How to Turn a Frog into a Prince - Bree Wolf Page 0,32

she made an appearance somewhere. It reminded him of his brother’s letters. As an American, Zach had not been welcomed into English society with open arms, either. Nathanial, too, felt their cautious looks on occasion, trying to gauge his worth, to determine whether or not he would fit into their midst.

The verdict on Miss Palmer’s exclusion, however, was definite and final. Was that why she was pursuing him? Was she hoping for a proposal, knowing an English gentleman would never dare make her his wife? Was that why she had kissed him?

Nathanial gritted his teeth, hating that the memory of their moment together was now tainted with betrayal and falsehood.

“What was her name?” Miss Palmer asked, something knowing lurking in her warm, brown gaze as she moved closer.

Nathanial swallowed, unsettled by the familiarity that had no right to linger between them. “Pardon me?”

“The woman you were to marry, what was her name?”

Shocked by her words, Nathanial felt his hands ball into fists. “Who told you?”

“Does it matter?”

Nathanial glared at her. “I’d appreciate it if you would refrain from addressing me in the future.” Then he made to stride past her.

Miss Palmer, however, stepped in his path. “I’m not her,” she told him, those dark eyes of hers once more looking at him as though they had known each other forever. “I did not betray you. Yes, I…withheld the truth, and I’m sorry for that.” When he opened his mouth to object, she lifted a hand to stop him. “I did nothing to warrant this kind of distrust. It was her, not me.”

Always had Nathanial been a reasonable man, and thus he could not fail to acknowledge that her words made sense. They also rang true. Still… “Why did you not tell me who you were?”

Her eyes moved and the expression upon her face changed, became more relaxed, relieved even. “When we first met at Pembroke Hall,” she began, her voice kind and companionable as though she truly were speaking to a friend, “you had that same distrust in your eyes I see tonight. But at the masquerade, when I came to your rescue, you…did not.” A slow smile teased her lips, and her eyes shone with open delight. “I could see that your heart was open, that you looked at me and wanted to see someone who cared. You cannot deny that you liked me last night.”

Indeed, Nathanial could not deny it. He had liked her, but would it be wise to admit to it? Would it not make him vulnerable? Give her power over him? After all, he still did not know why she was pursuing him so relentlessly? “I did…like you.” Nathanial was no man for falsehoods, not even in his own defense.

He never had been.

And he had paid for it dearly.

Still, a man needed to stand by his principles, did he not?

“Perhaps that made it worse,” Miss Palmer remarked, a thoughtful look upon her face. “You opened your heart…and now you feel betrayed again.” Sadness stood in her eyes. “It gives you reason to shut others out. But if you do, you’ll also never experience moments like last night.” The memory of their shared moment lingered upon her face, and Nathanial could not help but feel that she, too, savored it.

“Why did you not tell me?” he asked, afraid his heart would open to her once again should he not give it reason enough to be cautious.

“I was afraid you would not speak to me if you knew who I was,” Miss Palmer replied without a moment’s hesitation. But did that mean she was being honest? The sad reality was that Nathanial no longer trusted himself to tell a lie from the truth. “I was afraid that you would turn around and walk away.”

“Why would you care?” Bitterness clung to Nathanial’s words; even he knew that. “I am no one to you.”

Miss Palmer looked at him then in a way no one ever had before. There was something in her gaze that made him squirm, that made him want to run away, afraid she might be able to see to his core…and find him lacking. As Abigail had. “That’s not true.” Her words were soft-spoken, but rang with a vehemence that almost knocked Nathanial off his feet. “We may not know each other well, but you’re not no one to me. I said that I wanted to be your friend, and I meant it.”

Staring down at her, Nathanial was overcome with a strange and altogether unfamiliar emotion: