away. How very clever of him. Did he think she would play along with his pretence? She pressed her lips together and lifted her chin.
He glared at her. ‘Why go to such trouble, when you knew I would fetch you back?’
It would have been a miracle if he could have brought her back from the dead. She bit her tongue. She must not arouse his suspicions. Not let him know that she understood full well what he was up to. ‘I got lost.’ She watched his face for a reaction. All she got was a sound of derision.
‘Believe what you will,’ she said calmly, keeping her gaze steady with his.
‘Then it seems I owe you an apology, Miss Wilding,’ he drawled.
She could not imagine he was apologising for pushing her down a hole in the ground. ‘Why?’
‘Why what?’
‘Why do you owe me an apology?’
He pushed his chair back and in a few lithe strides came to stand by her chair, looming, dark, still angry. He made her feel very small indeed. And that was quite a feat.
‘I apologise for assuming you had broken your word and left without informing me.’ He sounded as if he didn’t believe what he was saying.
Because he knew it wasn’t true. He knew she’d only wandered a little way down one of the tunnels. ‘Apology accepted,’ she said with remarkable calm. ‘What made you seek me on the road?’
‘One of the men said he glimpsed someone climbing the ladder. I was surprised not to find you in the courtyard.’
‘Did he now?’ She could not keep the sarcasm from her voice.
He gave her a puzzled look. ‘He did.’
‘All is well that ends well, then.’
He glowered. ‘From now on, I will be keeping a very close eye on you, madam.’
She almost groaned out loud. ‘If it will stop me from getting lost, I would much appreciate it.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘Don’t think to play your tricks off on me.’
‘My tricks. What tricks would those be?’
‘You know very well what I am talking about.’
‘Was there anything else you wanted to say to me?’
He looked as if he wanted to throttle her. ‘Not at this moment.’
‘Then if you will excuse me, I will retire.’
‘No.’
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘No I will not excuse you. We will go to the drawing room, take tea like sensible people, and enjoy some civilised conversation.’
‘I don’t believe you know how to have a civilised conversation. How to give orders, yes. How to impose your will on others, yes. But conversation? Sadly not.’
A pained look flashed across his face as if her words had the power to wound. Hardly. Annoyance was what she was seeing, nothing else. Annoyance that she wasn’t just falling willy-nilly in with his wishes.
‘You will excuse me, my lord. It has been a long and tiring day. I have no wish for conversation, civilised or otherwise.’
She rose to her feet. He stood up. As always, she was taken aback by the sheer size of him. The width of him. The height. She had to lift her chin to gaze into his eyes, to show him her determination. And he did not give, not one inch.
He gazed back, his eyes cold. ‘You speak as if I am the one at fault for your weariness, Miss Wilding.’ His mouth tightened. ‘If you had stayed with your party—’ He closed his eyes briefly. Took a breath as if mustering all of his patience. ‘What is done is done. But understand, I will not have you wandering off again.’
‘More commands? And where do you think I will go, my lord? I have no home, no relatives, no position of employment.’
‘You do have one position.’ His voice softened. ‘Mary, after our conversation in the carriage I thought...I had the impression...’
She lifted her chin and allowed a chill to creep into her voice. ‘What impression, my lord? That I had succumbed to your very obvious attempt at seduction?’
Pain filled his eyes. For once she had no trouble recognising his emotion and something horrid twisted inside her, like the blade of a knife slicing its way into her heart. Was she mad? She did not care if her words caused him pain. Could not.
She turned her face away, so she did not have to look into those fascinating silver-grey eyes, or to gaze on his handsome face. She was all too easily swayed by his wiles.
She was like a rabbit fascinated by the snake whose only intention was to make it the next meal. Little fool.
‘If you will excuse me,