Lord Markham's emerald eyes twinkled as his gaze drifted over her and she felt so hot she feared she'd set the seat ablaze.
One corner of his mouth curved up into a sinful smile. "You would not be so free with your compliments if you knew what I was thinking."
All the air left her lungs.
"Perhaps thinking is the wrong word," he continued in a playful tone. "Imagining seems much more appropriate."
He was teasing her, probably because he did not know how to take a compliment. "I did not say I didn't believe the salacious things I've heard. Just that I have been fortunate enough to meet the man, not the scoundrel."
"Don't dismiss the scoundrel," he said raising an arrogant brow. "Granted, he has an entirely different range of talents. But you may find you like him all the more."
"I doubt it. A man who loves with his anatomy, as opposed to his heart, can never truly satisfy either himself or the woman he chooses to please."
Lord Markham snorted. "Would you care to put such an absurd theory to the test?"
The offer sounded surprisingly tempting. After all, as a widow, she was free to pursue a liaison as long as she kept it discreet. But Grace smiled and shook her head.
"If your intention is seduction, you must do so with your character, my lord. I find boasting fills me with loathing, and the lack of genuine sentiment leaves me cold to my bones."
The thought of intimate relations purely to ease a physical urge brought memories of Henry flooding back. To lie with a man knowing he dreamed of another destroyed the soul. Recovery was slow and painful, and she would rather not experience it again.
Lord Markham leaned forward and said softly, "If your intention is to seduce me with words, you're doing a remarkable job of it."
Grace folded her arms across her chest. "May I remind you, such flattery is conducive to failure."
"What if I told you I find you enchanting?" His voice sounded smooth and rich. "What if I said, in my dreams, I have rained kisses along the soft skin above your collarbone? The sensations causing you to tremble whilst lying naked in my arms."
Oh, he was extremely good at this game.
"Then I would tell you that your words are capable of rousing my desire. But such words cannot inflame my heart. Such words cannot stir a passion so deep I would die without it. I could never settle for anything less."
"Then you suggest I am doomed to fail. You should know, failure is not a word I am comfortable with."
She wondered if his illness made him bolder. If fighting against such rigid constraints is what forced him to avoid life's complications. One mistake and he could die. To live knowing your life dangled precariously, surely hardened a heart to all emotion.
"You forget, I have experience of your heartless kisses. The memory is not one I care to revisit."
He sighed. "I agree. It was a pretty poor show. I won't make the same mistake again."
Grace's heart fluttered at the declaration. "It is the mark of a true gentleman to own up to one's faults."
"You value honesty, and so I am more than happy to give it to you."
Why did he make his last remark sound the most salacious of all?
The carriage ground to halt, and she fell forward. Lord Markham put his hand on her elbow to steady her, the considerate gesture doing far more to warm her heart than his bawdy banter.
"I shall have a word with my coachman concerning his sloppy driving. I fear Gibbs can be quite reckless in his pursuits."
She smiled. "Well, they say one's staff takes their lead from their master."
He laughed, his eyes alight with amusement. "I concede," he said holding up his hands after helping her down to the pavement. "You are the victor in this bout of quips. But know that I shall look forward to a rematch."
Lord Markham was still smiling when the butler escorted them into the hall and tapped lightly on a door to his left.
"Just give us a minute," a masculine voice boomed from behind the door.
Grace heard mumbling, giggling, what sounded like someone banging into a table.