The Genuine Article by Patricia Rice

pleasant expression while swallowing her tongue, and she nearly choked before Lady Jersey's carriage rolled on in the other direction.
    "You are a dreadful man," she remonstrated once she'd recovered.
    "There is a phrase I remember from my misspent youth : It takes one to know one , I believe is how it went." He serenely guided the horses out of the park and into the busy street.
    "No matter what you think of me, you cannot call me a man," she reminded him. "And I fail to see in what way I am dreadful. It was not I who made that remark about Lady Jersey."
    "But you were thinking it," he pointed out unreasonably. "Besides, 'dreadful' covers quite a few sins, lying and deceiving being among them, I am certain."
    "If consenting to help me gives you liberty to insult me at will, I shall withdraw my request, Mr. Montague. You may return me home now."
    "We are almost there, and it is your own behavior that gives me reason to insult you. Darley is my best friend. I will not see him shackled to a harpy."
    Marian was given no time to form a reply. He curbed the carriage and swung down in one fluid motion, flipping a coin to a street urchin to grab his horses' heads before assisting her out.
    Now that the battle lines were drawn, she wasn't at all certain what she ought to say. Somehow, she had created a formidable enemy. She did not know what to do to combat his opinion of her.
    So she said nothing, and allowed him to escort her into the jeweler's. While she examined the glittering displays, he spoke to the jeweler about insurance and values and the need to preserve family heirlooms. The jeweler seemed most sympathetic, and when he quoted his appraisal of the gem's worth, she nearly sank through the floor. She had been carrying that much wealth around her neck?
    Montague made the arrangements for the copy, received a receipt for the necklace, and returned to Marian. He glanced at the case of brooches she had been admiring.
    "The ivory is very fine," he said, taking her elbow, "but I suppose it is the diamond that has caught your eye."
    Marian started stiffly toward the door. "Had you asked me, I would have told you that the ivory would look very well with my new willow-green morning gown. I do not think diamonds would suit it at all." She swept out the door and toward the carriage.
    He kept a strong hold on her elbow and steered her down the street. "I think we have time for an ice, don't you? We ought to have some pleasure from this day."
    Marian turned her head to stare up at him in surprise. "I cannot imagine why," she said honestly. "We both heartily dislike each other. Why should we draw out the punishment?"
    His lips curled in amusement. "Does that sharp tongue of yours not give you pain occasionally? I should think you would have cut your mouth to pieces if naught else."
    She bit her tongue and stared straight ahead, saying nothing.
    "All right, this time I was wrong. You were being honest, but you injured my high opinion of myself. It had never occurred to me that my company might be a punishment." He held open the door to Gunter's and guided her in.
    "It is only reasonable to assume that since you find my company so unpleasant, that the feeling would be returned." Marian took the seat offered, nodded to a few acquaintances, and proceeded to play with her gloves rather than face the unsmiling man taking the seat across from her.
    He gave their order before answering. When he returned his attention to her, he halted her fidgeting by the simple expedient of covering her hand with his. "When did I ever say that I find your company unpleasant? Challenging, perhaps. Amusing, occasionally. Certainly enlightening at all times. But I cannot remember one occasion of unpleasantness."
    Immediately suspicious of this polite behavior, Marian jerked her hand away and glared at him. "You did not find it unpleasant being called an ass? You constantly complain of my sharp tongue; do you find pleasure in the pain of it? If so, you are a most