A Scandalous Publication by Sandra Heath Read Free Book Online Page B

you? If you’re returning to Henrietta Street, it’s quite on my way.”
    “No. Thank you. I’ll wait until the rain stops.”
    “You may have a long wait. It seems to me that this is something more than a short shower.”
    She wished he would leave her, for exchanging idle pleasantries with him was never easy. “Are you an expert on the weather, Sir Maxim? I can see blue sky approaching, and to me that signifies an imminent end to the rain.”
    He studied her for a long moment. “London doesn’t seem to have improved your manners, madam.”
    “My manners are not at fault, sir,” she replied coolly.
    “No? Well, if that’s the case, the implication must be that there’s something about me that is at fault, and since I know that it’s not my manners, it has to be something else. Have you been listening to scurrilous rumors, Miss Wyndham?” He was looking at the three volumes she still held so closely. “So, Glenarvon is. your taste in literature. That explains a great deal.”
    “About what, exactly?”
    “Your willingness to appreciate the finer points of scandal. That is the reason for your cold manner now, isn’t it?”
    An angry flush stole into her cheeks. “What constitutes scandal, sir? I’m not a connoisseur of the subject, never having caused any myself.”
    “How very dull of you.”
    “Possibly, but then I wouldn’t presume to judge, since I’ve always been content with my dullness.”
    “You do not strike me as being satisfied with your lot, Miss Wyndham; indeed, far from it.”
    This was too much. “Please, Sir Maxim, will you leave me alone? I have no desire whatsoever to speak to you.”
    “I know, and I find the fact extremely vexing, since I know full well that at the moment it’s based on nothing more than hearsay. You don’t really know anything about me, madam, but you’re woefully prepared to believe the worst anyway.” He still ignored the rain, which had soaked his costly coat as he stood there, his steady, shrewd gaze upon her as she sheltered in the doorway.
    If he was vexed, however, she felt the same. Glancing deliberately at the scar on his cheek, she replied scornfully. “Are you suggesting, sir, that you are completely innocent and misunderstood?”
    “Hardly, since that would of a certainty lay me open to ridicule, but I am saying that I’m not as black as some have seen fit to paint me.”
    “No doubt the devil himself has been heard to make the same claim.”
    “I wouldn’t know,” he said softly, “since I’ve never presumed to think myself in his confidence.”
    The flush was still hot on her cheeks. “Please go, sir, for this conversation serves no purpose.”
    “I have no intention of going until you’ve at least allowed me the courtesy of a fair hearing,” he replied, very deliberately offering her his arm. “Now, then, are you and Lady Caroline Lamb going to accept my offer, or shall we stand here in public until full attention is drawn to us?’
    She glanced around, seeing that several people were already looking a little curiously in their direction. “Sir, I don’t wish to accept anything from you.”
    “Then we stand here.” He folded his arms, still holding her gaze.
    “I seem to recall,” she said coldly, “that you once boasted that your conduct toward me had at all times been correct.”
    “I also said that my conduct was always the result of yours, which it is at this very moment. Be sensible, Miss Wyndham, my carriage would be much more convenient for you right now, and I promise you that whatever you may have heard to the contrary, it is not my habit to molest ladies in broad daylight in the middle of London. Your chastity is perfectly safe; you may be perfectly assured of that.”
    She felt she had no choice, for she did not like the attention they were attracting. Reluctantly she accepted his arm, stepping from the shelter of the library doorway and across the rainswept pavement to the waiting carriage. He bandied her