She eyed me with pursed lips, creating an array of wrinkles around her mouth. “You still insist on sitting out?”
I gave a polite smile. “Unless you insist that I play. If it is required of me as your guest, I will.”
She gave a hooting laugh in the back of her throat. “You are a peculiar one, Lady Daventry.”
I tipped my head to one side. “Am I?”
“Do you think I am not aware of your financial situation? I investigated each of my guests thoroughly before inviting them here.”
I swallowed, interlocking my fingers in my lap. “Did you?” My voice was weak.
“Open your eyes.” She looked like she wanted to reach forward and shake me. “I am presenting you with an opportunity. Multiple opportunities. You are nine and twenty, a widow of nearly four years, and on the brink of destitution. Your time to make a respectable match is running out.” She instructed her maid to fan faster before addressing me again. “You and I both know you must marry again, and I have invited you here to give you that chance.”
I felt equally honored and horrified. She truly cared about my future, even though we had only been briefly acquainted. Her investigation into my life was disconcerting, but it showed her dedication.
“If you are such an advocate for marriage, why do you not marry again, my lady?” I asked. “Why haven’t you married in the decade since your husband’s death?”
Her green eyes gleamed with mirth. “You are a bold one.”
“Forgive me. I am simply curious.” I gave a bashful smile.
She drew a breath, and it rattled in her chest. She coughed, blinking away the resulting moisture from her eyes. “I have no reason to. I have money. I have this house. I have my husband’s memory to hold close to my heart. I loved him, and I have no desire to love anyone else.” She studied my face. “Now it is my turn to ask a bold question.”
A jolt of nerves hit my stomach. “Very well.”
“Didyoulove your husband?”
Her question hung in the air. A bee buzzed past my ear, a welcome distraction. I swatted it away before sitting up taller. “No. I did not. Nor did he love me.” I adjusted my gloves. “So you must forgive my resistance to marry again, my lady.”
Her sharp eyes didn’t leave my face. “I will forgive your resistance, but I will still advise against it. For the sake of your future comfort, it would seem that you don’t have any choice but to marry, and marry soon.”
My throat was dry, no matter how much lemonade I drank. Lady Tottenham had spoken aloud the deepest fears in my heart, leaving me completely vulnerable. There was nothing to argue with. She was right. I didn’t dare tell her about Miles, so I kept my response vague. “My only hope is that if I do choose to marry, it will be for love this time.”
“My sincerest wish is the same.” She smiled, and a hint of sadness crossed her eyes before she blinked it away. “Faster,” she barked at the maid.
The young woman supported her arm with her other hand as she waved the fan even harder.
“However, if you find that love still evades you, and another loveless marriage is not appealing, then you may find that other opportunities await you here.”
“Other opportunities?”
Lady Tottenham shrugged. “If you are willing to play my games.”
I tried to hide my confusion as I took another sip from my cup.
“Do consider the gentlemen here at my party,” Lady Tottenham added in a stern voice. “Do not be so stubborn as to allow a good thing to pass you by.” She arched one eyebrow.
“Of course.” I smiled, turning my attention back to the lawn.Not,I added in my mind.
Sometimes, stubbornness wasn’t a choice. My heart hadn’t been swayed in thirteen years. I wouldn’t be swayed now.
CHAPTER 7
ALEXANDER
Isnapped my financial ledger closed with a sigh, taking two handfuls of my hair.
I rested my elbows on the writing desk in my bedchamber and closed my eyes. I felt the absence of the two hundred pounds Miles owed me more keenly than ever. If I wanted to travel back to York and build my client relationships there, I would need more money to secure a place to live.
