Page 6

“Good evening,” Emma greeted, hoping that the scowl had not been deliberate. “Have you enjoyed your first day?”

“Yes.”

That was all she intended to say, judging from the tight set of her mouth. Emma nodded, looking down again. A strange lady, she thought, but no stranger than most.

“It is so rare for a lady that says exactly how she feels. It is admirable, I must say.”

It was the Duke of Lupton, and he seemed to have turned his attentions to the younger girl. Emma was completely vexed at that– how brazen, how completely out of line?

Gretchen, of course, brightened in an instant.

“Thank you, Your Grace. I prefer to be honest and open. I cannot bear to dance around feelings.”

“I could not agree more. I actually think more ladies should be like yourself, wouldn’t you agree, Miss Kendall?”

“I believe we have rules in our society that we all must follow, Your Grace. Would you not agree that we have them for our own protection?”

“We do, but I would argue that it is also enjoyable to push those boundaries. That is where a good deal of entertainment comes from, after all.”

“I would have to disagree with you,” she said firmly. “You may enjoy such things, but I am not so inclined.”

“Is that to say that you would never wish to see a contortionist?”

“I have never seen one, no.”

“But, should the opportunity arise, you would not have any interest in seeing it?”

“I do not understand why you are asking me this.”

“Well, you would never climb onto this table and fold yourself into unimaginable shapes, would you? And yet, it is a perfectlyacceptable thing to watch as entertainment. That is to say, there is a time and place for breaking such rules, is there not?”

He was trying to engage in conversation, not to bother her, but she wanted no part in it. Then again, she considered, Gretchen seemed very naive to what was an obvious rake, and she may not have had a good introduction to her, but she wanted to protect her regardless. It was the right thing to do.

“You may find examples such as that,” Emma protested, “but my point stands. We are expected to act a certain way here, and so I believe we should do so.”

“Would that mean that I am forbidden from telling Miss Winston that I think her green eyes are beautiful, and that I wish more young ladies style their hair like her?”

Gretchen was thoroughly enjoying what the Duke of Lupton was doing, but Emma could see through it.

“If you can do that, then I can do the same,” she nodded. “And if you ask me, I think fewer gentlemen should be like yourself, Your Grace. Tell me, did you have a say in where we were seated tonight?”

“No, I did not.”

“How interesting, for neither did I. Therefore, if we did not choose to sit beside one another, one could also infer that neither one of us has the intention of talking to one another.”

“True, but I believe it is polite to do so.”

“And I believe polite society frowns upon blatant flirtations across the dining table.”

He smiled at that, and it only made her angrier.

“My apologies,” he said, trying to take his smile away. “You simply– you are quite a funny lady, you know.”

He chuckled, and Gretchen did the same, though Emma was not entirely certain that Gretchen knew why it was a supposedly funny thing to say. Emma certainly did not.

What infuriated her, however, was how nice his laugh was. It was a gentle sound, far softer than she had expected from a man of his stature. It was that pleasantness, though, that made her so angry. He had no right to be so charming, not when his intentions were so evident to her.

The meal could not have ended soon enough, and Emma was thankful to leave the room at once. The guests dispersed to different drawing rooms, and Emma watched for which one the Duke of Lupton entered and deliberately chose another. Thankfully, she found Sarah inside. She was sitting by the Baron, smiling and laughing with a lemonade in her hand.