His body froze. Surely she did not imply what he thought she implied? Blood rushed to his shaft as he considered just then one very specific ducal responsibility. “Oh, and what is that?” he said hoarsely.
She glanced up at him. “Why, the matter of an heir, of course.”
Jasper’s eyes slid closed. Good Christ, she had referred to exactly what he’d believed she’d spoken of. What manner of innocent young lady proposed to a duke and spoke to him of his ducal responsibilities of acquiring an heir? Jasper waited for the familiar stirrings of agony and guilt at the mere mention of a babe. Instead, a forbidden image filled his mind. Katherine spread out upon satin sheets, her thick brown waves cascading about his naked skin, her generous breasts exposed for his worship. He counted to ten.#p#分页标题#e#
She ceased pacing. “Are you counting, Jasper?”
Not Your Grace.
Jasper.
He counted to ten, once again.
“I am.”
“Oh,” she said. She steepled her fingers and tapped the tips of them together. “Should I continue?”
“Please, do.” he said.
She either failed to detect or care about the sarcasm in that two-word response.
Katherine resumed pacing. “Well, you do not care for life in London or the Seasons, which is very good because neither do I. You won’t have to go to the trouble of leaving your estate and journeying to London and taking part in the marriage game. We can wed, and carry on quite amicably.”
“Because we our friends?” His lips twitched again.
She frowned at him, no effort made at concealing the reproach in her pretty brown eyes. “Would you hear more?”
He waved his hand. “Of, of course, my lady. Enlighten me.”
“Katherine,” she corrected. “After all, if we are wed, you should refer to me by my Christian name.” She caught her lip between her teeth again. “Or at least I should hope we won’t be the proper English couple who refers to one another by our titles or surnames. Mr. Waincourt,” she said in a clear attempt at a proper, matronly, older woman. “Mrs. Waincourt,” she said, dropping her voice several shades. In her attempt at a deep, masculine tone, her words emerged on a low, husky murmur better reserved for the bedroom.
He swallowed, his eyes unbidden went to her bow-shaped lips, and he tried to tamp down the desire to tug that silly brown bonnet with ivory lace trim from atop her head, toss it aside, and make love to her mouth.
She continued to trouble the plump flesh of that lower lip, the gesture more intoxicating than the most potent spirits. “Though, I suppose it would be Your Grace and Your Grace.” She wrinkled her pert little nose. “That isn’t at all endearing.”
Jasper ran his gaze over her face as he realized for the first time that she was endearing; from her nervous little gestures, to the direct manner with which she spoke, to even that hideous brown bonnet she’d worn since he’d fished her from the Thames.
She blinked up at him. “Ahem.” She coughed into her hand. “I said, ‘ahem’.”
“Do you have something in your throat, my lady?” he schooled his expression to hide all amusement.
Katherine frowned up at him. “It is Katherine. And no, I do not have something in my throat. I was trying to discreetly capture your attention.”
“I should think if you have to explain as much, that your efforts appear unsuccessful.”
“Decidedly so,” she agreed with a nod. She tapped the tip of her boot on the pavement. “Well, what then? Will you wed me or not?”
“I would have to say…or not.” Though Jasper was, for the first time in nearly four years completely and utterly enchanted. And if he had been of the marrying kind, which he was decidedly not, then he would have very gladly accepted the lady’s offer.
Katherine rocked back on her heels. Her expression so crestfallen, that he nearly called the words back, and accepted her hand.
“Oh.” She blinked her wide-brown eyes, giving her the look of an owl. “Well, this is certainly not how I imagined this would go.”
A gust of cold wind whipped that brown ringlet across her cheek; it draped over her mouth. As if of their own volition, his fingers reached up to brush the strand back as he’d longed to do since he’d come upon her alongside the frozen river. “And how did you imagine this would go?” he asked gently.#p#分页标题#e#
Her soulful brown eyes met his, and he was struck by the great sadness he saw there. From the moment he’d come upon Katherine Adamson, she’d been fiery, and angry, teasing, and witty, but she’d never been sad. It shouldn’t matter to him.