Page 16 of Courting Claudia
“Do you not have anything to say?” he asked.
“I’m not certain what to say.” She frowned, then the lines in her forehead smoothed and she gave him a little smile—two dimples pierced her cheeks. It was a most becoming smile. Genuine. She really was quite fetching.
“That is quite amusing, Mr. Middleton, but I should think you had better use of your time than teasing a girl like me.”
“I don’t follow.”
“Well, since you cannot be serious, it must mean that you are playing a joke on me, and while I’m sure you find it vastly entertaining, I do not share your humor in the situation.” She tilted her chin up ever so slightly. “Were I not the kind of woman I am, I might have my feelings hurt by your mockery.”
Damn. He hated to lie, but he had no choice. He needed her. For his paper. “I assure you I am not mocking you. I came here to express my honest intentions of courting you. You mentioned a need to marry, and I find you utterly charming.” Well, at least that wasn’t a lie—she was charming. “I thought if you would have me, I would like to throw my hat, as it were, into the pile and try to win your hand.”
She released a giggle. The throaty sound played havoc on his nerves. “Into the pile?” she asked.
“Correct.”
“I don’t believe there is an actual pile, sir.”
“Richard Foxmore is courting you, is he not?”
She nodded curtly. “He is.”
“And are you engaged?”
“Not officially.”
“Has he ever proposed marriage?”
She smoothed her hands across her skirt. “No, he has not. But I believe he and my father have discussed it.”
Richard was a spineless bastard. He no doubt was dragging his feet, waiting for a better offer elsewhere. All the while, he strung Claudia along. “If he has not proposed to you, then he lays no claim on you. I am free to court you. Isn’t that correct?”
“I suppose that if a girl is not engaged and is not necessarily in love with one suitor, then she is in a position to accept other suitors.”
Interesting. “So you admit that you do not love Richard?”
She visibly bristled. “I did not say that. I was speaking hypothetically. Whether or not I love Richard is, frankly, none of your concern.”
A sharp tongue too. She became more fascinating by the moment. A breeze fluttered a stray curl to rest on her cheek. He fought the urge to reach up and tuck it behind her ear.
“Why is it so hard to believe that I would court you when you have one suitor already?”
Her eyes narrowed, and tiny lines fanned out in the corners. “You and Richard are…different.”
“Aside from our birth positions, how exactly are we different? We are both men who obviously share similar taste in beautiful women.”
She stiffened. “Do not mock me, sir.” Her words came out slow and tight.
He’d hit upon a sore spot. She wasn’t beautiful in the fashionable sense—she was shorter and fleshier than most women, but she had a beauty all her own. Her blond curls whispered for a touch, and her perfect mouth begged for a kiss. And her breasts—he didn’t even want to think about what her breasts needed.
What he had to do was convince her she was desirable. Considering his half-aroused state, that shouldn’t be too difficult.
“I was not trying to mock you.” He let his words settle a bit before he continued. “So tell me, what is it that Richard does to woo you? How has he won your heart?”
She frowned. “You’d like to know what, precisely?”
“What does Richard do—how does he court you?”
She opened her mouth, then shut it.