Page 34 of Pride, Prejudice & Wicked Pleasure

“Luckily, no.”

“Have you warts?”

“No, but—”

“And do you deem your eyes unattractive?”

“That is not my point—”

“Then I stand by my evaluation.”

He was tempted but refrained from protesting his aversion of falsehoods or explaining that some element of loveliness could be found in almost any woman, even those most would find homely.

“Forgive me, I divert you from your program. Pray, continue, only know that such praise falls upon skeptical ears.”

“Are you often given to provoking your tutors?”

“My tutors were few and of short duration.”

Little wonder, he thought to himself. He was too much the gentleman to voice the rejoinder aloud but not so much that he would not think it.

“If you will not accept my flattery, perhaps, modesty notwithstanding, you would allow which bodily attributes you consider most attractive in yourself?”

He liked to identify where a woman was most confident and apply his attention there.

“Praise myself? What you ask is unbecoming in a modest lady, but…! You are in luck, sir! For I do not feign modesty where none is to be had and will give you my honest opinion. I like my eyes the best.”

Damn. He could not make love to her eyes, especially as they were blindfolded. He could have done much with the neck, the hand, or even the ankle.

“Any others?”

“My other qualities are not noteworthy.”

“You are overly critical.”

“Perhaps. But I am not so self-absorbed as to have dwelt on each of my features and given them an appraisal.”

Darcy held his sigh. He made for a poor Casanova. What had convinced Abby he could fulfill the role?

He knew her answer. She would point to all his successes and argue that the singular young woman before him now was an anomaly. A new supposition came to mind.

“Does your resistance bespeak your reservations in these, er, proceedings?”

She seemed mildly impressed. “A keen observation and perhaps not wholly unwarranted, but if it is the case, it is not done with conscious awareness. I have not forgotten that if I wish to cease and desist, I may avail myself of that safety word: Montreal.”

“It is natural to feel uneasy in these circumstances.”

“What techniques you employ! Praise, solicitude, empathy, and reassurance.”

“Do you make a habit of remarking upon every action before you?” he replied, wondering if he would be able to persevere the evening with her.

“I confess a curiosity and desire to understand how these ‘lessons’ take place.”

“There is no curriculum to speak of.”

“Rules?”

“These will be determined by the ‘pupil,’ as it were.”