To Desire a Wicked Duke (41 page)

She took no notice of his suggestion but pulled her hand from his and began to pace back and forth along the flagstone path.

Amusement tugged at Ash’s mouth as he settled on the bench in her place. Prepared to indulge her, he stretched his long legs out before him and crossed his ankles. Despite his pleasure in watching her, though,
he knew it would be more gallant if he attempted to distract her from her agitation.

Accordingly, he broke the silence after a moment. “Allow me to offer you my apologies, Miss Collyer.”

“For what?” she asked absently.

“I regret that you had to suffer Deering’s lechery.”

“You are not to blame for his disgusting behavior.”

“No, but this is my home, and I am responsible for the actions of my guests.”

“Perhaps, but Deering is as far from a gentleman as it is possible to be. The gall of him,” she muttered under her breath, “thinking I would have any interest in selling myself to him.”

“You handled him well. I am all admiration. Where did you learn that trick of incapacitating a man?”

“From my steward, Gandy. There are some unsavory characters in the racing world, and Gandy wanted me to be prepared should I encounter any.”

“I thought Katharine and Skye were the only gently bred females who were skilled in self-defense. I taught Kate that move myself.”

When that brought no response, Ash continued casually. “I should thank you. Your altercation spiced up my evening and saved me from excruciating boredom.”

His admission seemed to gain her attention for a moment, or at least she paused to glance at him. “Why did you even hold a ball if you are so jaded by them?”

“You know why. Because Katharine asked it of me.”

“And you can never refuse her?”

“Oh, I regularly refuse her, but in this instance, I was
doing my duty as her elder brother. She claimed she was finally ready to look for a husband, much to my surprise.”

“It surprised me also,” Maura allowed, resuming her pacing.

Frankly, it had startled Ash two weeks ago when Katharine suddenly announced her desire to find a husband and requested a ball to aid her search for eligible candidates.

But he was not interested in his sister’s matrimonial prospects just now. Instead, he wanted to know what had led to her closest friend’s confrontation with one of his noble guests. Most particularly, why Deering would assume that Maura Collyer’s charms were for sale.…