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“I don’t know yet,” she breathed, and Adam relaxed his hold on her.

“You have many to choose from after tonight. Or so I gather,” he said brusquely.

“Why would you care?” She looked away, drawing his eyes to her delicate neck.

Why would he care? It didn’t matter to him who she married, as long as she was out of his life, the sooner the better. “I don’t.”

Her eyes snapped back to his. “By your choice of my dance partners, I would argue differently.”

He twirled her in a circle before responding. “My interest in choosing your partners was simply to win the wager. To get this item off your list as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

She threw him an incredulous look as he expertly guided her between two couples. “To ensure that I had a terrible time and decided to abandon the list, you mean.”

He swallowed, avoiding her intense stare. “Perhaps.”

“Well, your ploy didn’t work.”

“Thanks to my sister,” he grumbled.

“Your sister was kind and helpful”—she fixed him with a pointed look—“unlike some people who claim they want to help me, and yet are out there to sabotage my every move.”

His hold on her waist tightened possessively as they swayed, drawing their bodies incrementally closer. “Why don’t you ask my sister to help you finish your list then? It would be a winning combination for the both of us.” His hold on her tightened, drawing them an inch closer.

“Oh, no.” Her brows drawn together, her lips pursed, she looked every inch an outraged governess. “I shall not let you off the hook as easily as that. We had a wager and you lost. Therefore, you ought to uphold your end of the bargain and help me finish the entire list.”

“I have not lost.” Adam huffed.

“You have so.”

“I only helped you with two items. The pub and the ball,” he insisted, twirling her expertly between other couples.

“And the brawl,” she supplied with a defiant tilt of her chin.

“That wasn’t intentional.” Another graceful twirl transitioned them flawlessly down the line of dancers.

“It doesn’t matter!” She shook her head, curls bouncing. “You knew there was a possibility a brawl would happen. You even said so yourself. You said it would be like killing two birds with one stone.”

But Adam wasn’t going to relent either. “I have one more try.”

She huffed at the loose lock that made its way onto her face and misted her spectacles for one short moment. “I thought you an honorable gentleman.”

“And I thought you an honest lady.” His hand cinched tighter at her waist, nearly lifting her off her feet as they spun.

She gasped, gripping his shoulders for balance. “Are you questioning my honor?”

“Are you questioning mine?”

“Only if you try and weasel your way out of our wager.”

“Weasel?” He reared back as if the word itself offended his noble sensibilities.

“Yes, rather like a slick and slimy animal.” Her nose crinkled in distaste.

“I have one more chance,” he insisted, and Beatrice raised her eyes heavenward.

“Oh, fine. If you insist on being terribly pedantic, you can have your way. However, I must remind you that there is nothing you can do to win the wager no matter how many attempts you make. I offered you a deal. I told you to take me to the”—she looked around to make sure nobody was paying attention to their conversation—“secret auction that would have ended your apparent misery and rid you of my company for good. And yet, you have refused. And now you try to use these little excuses to get your way. Only you have met your match, Mr. Lewis, for I am not going to back down no matter what you do.”

The music stopped just then as if to punctuate her speech.