes wandered up and down her with a slowness that he seemed to savor. Thalia could not have felt more bare than if he were physically stripping her of her clothing. Something he clearly seemed to be doing in his mind. “If you wanted a night in my company, you need only ask, Lady Thalia. Tell me,” he added, clenching and unfurling one of the hands at his side, “what is it that you would like me to do to you? What pleasures do you wish to experience?”

Wordless, Thalia could only stare back at him in disbelief for a long moment. The sensations running up and down her body were far too overpowering to allow her to speak. Finally, when she had recovered herself, she lifted her chin in defiance. “You are crude and uncouth. I promise you, you shall never have the chance to lay a hand on me or my sister.”

“And I promise you,” Benedict replied, moving quickly to close the distance between them once more. She shuddered as he looped an arm around her waist, pulling her tight against him. He trailed the fingers of his other hand across her collarbone slowly before dragging his gaze back to hers. “That I fully intend to marry your sister.”

He held her gaze for an eternity and Thalia could do nothing but return it. He was playing with her, but she had no notion as to the rules of such a dangerous game. Nor could she make sense of how his nearness unsettled her.

“Tell me, Lady Thalia, have you ever felt the weight of a man?” he murmured, conjuring up images within Thalia’s mind that made her blush far more furiously than ever before.

Then, as he leaned even closer, his lips brushing her ear, Thalia could feel the rumble in his chest with his next words. Every inch of his body was pressed up against hers and the sensation of his hips – and what lay below – pressing ever so slightly against her was making her head spin. “If that is something you desire, you might propose a different arrangement. I could be persuaded to give up my pursuit of your sister. If you were to entertain me with a night of pleasure.”

Breathless, Thalia shuddered. The heat and smell of him overwhelmed her senses. The images of what he proposed made it impossible to breathe. Then, what he did next, nearly ended her. To her astonishment, she felt the teasing touch of his teeth on her ear.

As her knees went weak, he pulled away, grinning like the cat that had caught the mouse.

He could not be serious. That was all Thalia could think. She swayed a little as she tried to decide whether she believed a thing he had just said.

As he looked her up and down once more, she could see that her flustered behavior amused him, but she could not seem to regain control. He had shaken her thoroughly.

A roguish smile played at his lips as he continued to watch her. Then, after a moment more, he offered her his arm. “Now then, shall we join your sister?”