Her vehemence took him aback. He hadn’t said anything anyone didn’t know—particularly the young ladies themselves, surely. “Pardon?”
“Do you not have any idea what girls and young ladies are put through to secure their futures? Have you never considered that bland agreeableness is a mask we are schooled to use? Our futures depend upon it as it seems the male sex simply cannot accept our true selves,” she finished in a huff.
He let her words blow over him before conceding. “Fair enough.”
Her jaw unclenched. But she wasn’t done. “Tell me more about this fiancée.”
“There isn’t much to tell about Lady Sarah.”
“That simply cannot be true.”
“Oh, but it is.”
She laughed, no humor in it. “I see now.”
“You do?” he asked slowly. He sensed no good could come from that.
“You see marriage as women’s business.”
“Isn’t it?”
“Has it never occurred to you that two are in a marriage.”
“Not particularly.” From what he could tell, women had the running of the wedded state. But he would keep that opinion to himself. Lady Amelia’s glare wasn’t having it.
“Why did Lady Sarah jilt you?”
Whatever his answer, Tristan understood he would be found at fault. But he stood on firm ground here. “If you must know—”
“I must.” Lady Amelia was clearly determined.
“It was she who asked me an imprudent question.”
“Which was?” she asked, suspicious.
“She asked if I loved her.”
“And your reply?”
“I, well…” It occurred to him that his answer might not reflect well on him. “I snorted.”
“You snorted?” Lady Amelia’s gaze narrowed. “What else?”
“I told her I’d only met her twice.”
“And she said?”
He shifted uncomfortably. The ground was less firm here. “She pointed out that we, in fact, had met eight times.”
“She’d been counting.”
“But, really,” he began. If he didn’t come to his own defense, who would? “How is meeting a person on eight occasions enough time to love them?”
Lady Amelia simply sat regarding him as if his head had become screwed on backwards. “There’s more.”
Tristan saw no way out of this conversation but through. “Lady Sarah asked if I ever could.”
“And you said?”
