Emma stared at him blankly, unable to put together a proper sentence. It was that man, she thought; he was far too handsome and far too close.

“Can you speak, love?”

Emma’s mouth fell open. “Green” was the only word that emerged.

Just my luck, Alex thought. The most beautiful kitchen maid in all of London lands in my carriage, and she’s completely crazy. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her even more intently and asked, “What did you say?”

“Your eyes are green.” Her voice came out strangled.

“Yes, I know. They’ve been that way for decades, actually. Since I was born, I imagine.”

Emma squeezed her eyes shut. Good Lord, had she actually just told him that his eyes were green? What an unbelievably stupid thing to say. Of course he would know what color his eyes were. Ladies probably fell all over themselves to compliment his beautiful, captivating green eyes. It was just that he was so close, staring at her so intently, and his gaze was positively mesmerizing. Emma decided she’d blame her momentary idiocy on her pounding headache.

Alex chuckled. “Well, I suppose we should be grateful that your accident has not left you color blind. Now, do you think you can tell me your name?”

“Emm—um—” Emma coughed, covering up her stammer. “Meg. My name is Meg.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Meg. My name is Alexander Ridgely, but you may just call me Alex. Or, if you like, you could call me Ashbourne, as many of my friends do.”

“Why?” The question tumbled out before Emma caught herself. Kitchen maids weren’t supposed to ask questions.

“It’s my title, actually. I’m the Duke of Ashbourne.”

“Oh.”

“You’ve an interesting accent, Meg. Do you come from the Colonies by chance?”

Emma grimaced. There was little she hated more than to hear the English refer to her country as the “Colonies.”

“I come from the United States of America,” she said pertly, forgetting her disguise yet again.

“We’ve been independent for several decades now and should not be referred to as your colonies.”

“I stand corrected. You are absolutely right, my dear, and I must say that I’m glad to see you have gotten some of your spirit back.”

“I’m sorry, your grace,” she said quietly. “I shouldn’t have spoken out like that to you.”

“Now, Meg, don’t give me that demure act. I can see that you haven’t a meek bone in your body. Besides, I should think you could speak to me any way you like after you just saved my nephew’s life.”

Emma was flabbergasted. She’d completely forgotten about the little boy. “Is he all right?” she asked anxiously.

“He’s fine. You really needn’t worry about him. It’s you I’m concerned about, love.”

“I’m fine, really. I—I ought to be getting back now, I think.” Good Lord, he was stroking her cheek again, and she absolutely could not keep a sane thought in her head when he touched her. She kept staring at his full lips, wondering what they would feel like against her own. Emma groaned, blushing at her scandalous thoughts.

Alex caught the sound immediately, and his eyes clouded with concern. “Are you sure you’re not still feeling faint, love?”

“I don’t think you should call me ‘love. ’”

“Ah, but I think I should.”

“It’s not at all proper.”

“I’m rarely proper, Meg.”

Emma barely had time to digest those words when he proceeded to show her just how improper he could be. She gasped as his lips swooped down to capture hers in a soft kiss. It lasted only a fleeting moment, but it was long enough for all the breath to rush from Emma’s lungs, leaving her skin hot and tingling. She stared blankly at Alex, suddenly unsure of herself and of the strange feelings that overtook her body.

“That’s just a taste of what’s yet to come, love,” Alex whispered passionately against her mouth. He lifted his head and peered into her eyes. He saw apprehension and confusion in her face and was immediately aghast at his forward behavior. Tearing himself away from her, he sat down on the cushioned bench on the opposite side of the carriage. His breathing was shaky and uneven. He couldn’t ever remember being so strongly affected by a single kiss before. And it was such a small, short kiss. His lips had barely touched hers, brushing ever so gently against her mouth. Still, desire raged through his body, and all he wanted to do was—well, he didn’t even want to think about what he wanted to do because that was certain to make him feel even worse.

He looked up and saw Meg staring at him with wide, innocent eyes. Hell, she’d probably faint if she could read his mind. He had no business getting involved with a girl like that. She looked barely sixteen years old. He cursed fluently under his breath. She probably even went to church on Sunday.

Emma started to sit up, rubbing her temples as a wave of dizziness washed over her. “I think I ought to be getting home,” she said, setting her feet on the carriage floor as she reached for the door. Her cousins had told her that the streets of London were perilous, but nobody had warned her about the dangers that lurked inside a nobleman’s carriage.

Alex grabbed her wrist before she reached the handle of the door. He gently settled her back onto the seat cushion, easing her into a sitting position. “You’re not going anywhere. You’ve just hit your head, and you’ll probably pass out on the way. I’ll take you back in a moment. Besides, my sister went to fetch you some more eggs, and we have to wait here until she returns.”