The Scarlet Bride by Cheryl Ann Smith Read Free Book Online

her stare. “Still, you cannot begrudge me an afternoon spent in the delightful company of a lovely woman?”
    This argument was getting her nowhere. He had made up his mind to accompany her and wasn’t about to be put off. Hopefully, he’d quickly become bored with her aimless wanderings and leave her alone.
    “As you wish,” she said with a sigh and urged Muffin onward. “But let me assure you, if you expect an exciting frolic around the countryside, you’ll be disappointed. Muffin, and I, do not frolic.”
    She could feel the weight of his gaze on her. Oddly, though, she wasn’t uneasy with him, in spite of the way he’d quickly subdued her attackers. With evil footmen, he was a clear threat. The two men were likely still licking their wounds. With her, he was well contained and nonthreatening.
    If he planned to drag her off into the bushes and violate her, there was no hint of that darkness on his face.
    “The excitement will come from spending time in your charming company,” Mister Harrington said. “I believe we two will not suffer a single dull moment.”
    Laura tried to look at him askance, but the brim of the bonnet proved an effective barrier. She impatiently pushed it back, then squinted under the attack of sunlight in her eyes.
    “You, sir, do not know a thing about me.” She lifted one hand to shade her eyes. “I could be very, very dull.”
    His smile was wide and disarming, the sort that made women swoon.
    Thankfully, she was immune. There wouldn’t be any swooning today, or any other day.
    “Are you
really
dull, Miss Laura?” He asked the question with mock sincerity. “Please tell me that you are not dreadfully dull.”
    She shrugged. “If I say yes, then you will think I am dull and my womanly pride will not allow it. And if I say no, then I am filled with conceit for thinking myself a fascinating creature. I cannot win either way.”
    He fell silent for a moment, and then smoothed down his artfully knotted white cravat before cocking up one brow. “Can I offer my opinion on the matter?”
    “Would it gain me anything to say no?”
    “I fear not.”
    “Then proceed.”
    Truthfully, she wanted to know his opinion. At the same time, he was much like the fly currently buzzing around Muffin’s pointed ears. If she waved him away, he’d keep coming back with equal determination to pester her until a swat ended the matter.
    They came upon a split in the road and he headed left. Laura reluctantly followed. Once they were again side by side, he picked up the conversation.
    “When one thinks of a person as dull, there are usually several reasons on which to base such an opinion, don’t you think?” He waited for her nod. “A person’s lack of conversational skills or endless pontificating on one especially dull topic can breed a dullard. Perhaps even a crushing shyness that makes lively conversation impossible. All of these do a person discredit when socializing. One, or even the whole, can lead one to become reputed to be dull and therefore avoided in social situations.”
    “I suppose that is correct.” Laura couldn’t fault his reasoning thus far. But what did this have to do with her?
    To Laura, this conversation itself was growing tiresome. “Sir, you really must get to the point. Am I dull or am I not?”
    There wasn’t a need to look up to know he was smiling. Her impatience would only add to his wry humor.
    “I have seen you face down footmen with fierce courage, half-frozen with fear and cold. You forge ahead with your life, in spite of having no family support or a clear path to follow. And today you have given me glimpses into your sharp and fascinating mind.” He shook his head. “My Lady Laura, you are most certainly not dull.”
    Laura sat in the bobbing seat and thought about his observation. She once considered herself witty and carefree. There had been friendships and young men to flirt with and a father who taught her to enjoy books and lively conversation.