“I’m well aware. I’m not going to make a hasty decision. I fully understand the responsibilities I will take on as the wife of a lord. Managing my shop as much as anything has helped prepare me for them. I intend to be a great help to my husband, ensuring he never regrets taking a chance on me.”

“Any man who regrets having you at his side would be a fool. I think you’re too smart to marry a fool.”

“I’m not as smart as you think. I probably shouldn’t be here with you.”

“Why are you?”

“Because I like you a great deal. I enjoy your company. And while all my lessons have prepared me to oversee my duties and responsibilities, I’ve had no lessons whatsoever in how to entice a man into wanting me. As I’ve mentioned, my family has worked very hard to keep me pure and away from those with wicked intentions. As a result, I feel somewhat . . . unmoored when it comes to being alone with a man. I don’t know how to properly kiss—”

“I found no fault with your kiss, sweeting.”

“It seems to me, though, that perhaps I should practice a bit more, simply to ensure I’ve mastered the technique.”

He skimmed his thumb over her lower lip. “If you practice at balls or with other gentlemen, you’re going to gain a reputation that will not serve you well. I suggest you have but one tutor, one who will keep the lessons secret.”

“Have you someone in mind?” The hushed words came out slowly, seductively, and his body reacted as though she’d brushed them over his skin.

“You’re not quite as innocent as you seem, are you?”

“I’ve read some books banned under the Obscene Publications Act, so I know a few things, but reading is never as educational as doing. Does my boldness frighten you, Mr. Sommersby?”

Her eyes held a challenge that he intended to accept. “Not at all, Miss Trewlove.”

He’d begun slowly before. This time, he offered no preamble. He simply took possession of her mouth as though it belonged to him, and damned if at that particular moment, he didn’t feel as though it did. As though she belonged to him. Every facet of her. Her heart, her soul, her body. Ah, yes, especially her body as she twisted toward him, her breasts pressing up against his chest, her leg swinging up and over his thigh, trapping him within her skirts. Her hands glided over his shoulders, one resting at the nape of his neck, the other sliding along his arm and then ducking under it to splay across his back. Wrapping himself around her, he lowered her to the ground.