you?”
“Of course! It’s just… making plans while hundreds of miles away from him is not quite the same as being face to face with him.”
Lady Whitmore smiled faintly. “Certainly, he is an imposing young man, a man of distinction and power whom it would be foolish to take lightly.” She hesitated, then beckoned to her. “My dear, there are many ways in which gentlemen can take advantage of a woman. The law regards us as inferior to men, but we are not powerless, and we should never throw away such power as we do have. So, you have to decide. Do you want power over him? Do you want him at your feet? Do you want to be friends? Will you just walk away from your revenge? You still have total freedom to choose.”
“Of course, I will not walk away,” Sarah said at once. She straightened her back. “He took me by surprise, but I shall be ready for him now.” I am an educated lady of culture, accomplishments, and refinement, she told herself severely. I am easily a match for him.
The door opened then, but only to admit Hammy and Miss Frobe, Lady Whitmore’s companion, who had been discussing potted plants in the latter’s sitting room. This gave Sarah additional time to compose herself, and by the time the duke appeared, she was ready for him.
Which is not to say the mode of his arrival did not surprise her, for though now immaculately groomed and dressed for dinner, he strode impetuously into the room, exclaiming, “My lady, your library is truly magnificent. I dared not hope—.”
Abruptly, he broke off, his eyes widening as they discovered Sarah.
She met his gaze with tolerant amusement.
He recovered quickly. “My fair unknown!” He smiled and bowed before turning to Lady Whitmore. “Forgive me, ma’am, I did not realize you had other guests. My enthusiasm ran away with me.”
“So we perceive,” Lady Whitmore replied pleasantly. “Allow me to present Miss Sarah and Miss Hammy. Ladies, His Grace, the Duke of Vexen. And Mr. James.”
Only then did Sarah notice the gentleman who had followed the duke. A quiet, self-effacing man, perhaps a secretary or assistant of some kind. Possibly the same man who had accompanied him across the courtyard, though she wondered how huge an entourage he traveled with. But she could not allow her mind to wander while he was bearing down upon her.
She could not help the flutter of her heart, for with the teasing smile in his eyes, he was extremely attractive. But she had herself well in control, offering him her hand with perfect grace.
He took it and bowed over it punctiliously. “Merely Miss Sarah?”
“Merely?” she repeated. “I might accuse you of incivility.”
He smiled. “Except you are hardly obtuse and quite understand I meant your lack of surname.”
“Most here do not use their surnames,” Lady Whitmore observed. “In Whitmore, people prefer the arts and learning to worldly ambition, and are generally happy to leave high or low rank behind them.”
“And yet you have a vast library of genealogy,” the duke observed.
“It is the privilege of the Lady of Whitmore,” she replied. “I alone know who everyone is.”
“But everyone seems to know who I am. I feel at a disadvantage.”
“Not at all,” Sarah assured hm. “Here, no one cares who you are.”
He blinked, clearly stunned, and then, to her surprise, let out a breath of laughter. “Well, that will be good for my self-conceit.”
“Probably,” Sarah agreed serenely. “But you must not mind if you are not intellectually inclined. There are interests and activities to please all tastes.”
The duke, who was considered expert in many fields including art, antiquities, and music, swallowed that with a mere quirk of the lips. He sat in the chair next to Sarah’s. “I already gather your tastes lie in music. If Fernando Arcadi is your teacher, I am in awe. How did you meet him?”
“Lady Whitmore introduced us. I, too, was in awe, for I had heard him sing in Florence.”
“In Florence?” he said quickly. “That is one of my favorite cities in the world.”
“And mine…” From there, the time flew as they compared impressions of Florence’s art and architecture, moved on to Paris and the Louvre, to Napoleon Bonaparte and the politics of peace in Europe. He had opinions on everything, but seemed eager to hear her views and delighted with her knowledge.
Although she had set out to display these things to him, her pleasure in his approval was tempered by cynicism. She was showing him what