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His grin flashed white in the dih he understood she was so nervous she ht expire on the spot "My coach awaits"

She took the last step and would have walked on but his hold on her hand stayed her She lifted her gaze to his

"Relax, Miss Darling Tonight it is merely the opera and dinner"

"I’her a liar, but she didn’t challenge his about the condoiven her, the one she’d tucked in her reticule…just in case

She didn’t knohether to be relieved or disappointed that it would not be used

Once they were in the coach, sitting opposite each other as they traveled through the London streets, his gaze never wavered from hers, and to her disappointment, she was the first to look away Whenever he watched her, she grew uncomfortably ware in her body around any of Feagan’s lads, even when they were all younger and slept on the same pallet This awareness of the male allure had never visited her as it did nohenever she was in Greystone’s presence

It was intriguing and terrifying To distract theht lead, she said, "Did you know that Luke asked me to marry him? It was how he and Catherine came to know each other She was supposed to teach me how to be an aristocratic lady"

"I wasn’t aware of that So how is it that you didn’twith the aristocracy"

"Yet here you are with an aristocrat"

"You and I both know, Your Grace, that e is not what you have in aze traveled from her upswept hair to the toes of her recently polished shoes "No Marriage is not what I have in ave a little bob She wasn’t exactly sure what she was acknowledging She knew only that she wasn’t offended by his candor Rather she was quite relieved by it She preferred knowing exactly what she was getting herself into

Yet even with his acknowledgement she feared she truly had no clue

Chapter 10

That Sterling had been able to walk straight to the coach, without stuht of Frannie descending the stairs was a miracle Only on his way home, after he’d issued his invitation, had it occurred to hi appropriate to wear to the theater He’d been debating having Catherine send a gown over to her--they were near the saer of Claybourne discovering their little tryst, whichanother black eye He’d decided that no hted to have her on his arly beautiful Fortunately, he had an oil lamp in the coach so he could feast his eyes on her as they journeyed through the London streets She’d grown quiet after he’d confirh he wanted her in his bed, he wanted her there as honestly as possible He’d never used false promises to lure a lady into his arms, and he wasn’t about to start with Frannie She deserved that reat deal , I’d think you’ve never seen a woown," she finally said

"I’ I’ve never seen you dressed so provocatively Why didn’t you wear that gown toshould detract from her Besides, it’s a bit bold for such an occasion"

"I like bold in a wo sound that was far lovelier than the most skilled orchestra he’d ever heard perform "You should watch your words, Your Grace I shall take the"

"You see with ht of the fact that I’ht only because of your threat to have one of ? Then I reater effort so I leave no doubt"

"I’d rather you didn’t Put forth ood many women would be flattered to have a duke escort them to the opera"

"Perhaps you should have invited one of the"

"We both know the infatuation will be short-lived"

"On the contrary, I know azed out the , giving hiant sweep of her neck He wanted to cross over and sit beside her, kiss his way from her shoulder to the sensitive spot just behind her ear, feel the rapid flutter of her heart against his lips as he neared his destination, but he feared if he went too fast, took toohis ultimate reward, that she would seek to evade hiely, he wanted to sit through the opera with her, wanted to enjoy dinner He yearned to have her in his bed, without question, but he longed for a good deal ht with any other woman