His provocative tone somehow made her distrustful. “What shortcomings?” she asked warily, trying not to feel insulted.
The smile he flashed her was irresistible. “I will tell you tomorrow.”
Roslyn blinked, taken aback by the stunning impact of that potent male smile. The beauty of it made her heart lurch and her stomach flutter-both reactions she had never felt with Lord Haviland.
But before she could reply, the duke spoke. “Shall I see you at ten, then?”
“Yes, your grace.”
When he had bowed himself out, Roslyn muttered a soft oath. She shouldn’t let herself be so affected by her arousing tutor.
Of course, that was easier said than done. Even though she’d braced herself against his devastating appeal, she was far more attracted to him than was wise.
She knew better than to fall under the duke’s spell. Certainly she would never behave like the leagues of starry-eyed females who pictured themselves as his duchess. So what if his wicked smile set her pulse racing? If his mere nearness heightened her senses? Arden was a practiced lover who could charm and enchant any woman he pleased.
Not that he actually
Roslyn felt herself frown. Was that what he’d meant by her shortcomings? Her inability to enchant the opposite sex? She had certainly failed with Haviland this morning.
At the very least she had to overcome her awkward reserve with the earl. That seemed to be her biggest obstacle at the moment-shedding her self-consciousness long enough to try out her newly learned techniques of seduction on him.
But hopefully the duke could show her how tomorrow.
It was generous of him to continue her lessons, Roslyn reflected, especially when he had such a disdain for love and marriage. It was also a little sad that he would never know the joy of a love match, as she hoped to do one day.
Abruptly reproving herself, Roslyn shook her head, determined to put Arden from her mind until tomorrow morning.
As long as he was prepared to help her, his beliefs about love mattered not a whit.
Despite his reluctance to be alone with Roslyn, Drew kept his promise to call at Danvers Hall the next morning. He wanted to get her lesson over with, for the sooner he succeeded in helping her win Haviland, the sooner he could wash his hands of her.
She was in the library again, he discovered when he was shown in by the butler, and she looked pleased to see him.
“Did you call on Haviland yesterday?” was the first question she asked while moving to sit in a wing chair.
“Yes,” Drew answered as he settled in his usual place on the sofa. “We mainly discussed plans for his ball. I reviewed his guest list and gave him my opinion of those I knew.”
“No doubt he appreciated it,” Roslyn replied.
Drew shrugged. “I wouldn’t care to be in his shoes, having to perform for the ton like a dancing bear at a fair.”
“So do you mean to attend his ball?”
“Yes, I promised to make a show of support. Eleanor and her aunt are invited as well, and so is my friend Claybourne.”
Roslyn’s brow furrowed. “I trust the highwayman won’t strike again that night. It would reflect poorly on Haviland if any of his guests were assaulted.” She shuddered. “And I dread to think of someone else being threatened with a pistol, as we were.”
“I plan to escort Lady Freemantle to the ball myself,” Drew said. “If the brigand was specifically targeting her for the first robbery, as you believe, he may try a second time.”
She gave him a fervent look. “Oh, thank you! I have worried about her safety.”
“I think you may stop worrying. Haviland is taking extra precautions and has his defenses well in hand. And I will keep in touch with him meanwhile.”
“What else did you discuss?” Roslyn asked leadingly. “Did you mention me, perhaps?”
Drew couldn’t help but smile at her eagerness. “Only in the most flattering terms. He seems to think very highly of you. But our conversation soon turned to politics. Haviland wants to take up his seat in the Lords when Parliament reconvenes in the fall.”
“So he told me. It is one of the things I admire about him…that he is not the typical indolent nobleman.”
“Was that a gibe at me, darling?”
Roslyn dimpled. “Not really. I understand from Lady Freemantle that you take your ducal responsibilities quite seriously. Your estates reportedly are the model of modern agricultural management, and you are heavily involved in governmental affairs. I admit I find that admirable, even if it surprises me. Many noblemen spend their time in frivolous pursuits.”
“I find too much frivolity deathly boring,” Drew said quite truthfully. “And I think Haviland is of the same mind. He asked if I would be willing to advise him on the workings of the government, so I agreed. And I offered to lend him my secretary for a time.”
“That is extremely kind of you,” Roslyn observed. “You make an excellent tutor.”
She offered him a warm smile-a smile like a gift. That smile tantalized him against his will, and Drew shifted uneasily in his seat. “I suggested he begin by reading Cobbett’s
“I could loan him mine.”
“No, you don’t want him to think you too bookish.”
She laughed. “I suppose not.”
Her gaze turned thoughtful then, and she gave him a measuring glance. “I am curious, your grace. If you feel so strongly about your ducal responsibilities, do you intend to marry someday? I should think you would want heirs for your dukedom.”
“I will eventually,” Drew replied.
“I wondered. You have such an aversion to matrimony, I thought you might have decided never to wed.”
His smile was more of a grimace. “I know my duty. And I’m prepared to suffer a wife in order to beget heirs.”
“You sound very much like a misogynist.”
Drew grinned. “I like women well enough. I just can’t bear the thought of being shackled to one specific woman for life.”
“It is a pity that marital vows require a man to choose only one wife,” she replied, her tone teasing. “I presume you will make a marriage of convenience rather than love?”
“Of course.” His reply was bland. “Aristocrats don’t marry for love. For members of our class, marriage is a callous business transaction. A cold union of blood and titles and fortune. One that will likely end up proving tedious or even distasteful.”
“What a delightful prospect,” Roslyn said wryly. “My ideas for marriage are very different from yours, quite obviously.”
“Indeed. You believe in fairy tales.”
She smiled. “It is a shame you cannot hope for anything better. But perhaps someday you may encounter a woman you actually wish to marry.”
Drew frowned, wondering how he had come to be discussing matrimony. Usually his mind sheared away from the unpleasant subject. Oh, he knew he would do his duty eventually. But he had never given serious consideration to the woman he would one day wed. He only knew he didn’t want his duchess to be anything like his mother-a cold, grasping, power-hungry witch who thought only of her own needs and desires.
“Did your parents have anything to do with your aversion, as mine did?” Roslyn asked quite innocently.
His mother had a great deal to do with his aversion to marriage, Drew acknowledged to himself. “I would say
