“No,” she said. “It’s just that I’ve been thinking about what would happen if we were caught, and how it would not be a good thing for either one of us. I don’t wish to make trouble for you, Your Grace.”
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Seth said. “I’ll be fine.”
“But I know how much you worry about being caught in a scandal,” she said. “And I’d especially hate for it to happen to you because of me.”
“Especially you? Why especially?”
“Well…” She paused. “It’s just that you’re a duke—one of the most eligible men at this party, if not the most. You could have any lady you liked, I’m sure.”
“I don’t know what point you’re making in saying that,” Seth told her.
“If you’re going to be stuck with a lady you didn’t choose, it ought to be someone worthy of you,” she explained.
He blinked. “Well, that’s disappointing.”
“What is?”
“I thought I had communicated to you that the most important thing you could do—if you wish to attract the interest of a gentleman—would be to show some confidence,” he said. “You can’t be in the habit of telling gentlemen that you’re unworthy of their interest. You need to make them believe that they must earnyourinterest.”
“Even if I knew how to do that, what difference does it make now?” Lady Lavinia asked. “It’s only the two of us here now.”
“But you’re meant to be practicing the skills that will help you get someone to fall in love with you. Try again. Pretend I’m telling you that I’m worried about a scandal between us. Don’t be apologetic. Be confident.”
She bit her lip. “If you want me to be like Lady Genevieve…”
“No, of course not. I’m not saying you should be bold or inappropriate. But I’m asking you to find a way to let me know that youareworthy, and that you know it. Because you are, Lady Lavinia.
“You can’t think of yourself as having less value to a gentleman than the other ladies of theton. You’re as good as any one of them. You only think otherwise because you’ve been trained to think that way—that if a gentleman pays you no attention, it means you don’t deserve his attention. Isn’t that right?”
“All right,” she agreed. “That’s true. But it’s also a fact. If gentlemen don’t pay me attention, it’s because I haven’t done anything to earn their attention.”
“It’s because you’ve never learned how to show them who you are,” Seth said. “It’s nothing more or less than a simple lack of etiquette training. You don’t truly believe that your sister is worth more than you, surely?”
“Edwina is beautiful,” Lady Lavinia said quietly. “And I’m unremarkable.”
“You’re not. Haven’t you noticed that more gentlemen have looked your way since you’ve begun dressing in your new things? I know you’ve noticed it. And today you carried yourself differently than you have in the past. It’s already beginning to work.”
Lady Lavinia nodded. “Perhaps you’re right,” she conceded. “Iwasapproached by several gentlemen today. They were only introducing themselves, so I didn’t think that much of it.”
“Trust me—you caught their eye,” Seth said. He couldn’t quite bring himself to look at her as he spoke the words—they felt like a confession. It was as if he was admitting to the fact thathefound her beautiful. Well, that was no particular secret. He had made it clear already that he thought the gowns suited her very well.
Why did he feel so unsure of whether he was doing the right thing by makingthisconfession? What did it matter whether or not she knew that he thought she was desirable? He wasn’t saying thathewanted her.
Lady Lavinia rose to her feet, moving with a practiced ease and grace. “In that case,” she said, “perhaps it’s best if I respect your need to protect yourself from scandal and leave you on your own. You wouldn’t want to be seen with someone so noticeable.”
She started toward the door. Seth frowned. “Wait a moment,” he objected. “Don’t leave. We aren’t finished with this.”
She turned and looked back at him, a small smile on her face. “Confidence,” she explained.
He stared at her, staggered by what she had done. “That seemed very easy for you.”
“Well, when you put it in the way you did,” she said, “Idon’tbelieve that my sister is better than I am. You’re right. I believe I’m worthy of attention and admiration, and if you’re going to be trapped into a marriage you don’t want anyway, you’re right, youcoulddo worse than someone like me. You could be stuck with someone cruel. Whatever else I might be, I’m not that.”
Seth nodded. “You’re certainly not,” he agreed.
“But that doesn’t change the fact that my behavior seems to drive gentlemen away from me,” she said. “Looks are the least of it, really. I’m not beautiful like Edwina, but I’m not repulsive, and I know that. Whatever has stopped me from finding love so far, it’s something else about me. It’s something about my personality.”
Seth pursed his lips. “You don’t have a bad personality,” he said.
