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"You mustn't let yourself continue to walk around blind as a bat, Jenny. You ought to stand up to your mother."

The girl waved her hand in the air, "we are not talking about me right now. Anyway, she shall soon discover I'm hopeless in the marriage mart and leave me be."

"You are not hopeless," Lavinia snapped, "don't say such nonsense."

"It is the truth," then her eyes narrowed. "Do not try to distract me, Lavvie, it will not work. Where did you disappear to last night?"

She put a finger to her mouth as she caught sight of the butler approaching with the tea service.

"Shall I pour?" he asked.

"No, thank you, Ruben. You need not bother."

She waited until he was out of sight before she faced her friend, "I went out to the balcony to get some relief from the stiff air inside the ballroom. And then I ran into the Duke."

"Again?" Jenny screeched, "How unusual. Two run ins on one night."

"I assumed he had followed me out at first but then he cleared me of all my suspicion."

Jenny wasn't convinced. "Did you argue with him again?"

She sucked in a scandalized breath and played up her look of shock for the red head's benefit, "of course not, Jen. I was perfectly civil. It was an exchange that barely lasted two minutes and then he was gone."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"I resent that," she grinned.

"You are impossible, Lavinia," she threw up her hands, "if you had played your cards right, perhaps I would have walked in on the Duke calling on you."

Lavinia's eyes went wide, "not so loud! The last thing I want is for my aunt to overhear and think that I have some entanglement with that man."

"Is she still pressuring you about finding a match?" Jen whispered.

Lavinia sighed and settled deeper into her settee. She had known that her guardians had sponsored her season so she could find an advantageous match. It was the whole reason for a season after all. But something was different this time.

Even though she still had a few years till she was on the shelf, it was almost as if her aunt thought this was her last good year.

She had been tempted to ask her if the world coming to an end.

If Lavinia was being honest, despite the fact that she mocked the social season and the whole dance of finding a match, she did want one. But not the soulless transactions that were rampant. She wanted the sort of burning passion she had so often read about in books.

"Yes. It's worse this season. She even had the modiste lower the neckline of my dresses," she informed her.

"Whatever for?"

She slanted the girl a look, "use your imagination, Jen."

Jenny looked thoughtful for a moment before realization hit her, "Oh Lord."

Oh Lord, indeed.

"Well, has it worked?"

Lavinia threw back her head and laughed at her friend's intense curiosity. She was so close to the edge of her chair, she had almost fallen out of it.

"It has not, if you must know. It has only gotten me the attention of lechers," she informed her. "You know what, I think it is a quite brilliant way to separate the lecherous gentlemen from the decent ones."

Had the Duke stared at her chest? She couldn't for the life of her recall if he had, which was strange. He was just the sort of ill-mannered man to do something of the sort.