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“The Duke went after them and…” Nora leaned in. “This is where details get hazy, but somehow his sister ended up dying.”

Jenny’s heart dropped to her stomach, and her mouth went dry. She couldn’t imagine the pain and torment the Duke must have felt at the loss of his sister.

Sarah nodded in agreement. “Yes, it was all so shocking and terribly sad. But no one really talked about it. The Duke kept to himself for a while, but when he emerged, he was more concerned about solidifying his reputation as a rake and scoundrel than settling down.”

Jenny could only stare. Her heart broke for the man, although hearing these stories helped put some pieces of the puzzle together. His aloofness, his temperament.

After a moment, she spoke up. “It didn’t seem like much affected him when we danced. He seemed very nonchalant. I would assume someone who went through so much trauma would be like… well, like my brother. Thomas was very off-putting. You ladies remember how he acted when we joinedpolite society? Everyone was afraid of him.”

Sarah laughed. “I certainly was. Your brother definitely carried a cloud of darkness over him. Most of the time, I find thatintriguing in a man, but with him, let’s just say that I was all too happy when Frannie came along and lightened him up.”

Mock shudders ran through their bodies, and they burst into more sober laughter.

Jenny smiled at the mention of Thomas and Frances. They definitely were each other’s perfect match.

Could I be the Duke of Marlow’s perfect match?

She blushed at her thought. He shouldn’t even be an option. Their agreement, if she could call it that, was just a way for him to help her and at the same time have her company.

Company.

The realization dawned on Jenny like a ton of bricks.

He is lonely.

Of course! That’s why he asked for her time in exchange for his help. Maybe she was as naive as everyone said.

“Nonchalant—that is a good word to describe him,” Nora pointed out. “He’s charming, of course, but one of the most repeated complaints from wanna-be-conquests is that he can turn that charm off in an instant and become distant.”

Jenny bit her tongue, stopping herself from agreeing with those poor women. She witnessed firsthand how quickly the Duke could change the direction of their discourse.

“Do you remember when Caroline Linesby and Danielle Cherston had a bet going on to see who could make him smile?Reallysmile.” Sarah laughed.

“He smiles!”

Sarah and Nora both were taken aback by Jenny’s slight outburst.

Jenny looked down at her hands. “I mean, I’ve seen him smile. He smiles.”

She’d seen his smile—it was when he held her wrist after she tried to slap him. Her wrist tingled at the memory of his touch.

“No, not a polite smile,” Sarah continued. “Like one that lights up your whole face. For instance, when you say something and the person’s whole expression changes with delight. Like they trulyenjoyyour presence.Thosekinds of smiles. He doesn’t do that often, if ever.”

Nora agreed. “Oh Sarah, you’re right. Any time I see him with a woman, he’s smiling. But it’s not agenuinesmile, it’s more cunning and manipulative. Like a cat playing with a mouse.” She sniffed and flicked a crumb off her skirt. “He’s most likely tryingto flirt and charm her to get what he wants. He seems like he keeps his true feelings to himself.”

Sarah squealed. “Yes! He can be so charming yet so stone-faced at the same time! He is quite an enigma.”

Jenny’s heart twisted. She was hungry for more information about the Duke, but hearing stories of him trying to capture other women left a funny feeling in her stomach. One she did not care for.

Sarah sighed. “However, I wouldn’t mind being the woman who finally cracks that nut.”

Nora clapped a hand over her mouth as she barked out a laugh. “Sarah! You are too much today. Has my maid slipped something in your tea?”

The women erupted into fits of giggles.

Jenny tried to join in the merriment, but her thoughts kept straying back to a duke who lived three blocks away. Some of their stories helped her understand him. He was lonely, so it made sense for him to want her company.

However, some of their stories left her with more questions. They called him a scoundrel and a rake whose favorite pastime was ruining young girls. However, he said that he never took something that was not freely given. He also said her virtue was safe with him.