“I am well aware of what he is.”
Helene flicked her head in Robert's direction. “Do you know this girl?”
“I know her.”
It took all of Victoria's will not to cringe at the ice in his voice. She was wiser now than she'd been seven years ago. And stronger, too. She rose to her feet, stood straight, looked him in the eye, and said, “Robert.”
“That's a fine greeting,” he drawled.
“What's the meaning of this?” Helene demanded. “Who is she? What are you—” Her head swung from Victoria to Robert. “Did she call you Robert?”
Robert didn't once take his eyes off Victoria. “You'd better leave, Helene.”
“I most certainly will not.” She crossed her arms.
“Helene,” he repeated, his voice laced with low warning.
Victoria heard the veiled fury in his voice, but apparently Helene did not, because she said, “I can't imagine what you would have to say to this…this governess person.”
Robert turned to Helene and roared, “Leave us!”
She blinked. “I don't know the way out.”
“A right, two lefts, and another right,” he bit out.
Helene opened her mouth as if to say more, then obviously thought better of it. With one last nasty glance in Victoria's direction, she quit the scene. Victoria was more than half inclined to follow her. “A right, two lefts, and another right,” she breathed to herself.
“You're not going anywhere,” Robert barked. His imperious tone was just enough to convince Victoria that there was no use even attempting to make polite conversation with him. “If you'll excuse me,” she said, stalking past him.
His hand landed on her arm like a thunderstorm. “Get back here, Victoria.”
“Don't give me commands,” she burst out, whirling to face him. “And don't speak to me in that tone of voice.”
“Goodness,” he mocked. “Such demands for respect. Most odd coming from a woman whose idea of faith—”
“Stop!” she yelled. She wasn't certain what he was talking about, but she couldn't bear to listen to his scathing tone of voice. “Just stop! Stop!”
Amazingly, he did. He looked rather shocked by her outburst. Victoria wasn't surprised. The girl he'd known seven years ago had never screamed like that. She'd never had cause to. She tugged at her arm and said, “Please leave me alone.”
“I don't want to.”
Victoria's head snapped up. “What did you say?”
He shrugged a shoulder and assessed her rudely. “I find myself rather interested in what I missed seven years ago. You're quite beautiful.”
Her mouth fell open. “As if I would—”
“I wouldn't be so hasty to refuse me,” he interrupted. “Of course you couldn't possibly hope for marriage, but there is no longer any threat of my being disinherited. I, my dear, am appallingly wealthy.”
His father had called her “my dear.” And he'd used that same condescending tone. Victoria swallowed down the urge to spit in his face and said, “How perfectly lovely for you.”
He continued as if he hadn't heard her. “I must say, I never thought I'd meet you again under these circumstances.”
“I had hoped I never would,” she retorted.
“The governess,” he said, using an oddly thoughtful tone of voice. “What an interesting and precarious position she holds in a household. Neither family nor servant.”
Victoria rolled her eyes. “I rather doubt you're as well acquainted as I with the ‘interesting position’ of the governess.”
He cocked his head in a deceptively friendly manner. “How long have you been doing this? I find it rather amusing that England's elite is trusting you with their children's moral education.”
“I could certainly do a better job of it than you.”
He let out an abrupt laugh. “But then I never pretended to be good and true. I never pretended to be a young man's dreams.” He leaned forward and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. His touch was chillingly gentle. “I never pretended to be an angel.”
“Yes,” she choked out. “You did. You were everything I dreamed of, everything I'd ever wanted. And all you wanted—”
His eyes glittered dangerously as he pulled her closer. “What did I want, Victoria?”
She twisted her head to the side, refusing to answer him.
He let her go abruptly. “I suppose there is no point in reiterating all my foolish hopes.”