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boring is definitely something you are not.”
    “I don’t know how you can say that,” she retorted somewhat crossly. “There is really no need for you to be polite. I haven’t said any of the things I should. I have been blunt and no doubt impolite. I have never danced before with any man I haven’t known since I could toddle. And now I cannot even come up with the most commonplace remark.”
    His chuckle was low and warm and made something curl deliciously deep within her abdomen. “It may surprise you to learn that I am happy not to hear the most commonplace remark.”
    “Oh, you know what I mean.” Really, the man was maddening. “You shouldn’t laugh at someone who is admitting their grievous social ineptitude.”
    “What else should I do?” His teeth glinted in the darkness. “Let me assure you that I have danced with a great many girls whom I have not known since childhood. And I have heard a great many commonplace remarks. It is, quite frankly, a relief to enjoy the quiet and cool of the garden without hearing that the weather is quite nice this evening or that the breeze is most refreshing or that the party is so enjoyable.”
    “I thought of saying all those things, but I could not bring myself to do it.”
    “And for that, I thank you.” He leaned forward, surprising her by taking her chin between his thumb and fingers. “How old are you, Miss Bainbridge? I daresay you haven’t made your come-out yet.”
    “No.” Thea could barely get out the word. His movement was startling and, at the same time, thrilling. She was certain that this was not the sort of thing she should be doing, but she was not about to pull away. “I am seventeen.”
    He smiled. “I think the bachelors of London are in for a surprise.”
    It occurred to her that his statement could be taken in a way that was less than complimentary, but then all thought flew from her head as he bent and kissed her.
    His kiss was neither long nor deep, but it was the only kiss she had ever received from a man, and Thea felt it all through her. Her lips tingled, and her heart thumped against her ribs. His mouth was soft and warm; his scent filled her nostrils. Thea was shocked to feel a sudden, strong desire to throw her arms around his neck and press her body up against his.
    Gabriel raised his head and stepped back. Sketching a bow, he offered Thea his arm to lead her back to her mother. Thea could do nothing but accept. She had not seen Gabriel Morecombe since.
    Until tonight—when he had not remembered her.
    Thea reached up and realized for the first time that tears had trickled down her cheeks. Annoyed, she dashed them away with gloved fingers. Really, she told herself, it was beyond enough to be mooning about here in the dark, feeling sorry for herself because some rake from London thought her beneath his notice. A saving anger began to rise in Thea, pushing back the hurt that dwelled like a rock in her chest. She was clearly guilty of the sin of pride in thinking that Lord Morecombe would remember her from their meeting so long ago. But Gabriel Morecombe had been rude and arrogant. It was not just that he had not remembered her or that he had not even bothered to call her by the correct name a few seconds after Mrs. Cliffe introduced her. It was that he obviously found the people here quite beneath his touch. The man’s eyes had been glazed with boredom, his expression etched in lines of condescension. Clearly he wished himself somewhere else—no doubt off at the tavern drinking! Simply because he was an aristocrat, he thought that he was superior to the good, honest people of Chesley. It was no wonder Lord Morecombe had forgotten her; he had probably considered her not worth his interest even when he met her.
    Thea straightened in her chair and smoothed down the front of her skirt. She ought to return to the great hall. She was not the sort to hide in a dark room, licking her wounds. However, she could not bring herself to go back