“So my title is not a problem?”
“It is an advantage. The problem is you do not know how to behave in society, and although the society hostesses will turn a blind eye to many things in order to get a marquess through their doors, they will not put up with bad manners.”
Callum was beginning to wish Penelope Armstrong were not quite so frank. But she was not yet finished.
“And there is more to it than your lack of manners, I’m afraid. Your appearance needs work too, my... MacKenzie. How long will you be staying in London before you must return to Bonnyrigg?”
“I prefer not to stay too long,” he said. “I find it...”
At that moment the maid arrived with the tea tray. She was older than her mistress, rather tall and thin, with hair the color of a hay bale. She gave him a wicked little smile that made Callum wonder if she had been eavesdropping at the door just before she entered.
“Thank you, Selina,” Miss Armstrong said calmly. “Leave us now, if you please.”
Obediently, the maid bobbed a curtsy and left. Penelope began to pour tea, asking how he preferred it, and setting his cup and saucer down closer to his chair. There was cake, too, but Callum thought it looked like some strange English concoction and refused her offer of a piece.
“The first thing you must learn is that people don’t really care what you think. You may be desperate to return to Scotland, but if you tell people that, they will find you boorish.” She stopped, realizing her misstep in referencing a certain boar, and changed the word to, “Ill-mannered. When they ask you how you are enjoying London, tell them you are enjoying it very much. Waxlyrically about the sights and how much you prefer it to where you came from.”
“So if I am not to appearboorishor ill-mannered, I should lie,” Callum said sarcastically.
“Yes, if you want to put it like that.Lyingwill make you more friends and get you more invitations.”
“My aunt is holding a ball in three weeks,” he said, aware he sounded as if that was the worst thing he could imagine.
“Three weeks!” Her voice was a little shrill. She took a breath and relaxed the hands clutched in her lap. “Well, I suppose if you work hard...” Her eyes narrowed as they ran over him, and suddenly Callum felt very self-conscious. Angus had tried to tell him he looked like a rag bag, but he had ignored him. As long as he was comfortable in his attire, what did it matter what anyone else thought? But he realized now that itdidmatter. To Penelope Armstrong, it mattered very much.
He picked up the delicate cup in his fist and took a gulp of his tea, trying not to notice her eyes watching his every move. Dear God, was this what it was going to be like for the next three weeks? Was his every word and move going to be judged and found wanting? He longed to go home, to stand in the forests around Bonnyrigg, and breathe in the clean air and listen to the sounds of birds and animals, while the wind stirred through the branches.
But he had been sent south on a mission, and he must try his very best to succeed.
“Three weeks will be long enough,” he assured her. “I am a fast learner.”
She took a sip of her tea and let his words pass without comment. “We should fix on a fee,” she said, and set down her cup with a gentle clink before she named a price that made his eyes water. But he held his nerve. His Aunt Jennie had said she had heard from several of her friends who were acquaintedwith people who had used such services, and that Penelope Armstrong was the best, and to get the best one must pay. It would be worth it if in two months he was heading home with a wife.
“Are we agreed?” She was watching him again, those pixie eyes seeming to see right through him. Disconcerting, but also mesmerizing.
Callum smiled. He had been told he had a very nice smile.
She blinked.
“We are agreed,” he said and rose and held out his hand.
She rose, too, and her hand vanished within his much larger grip. This time he did not squeeze. “I will see you tomorrow morning at ten,” she said, in a no-nonsense voice that made him feel strangely squirmy inside. “Be prepared to stay for the entire day.”
“Do you think a day will be enough then?”
She laughed. “I do not. Goodbye, my... MacKenzie.”
He bowed and left the room. Outside, the maid showed him to the door, her gaze sliding over him in a curious manner. She leaned in just as he turned to leave.
“Don’t you worry,” she said, “Miss Armstrong will have you pulled into line in no time at all. And people have short memories. There will be another scandal to take the place of yours.” She stopped, aware that she might have overstepped the mark.
“Thank you,” Callum said with amusement. Then, curiously, “Is Miss Armstrong married?”
Selina’s eyes widened. “I think you will find the answer to that is in her title.Miss.”
“Is she engaged then?”
“No, she is not. She is single and has no plans to change her state.”
