to do nothing but simply breathe to offend me." I glanced back at him, awaiting his reaction.
Unaffected, he continued to smirk, enjoying the verbal sparring. "Then I will try to hold my breath."
"Please do."
"Where is your friend, Miss Westin?" The question I was dreading.
"She's… unwell at the moment and chose to leave early." Suffering from a broken heart… because of you.
His playful demeanor changed, and he appeared to be genuinely concerned, which didn't add up. He held no real affection for her, did he? "What is wrong?" His tense posture negated his casual question.
"Nothing serious, simply a bug," I fudged, not wanting to divulge any information. Amelia would never forgive me if I spoke of the real reason for her early departure.
"Bug? She was bitten by something, you say?" he asked, clearly not understanding my response.
"Not an actual bug, a virus of some sort," I amended.
"Virus? What on earth do you mean?" A concerned and confused expression twisted his features as his body became increasingly tense.
What did they call it? There's a word… I closed my eyes and paged through the books in my head, searching for the right one. "Ague!" I shouted, proud that I'd remembered such a strange word. Certainly now he'd understand. A few people stared but went back to their genteel conversations shortly.
"I had no idea it was so serious! Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Lord Rake demanded impatiently.
"It's not, she just was… feeling poorly."
"But you just said that—"
Irritated at the utter miscommunication I silently counted to ten. "I'm certain she will be feeling better in a day or two. It is nothing serious." I spoke evenly, hoping that he'd understand.
He rocked back on his heels and glared at me. He indignation was conveyed by his impatient headshake.
"It's not my fault! I had to put it in terms you understood," I shot back.
Glaring, he opened his mouth — to give me a scathing reply, I'm sure — but stopped as the spark returned to his eyes. He smiled. "Well, catching the ague…" He cleared his throat. "…would be an excellent reason to receive roses, don't you think, Miss Westin?"
"Maybe you should send them to Miss Windton instead. I'm sure she'll appreciate them more," I stated bluntly. I had no patience left for either of them. They deserved each other.
"Pardon?" Lord Heath asked. His expression conveyed confusion at my remark. I simply waited, tapping my slippered foot. Get there faster, buddy, I thought as he glanced down. His eyes met mine suddenly as if remembering, and I turned to walk away. He gripped my elbow in a polite but firm grasp. I glared at his grip on my arm, then his face. My lips twisted and I clenched my teeth, severely annoyed and angered by his behavior
"You are mistaken, Miss Westin. You should know some things are never what they seem."
He spoke sincerely, but I wasn't buying it. "And sometimes they are exactly what they seem," I countered, pulling my arm away.
"In this case, they are not. I do not hold affection for, nor do I even like, Miss Windton. If I remember correctly, even for a rake of my renown, I acted honorably. What exactly have you taken offense to?" he asked openly, without sarcasm.
"Yes, well, you…" I thought about what I had seen. I only remembered seeing Arynna's actions, her over-the-top flirting. "You smiled," I remarked unconvincingly. The argument sounded weak even to my own ears.
"Like I'm smiling at you right now," he said with a devilish grin.
"Yes, but, you didn't try to leave. She was all over you."
"No, she was not 'all over me', as you put it. I was appeasing her so I could leave quickly. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that if someone like Miss Windton thinks they've gotten the attention they were after, they'll leave you alone. That was my intention, Miss Westin. My only intention. Now tell me, was Miss Amelia upset by my conversation with Miss Windton?" His eyes were dark, daring me to lie to him. Maybe there was hope after all.
"I think you should speak with Amelia."
"Then maybe I do have a reason to send roses." He spoke without the air of confidence I was accustomed to hearing in his voice.
"Lord Rake, you should know that a woman never needs an occasion for roses."
As I finished speaking, Morgan strode purposefully toward us and nodded.
"Lord Heath." Morgan spoke, extending his arm for me to grasp. The two men sized up one another,