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she abruptly stiffened, as if she were struck by a sudden thought.
    â€œOh, I see.”
    He lifted a golden brow. “What?”
    â€œYou cannot bully me into returning, so now you hope to seduce me back to Kent.”
    A far more pleasing prospect, he inwardly acknowledged. The question was whether or not she would allow herself to be seduced.
    â€œAm I succeeding?”
    â€œNo.”
    He gave a low laugh, stepping close enough to catch the aroma of her very feminine perfume. He inhaled deeply, realizing that the scent was uniquely Kate’s. It had pervaded her home and at times clung to his coat long after he visited her. He knew he could close his eyes and sense when she was near. Odd that he had been so aware of such an intimate thing. Certainly, he would not recognize the scent of his mistress, or even his own mother.
    â€œThen I shall simply have to increase my efforts,” he promised in low tones.
    Something flashed in her eyes as she took an awkward step backward. “Do not waste your time.”
    â€œIt is my time to waste.”
    She regarded him warily, then with obvious relief, she spotted someone over his shoulder.
    â€œOh, Lord Thorpe has arrived.”
    Luce stiffened, turning to study the too handsome man in the too expensive gray coat and white pantaloons before returning his gaze to the woman at his side. He did not like her sudden smile of anticipation.
    It made him want to hit something.
    â€œWhat do you know of this Lord Thorpe?” he demanded abruptly.
    She gave a faint frown at his preemptory tone. “Nothing beyond the fact that he possesses a town house in Mayfair.”
    â€œDo you really believe it is wise to indulge in a flirtation with a complete stranger?”
    â€œWhat could possibly happen in a public theater?”
    Luce gave a click of his tongue. Really, Kate might have suddenly discovered she was a woman, but she clearly did not possess any more sense than a giddy schoolgirl.
    â€œThere are any number of alcoves and closets a gentleman can force a woman into—”
    â€œNo,” she rudely interrupted, stabbing a finger directly in his face. “No interference.”
    â€œKate . . .”
    â€œYou promised.”
    Luce’s teeth snapped together with an audible click.
    Damn. Damn. Damn.
    He was trapped by his own ridiculous pledge.
    â€œFine.” His features hardened in a dangerous manner. “But I will be keeping my eye on him. He is clearly a practiced rake. Indeed, his debauchery is obvious to anyone who would take the effort to study him closely.”
    She threw her hands up in disbelief. “You, my lord, are impossible.”
    Luce felt his jaw twitch with annoyance as she swept across the lobby to join Thorpe. It did not help matters that her brilliant smile as he leaned downward to whisper something in her ear could have lit the stage.
    Luce may have promised not to interfere, but that did not mean he could not keep her under strict surveillance. From this moment on, she was not going to move a step without him firmly upon her heels.

CHAPTER THREE
    Kate spotted him the moment she rounded the street to her hotel.
    A tall, lean form that appeared disturbingly male in his buff breeches and moss green coat.
    Leaning nonchalantly next to the door to the hotel, Luce simply waited for her to complete her stroll.
    Not that she was surprised, she wryly acknowledged. Luce had become a tenacious barnacle that she could not easily dislodge.
    Last evening, he had followed her into the theater where he had kept an unabashed surveillance upon her until she had at last left in annoyance. He had been in the garden when she sought a breath of fresh air. And even within the hotel when she had left for her tea.
    It had been something of a surprise to discover he had not actually followed her to Mrs. Roberts’ and thrust his unwelcome way into her home.
    He was a dangerous impediment to her life of independence, she acknowledged