"It was Allie's idea."
Blithely, they turned to her; gritting his teeth, he had to do the same.
Coolly, she shrugged. "I'd heard of it as a quiet place to stroll-one where ladies would be unlikely to encounter any of the more rakish elements."
Like him.
She'd chosen to live her life buried in the country-why she thought that gave her the right to disapprove of his lifestyle he did not know; he only knew she did. "Indeed?"
He debated pressing her-both for her real reason for being in the Fields and also over her impertinence in disapproving of him. Even with the girls all ears and bright eyes before them, he could easily lift the conversation to a level where they wouldn't understand. This, however, was Alathea. She was intractably stubborn-he would learn nothing she didn't wish him to know. She was also possessed of a wit quite the equal of his; the last time they'd crossed verbal swords-in January, over the stupid Alexandrine cap she'd worn to his mother's party-they'd both bled. If, eyes flashing, cheeks flushed with temper, she hadn't stuck her nose in the air and walked-stalked-away from him, he would quite possibly have strangled her.
Lips compressed, he shot her a glance-she met it fearlessly. She was watching, waiting, as aware of the direction of his thoughts as he. She was ready and willing to engage in one of their customary duels.
No true gentleman ever disappointed a lady.
"I take it you'll be accompanying Mary and Alice about town?"
She went to nod, stopped, and haughtily lifted her head. "Of course."
"In that case"-he smiled disarmingly at Mary and Alice-"I'll have to see what amusements I can steer your way."
"There's no need to put yourself out-unlike some I could mention, I don't require to be constantly amused."
"I think you'll discover that unless one is constantly amused, life in the ton can be hellishly boring. What, other than boredom, could possibly have brought you here?"
"A wish to avoid impertinent gentlemen."
"How fortunate, then, that I chanced upon you. If avoiding impertinent gentlemen is your aim, a lady within the ton can never be too careful. There's no telling precisely where or when she'll encounter the most shocking impertinence."
Mary and Alice smiled trustingly up at him; all they heard was his fashionable drawl. Alathea, he knew, detected the steel beneath it; he could sense her increasing tension.
"You forget-I'm perfectly capable of dealing with outrageous impertinence, however unamusing I might find such encounters."
"Strange to say, most ladies don't find such encounters unamusing at all."
"I am not 'most ladies.' I do not find the particular distractions to which you are devoted at all amusing."
"That's because you've yet to experience them. Besides," he glibly added, "you're used to riding every day. You'll need some activity to… keep you exercised."
He raised eyes filled with limpid innocence to hers, expecting to meet a narrow-eyed glance brimming with aggravation. Instead, her eyes were wide, not shocked but… it took him a moment to place their expression.
Defensive. He'd made her defensive.
Guilt rose within him.
Hell! E
ven when he won a round with her, he still lost.
Stifling a sigh-over what he did not know-he looked away, trying to dampen what he thought of as his bristling fur-that odd aggression she always evoked-and act normally. Reasonably.
He shrugged lightly. "I must be on my way."
"I dare say."
To his relief, she contented herself with that small barb. She watched as he bowed to the girls, setting them laughing again. Then he straightened and deliberately caught her gaze.
It was like looking into a mirror-they both had hazel eyes. When he looked into hers, he usually saw his own thoughts and feelings, reflected over and again, into infinity.