Her rounded chin tilted. “Because I am concerned, if you must know.”
He searched her belligerent expression, realizing that there was indeed an unmistakable concern beneath her bluster and even a measure of fear. Whatever Gabriel’s assumption about Miss Lansing, she had not traveled to Carrick Park to harm Talia.
“You were concerned for her welfare?”
“Yes.”
“That is absurd.”
“Is it?” She stood her ground, her eyes flashing with dark fire. “Talia disappeared from London mere hours after her secretive wedding to the Earl of Ashcombe. And despite the numerous letters I have written over the past month pleading for her to reassure me that she is well, I have heard nothing from her.”
Hugo cast a brief glance toward the female still sleeping in the corner before stepping close enough he could capture her chin between his forefinger and thumb.
“And what is it you fear, Miss Lansing?” he asked in low tones. “Do you suspect that Lord Ashcombe has locked his vulnerable young bride in the dungeons? Or perhaps you imagined he had thrown her off the cliff?”
The color beneath her skin darkened, and he was struck by a savage need to know if the flush was a mere reaction to her anger or a display of the same arousal that plagued him.
“Who is to say?” she challenged. “I was with Talia when the earl forced his way into her private chambers and demanded that I leave. He certainly seemed angry enough to wish her harm.”
Hugo shook his head, caught between indignation that she would believe for a moment that Gabriel was capable of violence toward a woman and amusement at her bold claim.
The only other female who could have dared to stand before him, bedraggled from her long journey and spitting fire, was Talia.
It was little wonder the two had been drawn to one another.
“There is no gentleman who has not been angered at some time or another,” he pointed out, his thumb tracing the line of her full lower lip. “That does not necessarily lead him to commit a heinous crime. We are, after all, a civilized society.”
She made a sound of disgust and pulled away. “Being civilized does not stop gentlemen from behaving as barbarians.”
How could Hugo argue with her logic? He had ample proof that supposed noblemen were as capable of treachery, cruelty and shocking brutality as any savage.
Still, he found himself piqued by her obvious disdain for the opposite sex. Was it an all-encompassing contempt for gentlemen as a whole, or specifically noblemen?
“Tell me, my kitten, are you a reader of novels?” he gently mocked.
Her chin tilted a notch higher, revealing her taste for melodrama.
“Why?”
“Because not all men are the villains portrayed by the current rash of female authors.”
Her lips flattened with displeasure at his teasing. “This is not amusing.”
“Actually, I have to disagree,” he argued. “It is rather humorous that you would suspect Ashcombe of murdering his wife.”
“I have endured enough of your mockery,” she replied angrily, abruptly turning to march toward the door.
Hugo was in swift pursuit, barely managing to dart in front of her before she could barrel through the doorway.
With her escape route blocked, she regarded him with a gaze that warned she was considering boxing his ears.#p#分页标题#e#
“Move aside,” she snapped.
In response, he leaned a broad shoulder against the doorjamb, careful to ensure his large form managed to consume the entire entryway. He suspected she intended to slip past him the moment he was distracted.
And oh, it would be so easy to distract him, he acknowledged, his gaze lingering on those full, sensuous lips.
“Where do you think you are going?” he demanded.
“If you will not bring Talia to me, then I will find her myself.”
His gaze lifted to meet her furious glare. “Why are you so concerned?”
“Why?” She appeared briefly baffled by his question. “She is my friend.”
“Forgive my confusion, but it is my understanding that Talia’s friends have made her life in London a misery.”
She stiffened, clearly offended to be included among those who had bullied Talia.
“If you speak of those spiteful vipers who make a sport of tormenting the less-favored females, they were never Talia’s friends, nor was she ever foolish enough to consider them as such,” she retorted sharply. “It was her father who forced her to spend time in their company.”
“And you?”
“I think it should be perfectly obvious that I was a fellow wallflower who endured a similar fate as Talia,” she said, a hint of resolute pride in her voice. “We are friends because we comprehend what it means to be outcasts from society.”