“No,” Lavinia said firmly, even though she wasn’t completely sure she was telling the truth. “I don’t. But in that moment, it was easy to imagine how Icould. That’s what I’m saying. Icould picture what it would be like. That’s why I hesitated when you asked me whether or not I felt anything. The answer isn’t a simple no.”
“So then youdohave feelings for him?”
“It only happened because of that strange situation, that strange moment. It doesn’t mean anything. It certainly doesn’t mean he’s someone I ought to consider marrying. This is only happening at all because he’s trying to repay a favor he feels he owes me.”
“That’s more than I’ve ever heard you describe feeling for any other man, though,” Edwina said. “I’ve never heard you mention caring for anyone else at all.”
“Even so, one afternoon is hardly enough to build a marriage upon. And even if it was, there’s still the fact that he doesn’t care aboutmeat all.”
“I don’t know how you can say that when he bought you a new gown.”
“Several gowns, actually,” Lavinia admitted.
“Several?” Her sister shook her head. “Of course he cares, Lavinia. This is what gentlemen do when they care. They shower treats upon you. They pay more attention to you than to any other lady. The duke seems to be making it clear that he thinksmore of you than he does of anyone else at this party, Lavinia. Why don’t you see that?”
“He only thinks of me because he doesn’t want to feel in my debt. As soon as the debt is repaid to his satisfaction, he will want nothing more to do with me.
It would be a terrible mistake on my part to allow myself to believe there’s anything more than that between the two of us or to become dependent on him in any way, for anything. I have to be prepared for the day he will lose interest in me and move on to whatever is next for him. This is temporary.”
“It sounds to me as if you’d like it to be something more, though,” Edwina said. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be saying these things about how you couldn’tallowthat to happen.”
Lavinia pulled herself together. “Whatever you think you see in me here, you have it wrong,” she told her sister. “I don’t want anything to happen between the duke and myself. He’s an insufferable man—it’s just that he happens to be showing me kindness at the moment.
That doesn’t change the fact that he’s arrogant and makes thoughtless assumptions about people’s motives without getting to know them. He accused me of trying totraphim into a marriage—as if I’d ever do such a thing.”
Edwina gasped. “He thoughtyouwere trying to do that? Then why would he bother to be so kind to you now?”
“He quickly accepted that he had been wrong about my intentions,” Lavinia said. “But the fact that he would make such an assumption in the first place is very difficult for me to look past. And any gentleman who would do something like that, who would look at me and see such machinations as something I could be capable of—well, I can’t admit the possibility that he might care about me at all.”
“Well, perhaps you’re right,” Edwina allowed. “Perhaps I’ve been too generous in my estimation of the man—given him too much credit. Still, I must admit that I’m glad to see a gentleman paying you the attention you deserve, Lavinia—even if you think there is something insincere about it all. I hope you find a way to enjoy it while it lasts.”
Lavinia was about to respond when she was interrupted. “Lady Lavinia?”
She saw her sister’s eyes widen and turned. It was the Duke of Loxburgh.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” she said.
“I see you wore the blue gown as I instructed you to.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” she said. “And I thank you for the gift.”
“One more thing,” he said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, thin box. Opening it, he revealed a pair of ivory-covered gloves with flowers stitched on them—green stems and blue blossoms. “These will complete your appearance,” he said.
Edwina stared at them. “They’re beautiful, Your Grace,” she said. “This is so generous of you.”
Lavinia recognized her mistake. “Forgive me,” she said. “Your Grace, this is my sister, Lady Edwina. Edwina, the Duke of Loxburgh.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Lady Edwina,” the duke said.
“The pleasure is mine, Your Grace. I must say, this is a lovely gown, and you’re quite right about the gloves—they will make my sister look all the more beautiful.”
“Well, she never needed my help to be beautiful,” the duke said. “But perhaps these gifts will aid some of the less observant members of thetonin noticing it.” He removed the gloves from the box, draped one of them over his own wrist, and held the other one out to Lavinia. “May I?”
She hesitated, then put out her hand, allowing him to slip it on.
He took her gloved hand in hers and turned it over, briefly running his thumb over the soft fabric. “Good,” he said quietly. “It fits well. I hoped it would.”
“It fits perfectly,” she assured him, looking up into his dark eyes, captivated by the moment. He still hadn’t let go of her hand.
