A Dash of Scandal(59)

“We were and are talking about you and dancing.”

He stepped even closer to her. Millicent wanted to retreat, but there was no place for her to go except against the wall. She remained unmoving with her gaze held fast to his.

“No, we were talking about you and I being romantically linked in this column.” He dropped the paper to the rosewood table that stood against the wall near him.

She looked up at his handsome face, still marred by the frown of anger. “I’m sorry that it displeases you to have your name so closely linked to mine.”

“That’s not the problem and I think you know it. I’m not upset to have your name connected to mine.”

She made a point of taking a deep breath and a loud sigh of relief. “That is good to hear.”

“Millicent, it always displeases me when my name is stewed in scandalbroth, and recently it seems a daily occurrence. Tell me, how do you think Lord Truefitt found out that I blew you a kiss?”

“I suppose he must have seen you,” she answered with certain confidence.

“I don’t think so.”

“You seem sure of yourself.”

“I am. Have you forgotten that we were alone in that darkened hallway together when I blew that kiss? Just you and I and the candlelight.”

Millicent felt her eyes grow wide. Her heart slammed against her ribs. Angels above! She had been caught, and she had done it to herself.

“How can you be sure?” she asked.

“If anyone had seen us together that night it would have made the papers the next day or no later than the day after. So why has it suddenly shown up today?”

Millicent’s mind whirled. Perhaps there was still some way she could save herself and her aunt. She had to try. She couldn’t just give up without an argument.

“Perhaps Lord Truefitt is a spiritualist. That would explain why he knows so much.”

“A seer? I don’t think so.”

She hated to feel desperate! “It’s possible. There’s talk that the Mad Ton Thief is really Lord Pinkwater’s ghost.”

“I don’t believe that for a moment, and you are far too sensible and levelheaded to believe it.”

“Of course, I don’t believe the thief is a ghost. I’m merely pointing out there is the possibility of more than one way that Lord Truefitt could have known that you blew me a kiss.”

She moved to walk past him and away from the window where they stood. Chandler quickly stretched out his arm and braced his hand against the wall, stopping her from passing.

Suddenly he was much too close to Millicent.

He spoke in a low but firm tone. “I’m not going to let you change the subject, Millicent. We are talking about the column, not dancing, not the thief, not a ghost. The column with my name and your name in it. Remember?”

“I believe I do.”

“Good.” He folded his arms across his chest in a comfortable relaxed manner. “I have a theory regarding how this came about.”

“I’m sure the authorities would welcome any conjecture you have on the thief.”

His voice remained low and calm. “Nice try, but it’s not going to work. I’m talking about Lord Truefitt’s column, not the thief.”

“Oh.”

“Would you like to hear it?”

“No, I don’t believe I would,” she answered honestly. “And I think we’ve said about all there is to say on the subject.”

“I think you should hear it. I insist.”

She took another deep breath. “All right.”

“I think you are a spy for Lord Truefitt and his gossip colum—”

Before he finished the last word, Millicent stepped forward and placed her fingers against his lips, silencing him. “No, Lord Dunraven, please don’t say it aloud.” She glanced around to see if Glenda had returned and then quickly back to Lord Dunraven. “You mustn’t breathe a word out loud about your theory.”

While her fingers rested upon his lips, their eyes met and held for far too long. She felt as if he were trying to look into her soul and see the Millicent Blair she didn’t want him to know. Millicent felt his warm moist lips against her fingers, and didn’t want to take her hand away.

He grasped the palm of her hand and kissed the pads of all four of her fingers before lowering her hand and letting go of her.

“I can’t let you tempt me.”