She looked up at him sharply. ‘Is that because you already have one?’
‘No, of course I do not—’ He broke off in obvious exasperation. ‘Lisette, you cannot just offer to become a man’s mistress without his first having given indication that is what he wants too!’
Her eyebrows rose. ‘Earlier today in your carriage was not an indication of your desire for me?’
‘Well. Yes.’ He gave an impatient shake of his head. ‘Of course it was an indication that I desire you, but I— Lisette, I have never set myself up with a mistress—’
‘Why not?’
‘—and I do not intend to start now. What do you mean—why not?’ He scowled darkly.
She gave a shrug. ‘I thought all society gentlemen, most especially a duke, took a mistress?’
‘Then you thought wrong.’ He glowered. ‘Neither I nor, to my knowledge, any of my close friends have ever done so.’
‘That does not mean you could not do so now.’ It was not an ideal situation for Lisette either, nor had it been an easy decision for her to make, but she really did have so very few choices left to her. Once she had told Lord Maystone what she knew—which was very little, a
nd most certainly did not include Helene caring for her enough to respond to blackmail on her behalf—then it was easy to surmise that neither he nor Christian would have any further use for her.
Unless she were to offer her services in some other way.
‘I do not have need of a mistress,’ Christian bit out between gritted teeth.
‘Well, certainly not now, when you are incapacitated—’
‘Ever!’
‘There is no need to shout, Christian—’
‘No need to—!’ His arms moved from about her before he stood up to glower down at her even more darkly. ‘There is every reason to shout when you have just offered to become my mistress.’
‘An offer you have clearly refused.’ Lisette stood up, chin raised proudly. ‘Which means I will have to find some other acceptable gentleman to whom I might—’
‘You will do no such thing!’
She gave a wince. ‘You are still shouting, Christian.’
‘I am about to put you over my knee and administer that spanking we discussed earlier if you do not cease talking of this subject—’ He broke off as Evans appeared in the open doorway, accompanied by a wide-eyed maid carrying a pitcher and several towels.
Lisette was unsure who was the most embarrassed: herself for having had Christian’s threat to spank her bottom overheard—and possibly some of the conversation leading up to that threat?—or the two shocked servants at being the ones to have overheard that threat.
Christian glared furiously.
‘I... I thought Miss Duprée might care for some hot water and towels with which to refresh herself after your journey, Your Grace.’ Evans was the first to recover, his expression once again respectfully deadpan.
The situation was so ludicrous, Lisette acknowledged as her initial dismay began to recede, that it was all she could now do to stop herself from laughing. Her efforts not to do so were not helped by the continuing look of outrage on Christian’s face.
He breathed in deeply—fighting for control?—before answering his butler tautly. ‘Leave them and go.’
‘Thank you, Evans,’ Lisette managed to add in heavily accented English, with the addition of a smile, in the hope of making up for Christian’s abruptness; it was very kind of the butler to have thought of her comfort in that way.
‘Close the door on your way out,’ Christian instructed stiffly once the pitcher of water and towels had been placed on the washstand.
Christian considered it shocking enough that Lisette had offered to become his mistress, but the idea that she might so much as think of making that same scandalous offer to another gentleman was even more unacceptable.
He would rather accept the offer himself than—
No!