Page 17

“It certainly would!” Miss Winston replied, but neither one of them gave her any acknowledgement.

“I have never met a lady I liked well enough for that. Besides, once those vicious mothers decide that I am looking for a wife, I shall not know peace until I marry—when that happens I shall be back where I am now, terribly bored.”

“Until it was time to find a match for your daughter.”

“You make an excellent point. Might you have any suggestions in case that day should ever come?”

She laughed at him, a real, light-hearted laugh with no malice in it at all, and tilted her head in thought. He wondered what had changed her mind since that afternoon, as she was far easier to speak to and he was enjoying it. Perhaps, he thought, she had concluded that he was not truly a rake, and was willing to see him as something other than an enemy. Then again, she had no reason to see him that way. It was his own fault that he was perceived the way he was, after all. He had dug that particular trap for himself, and walked into it with open eyes.

“For a start,” she began, “you must have her gowns made months before the season. I had my sister’s made a month or so after the prior season. It gave the modiste more time, and as long as the young lady’s measurements do not change too much it is worth the effort.”

“I see, I see,” he nodded, gesturing as if he were writing her instructions down. “And when searching for a suitor, what is the best way to find the perfect one?”

“Do not marry her off to a friend. That is the worst possible thing you can do, for no lady wishes to marry a man twice her age. Other than that, you should allow her to make her own choice. We ladies know what we want, and more than anything we want to be respected.”

He refrained from asking her what it was that she wanted. He did not want to ask her too much in case she closed herself off once again. For some reason, she had softened towards him, and he did not want that to change.

A silence settled between them, but it was not uncomfortable. Levi was smiling, and when he turned to Miss Kendall he noticed that she was too. In fact, the only one in the room that seemed unhappy was Miss Winston, who was looking at Miss Kendall with an intense displeasure, her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed into a tight line. He pitied her, though he wondered why she was so insistent on speaking to a rake when she was able to choose any man she wanted. She was a pretty young lady, and if she chose a gentleman that truly did care about her advances then she would soon be married.

He was, however, not that gentleman.

She was too young, too immature, and frankly she was far too interested in him for him to dare speak with her. One small conversation at dinner had led to her accosting him a few mere hours later, and he had learned from that. He had been fortunate that it had only been Miss Kendall that had seen the two of them, for he had meant what he told her. Had his hands been tied, hewould not have refused her. He knew what his duty was, and that was yet another reason to avoid Miss Winston completely.

“How are your efforts with your sister’s match?” he asked.

Her eyes searched his for a moment, and he wondered if she thought he might have been mocking her. He was not, of course, but the way she leaned away from him made him think twice about his tone.

“Very well, it would seem, though admittedly I didn’t have a thing to do with it. She is with him now, just over there.”

She pointed to her sister, and when Levi followed to look he saw that there was a gentleman beside her that he recognized.

“Would you care for the opinion of a rakish duke?”

“I would, indeed,” she nodded. “If only to tell my sister what to avoid.”

“Lord Rosendale is a very good man. He has no debts, to my knowledge, and he is from a good family. He is very well respected. If your sister has taken a liking to him, I would recommend that sort of a match.”

She seemed to nod in thought for a moment before thanking him for his input. She did not seem too certain of the Baron, however, and Levi wondered just why that was.

“Have you any other concerns?” he asked.

“Not that I can think of, but it all seems rather convenient. My sister has already been out in society for a year, and she has never taken to someone so quickly. What I must be wary of is whether she simply chooses the first gentleman to show interest so that the matter is done with.”

“Does that sound like something she might do?”

“It would be a first. She has always been more withdrawn than me, but with this gentleman she… she seems positively forthcoming.”

“Then that is a good sign, I would think. Have some faith in her.”

“I do! I have a lot of faith in my sister. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because you have always been needed, I imagine. I suppose, as you have not had a hand in this, you might be wary that she is making a decision for herself, and that you are afraid that she might make an error.”

She seemed to agree with that, nodding slightly with a thoughtful expression.

When the guests left for a drink, Levi found that he remained at her side. If she asked why, he planned to make another joke about how she had to keep watch over him, but to his surpriseshe did not say a word, instead following him in that same companionable silence that they had shared before.

He turned to see Miss Winston scowling at the two of them, and in spite of himself he couldn’t help but feel happy that he had the safety of Miss Kendall beside him. Miss Winston could not catch him alone, he realized, if he never was alone to begin with.