Maddie scoffed. “Mother ordered me to stop reaching for my potions and the stars.”
“That woman is really something.”
Maddie smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Of course, her mother didn’t understand her interest in potions—or anything else, for that matter. The subject was dismissed as a childish fancy, a dangerous quirk better hidden if she ever hoped to marry. She’d been told to be agreeable. To smile sweetly. To accept the first suitable offer that came her way.
Settle. Be grateful. Do not frighten anyonewith too much enthusiasm for herbs or science or passion.
But the thought of it—of being chosen like a cow at auction, never seen, never wanted—had settled heavy in her chest.
She smoothed her gown. Once, she might have agreed. But not today.
Today, something inside her shifted. Not loudly, not all at once. More like a whisper beneath her skin. A rising hum of defiance.
No. She would not settle.
She didn’t just plant her foot; she grounded herself. She burrowed in.
Let her mother worry about appearances. Maddie would worry about finding a man who looked at her as if he might burst from wanting her. A man who kissed as if he had gone mad. A man who saw her—and liked what he saw.
“Perhaps, after all, I’m not marrying the first gentleman who asks,” she whispered to herself. “Not unless he makes me feel something.”
“Don’t look now,” Ashley murmured beside her, “but the duke is looking your way.”
Maddie straightened instinctively. She’d been trained by her mother to impress him. He was an ideal candidate. His pedigree was flawless, but his core was rotten.
Before she could turn, Ashley grabbed her hand. “Don’t look. Be sophisticated. Not eager. Laugh.”
Maddie hesitated—then let out a light, practiced laugh.
But inside?
Inside, she wasn’t laughing. She was calculating. Debating. Choosing. Let the duke look. She was looking back—on her own terms. As soon as she knew what terms she wanted… You wait and see, Lord Paisley.I’m not your fallback like your and my mother decided.
So she smiled and gave a chuckle.
“Not like that. Are you a witch? Gentle laughter.” Ashley shook her head.
Maddie yanked her hand from Ashley. “You are doing this on purpose, aren’t you? Was the duke really looking this way?”
“No, but he is looking now. Though I’m uncertain that he ever sees a person as anything more than a sack of money or lack thereof.”
Maddie didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry at her friend’s antics. “You are the very worst.”
“Which is why you love me.” Ashley winked. “I have another surprise for you. In my chamber.”
“No more surprises, thank you very much.”
“You’ll love this one.”
“What is it?”
“Is it a surprise if I tell you?”
“Why not surprise me right now?”
Ashley sighed. “Very well. I’ve brought dresses from London.”
Maddie scrunched her brows. “And how is this a surprise?”
