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“To make my protection more bearable, do you want me to finally regal you with tales of my activities earlier today?”

William’s ears perked up immediately. “I certainly do.”

Eveline scooted further back until she was leaning against the headboard.

“You must know I went to the modiste today,” she began.

“Certainly, I remember,” William said. “And I assure you, I am eager to see the dresses on you when they are ready.”

Eveline blushed. “I hope you are not developing certain amorous ideas,” she teased.

William shook his head. “I cannot make such promises.”

“Now, Ava has been taking me to Miss Fran ever since I was a young girl.”

William nodded to signal that he was paying close attention.

“Of course, Miss Fran was happy to see me again. However, she had barely ushered me into the cabin when Lady Sarah entered the shop with her cronies.”

“Lady Sarah?” William seemed confused.

Eveline understood why he was. After all, she had never told him about Lady Sarah and how the woman had constantly said horrid things about her.

“Lady Sarah is a rather obnoxious lady,” she explained.

Her voice was filled with bitterness, and William must have noticed it because he sat up straighter immediately.

“I have never heard you speak so strongly of someone,” he noted, peering into her eyes. “She must have done unimaginable things to you.”

Eveline nodded. “Indeed, she and her cronies did.”

“Oh, I am terribly sorry,” he said, then scooted over to her and enveloped her in a hug.

“I am quite fine now, I assure you.”

It was then that he released her.

“Lady Sarah is the daughter of the Earl of Barnes, and she had been declared the belle of the ton, which was a far cry from who I was—an old spinster who had been out for two Seasons with no luck,” Eveline continued.

“Getting married quickly is not quite the measure for beauty or grace, I would say,” William commented.

“How so?”

“If it were, then I would never have met the most beautiful woman in all of England when I came back,” he said, smiling.

Eveline couldn’t help the smile spreading across her cheeks.

“Oh husband, you flatter me.” She giggled.

“I barely do. However, some less graceful ladies would have luck with marriage simply because their families are desperate to marry them off, thereby giving them to any man, even one on the brink of bankruptcy. I have heard of this before,” he continued.

“You are certainly right because Ava was overwhelmingly curious about the pedigree of all of the bachelors who approached me.”

“Now, what did this Lady Sarah do to you? I want to know if reporting her to her father would be an appropriate punishment, or if I’ll have to take it a step further.”

Eveline laughed, but when she saw the serious expression on his face, she realized he was not joking. He really would do that for her.

“You do not have to do any of that,” she said quickly. “Now, Lady Sarah made it her duty to always remind me of my status as a spinster. She and her cronies would point it out, laughing.”