He frowned. They were already getting off topic. “You’re missing the point.”
“I don’t think I am.” She curtseyed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Lady Cordelia gave a small sniff and then she turned to go.
Malice dropped his hands, his brow scrunching. What the bloody hell was she doing? Letting out a frustrated breath he crossed the garden and grabbed her arm.
Cordelia started down the path determined to leave the Marquess of Malicorn where he belonged. In her past.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like him, precisely. That word made her pause. Suitable. He’d used it in the most curious way. He was darkly handsome with a square jaw and features that were disconcerting in their sharpness. Prominent cheekbones and a heavy brow that lent him an air of danger.
She shivered, despite herself. His large frame hinted at muscles that surely were a hazard to any upstanding lady. Both because she knew him to be a man that didn’t follow rules and because all his features put together, made him rather…exciting.
As if he were reading her thoughts, he reached out and wrapped his fingers about her arm at the same time he spoke her name. “Lady Cordelia.”
She jolted, her insides going silly as she whirled about. “You frightened me.”
He immediately dropped his hand. “My apologies. I simply would like to continue our conversation.”
Cordelia caught her lip between her teeth. “Very kind of you but I must decline.”
He stared down at her, his brows drawing together. She’d thought his eye color was near black but out here in the light, she could see they were far more chocolate in their shade of brown and rather endearing. “Why?”
Her mouth opened as she tried to form words. Why? Was it not obvious? “You are an eligible man and I am an eligible woman. We should not be found alone together. We’ve enough scandal floating about us already. You know the Countess of Abernath has threatened to expose me and my family for our visit to your club. We should take every precaution to be proper.”
He relaxed at those words, his shoulders easing down. “I agree and I appreciate your sense of propriety. It’s a most advantageous quality.”
Cordelia stilled, his words tumbling about her mind. There it was again. He was complimenting her on some attribute that he found pleasing. Why? “You like my propriety and my hobbies that I haven’t even named. Which actually makes no sense.”
His brow dropped low, his mouth pinching into a frown. “You’re smarter than I thought you’d be.”
“Thank you?” she said giving her head a small shake.
He waved. “No matter.” Then he reached out to her again, taking her hand in his. Even with her gloves on, a tingly sort of sensation travelled up her arm. “What I wish to discuss with you, would solve all of your problems with the countess and with propriety and so on and so forth.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Why do I get the impression that I want to know the details of the so on and so forth?”
His mouth pulled to one side. “You ask a lot of questions.”
“Again. Thank you.” The tingling was growing distracting and so she pulled her hand from his. Then she bobbed another quick courtesy. “If that is all, my lord.”
“No.” He crossed his arms. “That isn’t all.”
She suppressed a sigh. He clearly wasn’t going to gracefully allow her to leave until he’d said whatever he was hinting around. “Pray, continue.”
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “As a marquess there are certain duties that I need filled.”
“Duties?” Oh dear. There was only one reason a lord wished to speak to a lady about his duties and that was when he wanted her to fulfill one of them for him by giving him a child. Cordelia cleared her throat, pressing her hand to her stomach.
“Yes.” He stepped a bit closer and she moved back. The frown lines on his forehead deepened. “I am in need of a wife and child to ensure that my line and legacy continue. I think that you’d make an excellent candidate. Not only would you be helping me secure my future but I, in turn could protect you from any scandal.”
“Scandal you’re creating now by the two of us being here alone?” she asked, taking another step back. The Marquess of Malicorn was not a suitable candidate for her. Not only was he mysteriously dangerous, but he engaged in questionable past times.
He scoffed, the smell of the cigar he’d surely just smoked, filling her nostrils. She’d always liked the scent. It was earthy with a bit of cherry. “I mean you coming into a part of town you weren’t supposed to be in and then stumbling into the back room of a gentleman’s club.” He lowered his head. “The countess knows sensitive information about you.”
Cordelia placed her other hand over her heart. “Are all your friends going to propose to my sisters and cousin?” Point in fact, Minnie had just married the Duke of Darlington and the Earl of Exmouth had seemed quite interested in her sister Diana. Was this a group plan?
He raised his hands up. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“I’m just trying to determine your motivations. Your sudden proposal is quite a surprise.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and two fingers. “Perhaps my first impression of you was incorrect.”
“Oh, this should be interesting. Tell me, what did you think of me?” Butterflies flitted in her stomach exposing her lie. She wasn’t entirely certain she wanted to know.
He dropped his hands. “That you’d be a suitable wife. I wished to speak with you to ask you to marry me.”
“But you no longer wish to ask?” That was besides the point. She didn’t want to marry him either. “And what about me precisely seemed suitable?” Even the word suitable made her heart sink. Diana was bold and daring. Minnie was strong and fiery. Grace was beautiful beyond compare and Ada was angelic. But Cordelia, the word burned in her brain. She was suitable. It wasn’t that she hadn’t known her entire life she was the least of all her cousins and sisters. But she’d hoped, perhaps foolishly, to find a man who thought her more. In fact, it had been the one dream that had carried her through a childhood where she was often unseen, surrounded by so many beautiful women.
“You’re not so loud and brash. You have manners, you seem quiet and--”
“Please, Lord Malicorn. That’s enough.” She held up her hand. “Much as I appreciate your offer for a suitable match. I simply must decline.”
“What?” He reached for her arm again but she was quick enough to step back this time. She wouldn’t be caught by him again.
Taking a breath, she notched her chin as Diana or Minnie would do. “You heard me, my lord. My answer to your proposal is no.”
Want to read more? Marquess of Malice
About the Author
Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of eighteen, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.
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Seeds of Love: Prequel to the Lily in Bloom series
Lily in Bloom
Midnight Magic
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Duke of Daring: Regency Romance (Lords of Scandal Book 1) Page 13