the size of her brothers, and handsome. Dark features, and hair that curled slightly on the ends. She’d not seen him in the daylight hours but had got close enough to know his eyes were a deep, rich brown, and when they were focused on her she felt a strange sensation in her belly.
She wanted to ask more questions, but if she asked questions so could he, and she did not want that.
No man but those who shared her blood had ever touched her without her consent, and yet twice tonight that had happened. The first had been dealt with by Daniel, and then he’d lifted her off that chair, and his touch had made her toes curl inside her shoes. He was assured, she thought, and confident in who he was. She knew men of noble birth like that.
“Do you live nearby, Daniel? Is that what had you in the Duck and Goose again? Or is it as I suspected, that you love to listen to Eros as much as I?”
“My secret is out,” he drawled, making her laugh.
“It is safe with me.”
“Actually, I was walking my sister home before attending my weekly lesson, but as I had some time beforehand, I thought to take some refreshment in the Duck and Goose.”
His voice was nice. Deep and comforting. Which made no sense at all.
“Lesson? At this hour?”
He hesitated.
“Forgive me, I should not pry. You don’t have to tell me.”
“I have as yet not even told my family what it is I do on a Thursday evening.”
“So now I am extremely curious but will not push you for an answer.”
“Of course you will, because like my sisters, you will do it subtly. Dig little pieces of information out of me until I have given you all the answers you require without even realizing it.”
“I had wondered if it was just me who does that.” Abby looked at his profile again and felt her heart beat a little faster.
“I suspect all girl babies are born with the ability.”
“It is a lesson well learned at a young age, sir, and a hugely valuable one.”
His laugh was low and deep and the hand that touched her back once more, guiding her around a puddle, reassuring.
A gentleman, she thought, even though he did not hold a title.
Abby stayed silent. Often when she wanted to get something out of her brothers, this was the tactic she used.
“My family would not believe it if someone told them.”
“Then don’t tell them, Daniel.”
“Thus far I have managed to keep it undetected.”
“It?”
“What I need for the lesson.”
“If I guess, will you tell me if I am correct?”
“Possibly not.”
Abby laughed. “Oh, very well, I shall leave the matter alone and say only that should you wish to attend, then I have no problem with continuing on alone.”
“If you think I will leave a woman like you walking alone at this time of night, think again.”
“A woman like me?”
His dark eyes settled on her, and suddenly she couldn’t breathe.
“Beautiful.”
Abby had been flattered by many, but that one word affected her more.
“Thank you. But I hope all women deserve to be protected, and not just because of the way they look.”
He sighed loudly. “That did not come out as I meant it to, and of course all women deserve to be protected, which sadly is not always the case. You’re one of those devilishly tricky females who would challenge a poor man’s words constantly, aren’t you?”
“It’s my fondest wish to always be such a woman, and I certainly challenge my brothers.”
“They have my sympathies, as my sisters challenge me and my brothers also.”
“Excellent.” Abby smiled. A wide, joyful one, because that’s how she felt right in that moment with him. Joyful.
“You are a very beautiful woman, Abby. I just needed to say those words to you, as I had no chance when last we met.”
She waved them away, uncomfortable as most would be.
“I always speak the truth and meant every word. You are beautiful.”
“Really? Always?”
“Yes.”
“So if one of your sisters walked into your front parlor in a dress that was a hideous cut and color that made her look sallow, you would tell her?” Abby turned to walk backward, needing to see his face. “You’re hesitating, Daniel.”
“I’m thinking, Abby.”
“It is a simple yes or no.”
“There is nothing simple about insulting a woman, and especially a sister.”
She giggled.
“Perhaps not in that situation then. So yes, I may stretch the truth slightly but for the greater good.”