My Fair Princess by Vanessa Kelly

Author:Vanessa Kelly [Kelly, Vanessa]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2016-07-04T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Gillian’s narrow, straight brows pulled together in a skeptical frown. “It seemed the opposite was true. In fact, I can’t understand why she didn’t marry you all those years ago instead of Mr. Stratton. She clearly prefers you.”

“Not the case,” Charles said.

“At the Barrington ball, Lady Letitia attached herself to you like a leech.”

He could feel heat creep up his neck. “That is a remarkably inelegant way to put it. And inaccurate, I might add.”

She shot him an incredulous look. “If you say so. But there is clearly some degree of intimacy between you.”

“There is no intimacy between us, I assure you,” he said in a stern tone.

“It’s such a mystery why people think her so wonderful. If you ask me, she’s positively horrid. Why is she being so beastly to you?”

“Because I refused to agree with something she wished me to do.”

Gillian seemed to puzzle over his vague statement for several seconds before clarity dawned. “Oh! The flirtatious Lady Letitia wanted to have an affair with you.”

“Ah . . .”

“But if you said no—”

“Of course I said no.” What a wildly inappropriate discussion to have with an innocent maiden, even if that maiden was Gillian.

“Of course you did,” she said in a soothing tone, as if he were a fractious child. “But if that’s the case, then why did she go after me? It’s laughable to think that I pose any kind of threat to her.”

It wasn’t laughable, though. Letitia knew him better than he liked to admit, and she’d clearly picked up on the fact that he had feelings for Gillian—feelings he must keep to himself.

“Revenge is the simplest answer,” Charles said. “Letitia is angry with me, so she did the most effective thing she could think of, which was to attack someone under my protection.”

“What a hypocrite,” Gillian said. “You turned her down, so she accused me of the behavior she wished to engage in herself. But she’s the one who broke off your engagement years ago and married someone else. Why is she still trying to hurt you?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters. She’s trying to smear both our reputations.” Gillian poked him on the bicep. “You owe me an explanation, Leverton. After all, I’m the one labeled as the Doxy Duchess. Perfect Penley can’t even begin to compare.”

He sighed. “You’re not going to let this drop, are you?”

“I’ll pester you until you run shrieking through the fields to get away from me,” she said. “And just think of the gossip that will cause.”

“You really are the most annoying girl.”

“I know I’m a trial. But at least I’m not falling into hysterics over the whole thing, so you’ve got to give me credit for that.”

He let out a reluctant laugh. “Very well. Do you know how I got my ridiculous nickname?”

She let her gaze trail over him. “It seems quite obvious.”

He couldn’t fail to hear the admiring note to her voice or see the warmth in her eyes. The girl was a menace to his sanity, and she probably didn’t even know it.

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