sense of humour so appealed to his own that Zachary knew if he did not have a care he would find himself laughing once again, a move guaranteed to completely nullify the distance that he had deliberately put between them this past few minutes. It was a distance Zachary knew he desperately needed to maintain if he were to continue to keep the upper hand with this particular woman. If, indeed, he still had it. If he had ever had it?
Georgianna’s flight from a marriage to him ten months ago would seem to imply, that even as the flirtatious and slightly immature Lady Georgianna Lancaster, she had possessed a wilfulness that had been strong enough to at least ensure the unwanted marriage did not take place. The Georgianna who had returned from France was even more determined to defy, and alternately beguile, him at every turn.
Zachary held himself stiffly. ‘Luckily I do not need your permission to do anything I wish, or go anywhere I please, whereas the same obviously cannot be said of you.’ He eyed her challengingly.
Rebellion glowed in those violet-coloured eyes. ‘The bedchamber you have allocated for my use is far superior to my lodgings at Mrs Jenkins’s house. It also has the added advantage of being given to me completely free of charge.’
Experience, so far in their reacquaintance, had served to show Zachary that it was doubtful he would ever manage to have the last word in a conversation with this particular woman. ‘That could change at any moment,’ he drawled challengingly in an attempt to do so.
Her chin rose stubbornly as she met that challenge. ‘Your threats grow as wearisome to me as my company has become boring to you.’
The smile refused to be denied this time as Zachary gave a weary, defeated shake of his head. His lack of sleep the night before was certainly taking its toll on him now. A disadvantage Georgianna obviously did not suffer from. ‘I do believe your tenacity of will has worn me down for this evening, Georgianna.’
‘I am glad to hear it,’ she replied pertly. ‘Now, if you will excuse me? I really would prefer to return to my room.’
And Zachary, much as he might prefer to go out for the rest of the evening, well away from the temptation of knowing Georgianna was in the bedchamber adjoining his own, now knew himself to be so tired, from lack of sleep and the exhaustion of constantly crossing verbal swords with Georgianna, that he wanted nothing more than to go to his own bedchamber and sleep like the dead for a dozen hours or more.
He nodded abruptly. ‘I will arrange for Hinds to bring you up a tray of food shortly.’
She arched one dark brow. ‘Do you not intend to lock me in again first?’
He smiled slightly. ‘I believe Hinds may find it rather difficult to deliver your tray if the door is locked.’
‘And if I should attempt to escape in the meantime?’
Zachary took two predatory steps forward, coming to a halt just inches in front of Georgianna and forcing her to tilt her head back in order to look up at him.
‘If you were to escape, Georgianna, then I should then have the pleasure of tracking you down,’ he told her softly. ‘And when I had, you may be assured I should extract the necessary revenge for your having dared to defy me.’
Georgianna repressed a shiver of apprehension as she saw the raw intensity of emotion glittering in the hard depths of Zachary’s eyes. Challenge. Confidence. Amusement.
It was the latter emotion that caused her to straighten resentfully. ‘You would have to find me first. Something I believe you were not too successful in doing ten months ago,’ she added with deliberate sweetness.
His lids narrowed about those silver eyes. ‘Perhaps that is because I did not bother to look too hard for my obviously reluctant bride?’
Colour warmed her cheeks. ‘As you had never so much as bothered even speaking to her, I am not surprised. Indeed, as I have already told you, my only surprise is that you haven’t found my replacement and married since.’
Zachary looked down at her coldly, only too well aware that his time for marrying, and producing an heir, was ticking by faster than he would have wished. ‘Perhaps that is because I have decided to be more cautious in my second attempt at matrimony.’
‘How sad to know you were the second choice for the Duke of Hawksmere’s duchess!’ she retorted tartly.
He drew in a sharp breath. ‘My wife will not be my second choice, but the correct one. Which you, most assuredly, were not.’
The colour deepened in Georgianna’s cheeks. ‘Then it appears we may both be thankful for having escaped such an ill-matched union.’
‘Indeed, we can,’ Zachary bit out harshly.
They stared each other down for several more long seconds before Georgianna turned sharply on her heel and walked hastily from the room.
Much as he might wish to, Zachary did not trouble himself in following her, knowing he was in no mood at the moment to deal with her gently. Besides, he had meant it when he said he would very much enjoy the pleasure of recapturing her, and extracting payment, if she should try to escape Hawksmere House.
And him.
‘It is past time you woke up, Georgianna.’
Georgianna roused slowly from the deepness of her slumbers at the sound of that intruding voice. She’d been sleeping so deeply, lost in a most wonderful dream. A dream where she had felt both safe and warm, something she had not been for so very long.
‘Georgianna!’
She frowned as the impatient voice rallied her for a second time. She was so very reluctant to relinquish those feelings of safety after months of fear and the nervousness of discovery.
‘If you do not open your eyes in the next few seconds, Georgianna, then you will leave me with no choice but to throw this jug of cold water over you.’
It really was Hawksmere talking to her, she realised with a groan.
For surely only Zachary Black, the forceful Duke of Hawksmere, could be so very demanding? So impatient for her to obey his every instruction, he threatened to douse her in water?
She forced her lids to open before going up on her elbows to seek his exact location in the half gloom of the bedchamber. ‘What? That was deliberately cruel.’ She glowered across the room at the duke as she saw he stood beside where he had just thrown back the curtains fully in order to let in the brightness of the morning’s sunshine.
He gave a hard and unapologetic smile. ‘But no doubt preferable to the dousing in cold water. Of course, the water for washing was not cold when it was delivered to your room three hours ago,’ he added scathingly. ‘But it most certainly will be now.’
Three hours ago? ‘What time is it?’ Georgianna pushed the silky curtain of her hair over her shoulders.
Hawksmere strode impatiently to the bedside, revealing he was already dressed for the day, in a dark grey superfine, silver brocade waistcoat over white linen, with pale grey pantaloons and brown-topped
