He tried not to show his impatience. It was all a foregone conclusion. What was wrong with her? Every woman he knew would be melting with delight at such an offer.

“I’m speaking to you now.”

She made a dismissive sound. “And if you’d spoken to me in the first place, you wouldn’t have been left with egg on your face.”

He repressed the desire to check his face for egg. “What do you mean?”

“That I am not and never will be betrothed to you.”

Hart clenched his fists. “But you must. You’ve been compromised—all those people who saw us. Naturally I did the gentlemanly thing.” He’d calculated it all very carefully.

“Pfft! to your gentlemanly thing. I didn’t want it in the first place.”

He couldn’t believe her attitude. “Don’t you care about what people think?”

She shrugged. “Not much. People think all sorts of stupid things. Nothing to do with me.”

“But—”

“If it’s your reputation as a gentleman you’re worried about, don’t worry. You asked, I refused.”

Hart was stunned by her indifference. He didn’t give a hang about his reputation as a gentleman, but the ladies he knew were almost obsessive about theirs—especially the unmarried ones. “But the notice is in all the papers.”

“You put it in, you take it out.” She rose, and the dog beside her scrambled to its feet. “So, are we finished now? The rain has stopped and I want to continue walking my dog.”

“No,” he said curtly. “We’re not finished. This thing isn’t over. You don’t seem to realize the consequences of your actions—”

“My actions? You were there too,” she flashed.

“Our actions,” he conceded. “You refuse me now, but I cannot think you truly understand the consequences. I will give you time to think it over.”

She gave him a long, thoughtful look. “See, I was right. You can’t take no for an answer. Just exactly like Lord Towsett.”

Hart didn’t know what he wanted most—to strangle her or to kiss her senseless. Preferably both.

*   *   *

Having been balked of her prey in the morning, Aunt Agatha returned to Ashendon House in the late afternoon. Finding Georgiana out with her dog—again!—she informed the butler that she would speak to Ashendon and his wife. She found them in the small sitting room and wasted no time in presenting her views.

“Georgiana must be made to understand. It is simply not acceptable that she cause such a disgraceful scandal and smear the reputation of this family.”

“Lily was enmeshed in a scandal, too, but—” Emm began.

Aunt Agatha dismissed it with a wave. “That was purely gossip, spiteful gossip. Georgiana’s lewd behavior, witnessed in the flesh—and far too much of it at that—her almost-bare legs were wrapped around the duke’s waist! And witnessed by half the ton!”