Page 6 of By Any Other Name

“Who did it have to do with?” He rose with her.

“No one. It had nothing to do with anyone but me. I wanted to see the inside of a gentleman’s club. That’s all.” Seeing the skeptical look on his face, she decided to turn their conversation down a different path. “No doubt you are appalled at such unladylike curiosity.”

Irritation flashed in his eyes. “You certainly assume you know a great deal about me.”

“I know you are a gentleman.”

“And that means I’m a prig?”

“It means you prefer ladies remain unknowledgeable about . . . lower sorts of activities.”

“Indeed?” The light in his eyes was different now, and the smile that touched his lips was slow and inviting. “I think I might prefer a lady to be knowledgeable about some ‘lower’ activities.” He leaned a little closer, his voice as soft and beckoning as his smile. “I fear I rarely do what I ought. The truth is, I think you are a refreshing, delightful, and thoroughly intriguing woman. Will you not even tell me your name?”

Rylla shook her head, unable to meet his gaze. “No. You ask too much.”

“I will not reveal anything that happened tonight,” Gregory said. “I swear it.”

“I cannot take that chance.” She grabbed her greatcoat. “Where is my hat? Oh, drat, I have lost it. He won’t be happy.”

“Who won’t be happy?” He stiffened slightly. “Do you have a husband?” She shook her head. “A fiancé?”

“No. No one. Mr. Rose, please stop.”

“Gregory,” he corrected. “If you will not tell me your whole name, your first would do. Tell me if you are Anne or Mary or Katherine. Sybil, perhaps?”

“Sybil!” Rylla laughed. “No, my name is not Sybil. Or any of those. Please stop asking me.”

“But how will I see you again if you don’t tell me your name?”

“You won’t.” She took a step away from him, surprised by the sting of regret.

“Why will you not tell me?” His voice was tight with frustration. “You must realize you can trust me. I came to your aid. Hell, I carried you up a flight of stairs.”

“Which proves you are brave and have a strong back. One could also say you abducted me and carried me off to your rooms.”

“You fainted!”

“Good-bye, Mr. Rose,” she said firmly and turned once more to the door.

He heaved a sigh and followed her, reaching out with ingrained courtesy to open the door. “We may have difficulty finding a hack this late. If we go a street over, one should come by before too long.”

“I am sure I will find one. Thank you for all you’ve done.” She walked away, but he caught up with her on the stairs. “Mr. Rose, really . . .”

“I thought we had established that you would call me Gregory.”

“Your memory is clearly faulty. And you do not need to accompany me.”

“I could not allow a lady to go home unescorted.”

“But tonight I am not a lady.” She swept her hand down at her male attire. “I went to the club unescorted.”

“Yes, and look what happened to you.”

Rylla would have liked to protest, but she could hardly dispute the attack. And she had to admit that she would feel safer with Gregory by her side. Stepping out the front door only made her even more sure of that. The street was dark and cold, made even eerier by the wisps of fog trailing across it.

However, if Gregory saw where she lived, it would be an easy enough matter to establish who she was. Even though she was tempted to trust him, she couldn’t put her family’s name at risk. “I am grateful to you, but I doubt I will be attacked twice in one evening.”

“One never knows what might happen,” he told her darkly, still walking at her side.