“Such gains can be found outside of marriage.”
“Like what?”
James thinned his lips. “This is not a proper conversation for a lady,” he said.
Elaine could not quite fathom why. She didn’t know much about what happened between a man and woman during marriage other than the fact that the woman was meant to bear children while the man kept a roof over their heads and food on their table. But there had to be more, didn’t there?
It shouldn't matter. At least, not for her. She was not one of the lucky ladies who could afford to choose who they married. She was only here out of desperation, out of the need to save her family from further ruination. Elaine knew she did not have the luxury of choosing a husband out of love.
“The Duke of Ryewood seems to have taken an interest in you.”
This time, she managed to hide how startled she was at James' observation.
“He was just being kind.”
“It seemed like more than kindness to me.”
“Would it be so bad if it were?”
“I only want you to be careful. His reputation leaves much to be desired.”
Elaine frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
“I suppose it is not surprising that you do not know, given how little you know about the Ton. Truthfully, I do not know the details myself, though I am aware that he was recently involved in a scandal.”
“A scandal?” Elaine resolutely averted her gaze from the duke’s direction, even though she wanted nothing more than to do just that. “About what?”
James just shrugged. “You should pay heed when he approaches you again, Elaine.”
The caution struck something in her. Elaine focused on eating, tasting nothing, her mind spinning as she tried to imagine what sort of scandal could be surrounding the duke’s name. Was he a rake? Did he have a habit of ravishing ladies in dark corners? Did he have a gambling habit?
Not knowing nagged at her, even though Elaine knew it might be for the best. She couldn’t put her hopes on the duke. It was foolish of her to even think that in the first place. She had to stay level-headed and focus on the only thing she had come here to do.
But if the duke kept looking at her like that, Elaine wasn’t sure how well she would fare in her quest.
***
“Will this night ever end?”
I was wondering the very same thing.
Laughter pulled Elaine out of her thoughts. She jolted, her spine going ramrod straight as she realised she was not alone and the question had not simply floated out of thin air.
There was a lady standing next to her—the very same beautiful blond lady whom Elaine had marked as the duke’s sister.
For a moment, Elaine merely stared at her. And the blond lady stared back. In those few uncomfortable seconds, Elaine came back to the present. The dinner had been over for some time now and the hostess had invited the ladies to the drawing room while the men went to the parlour to play billiards. The last thing Elaine recalled was staring longingly into the retreatingback of the Duke of Ryewood before she found a corner in the drawing room and succumbed to her boredom.
She hadn’t expected anyone to approach her. In a room full of roses and lilies, she was a wallflower whom no one paid any mind to. If there were men present, perhaps it would have bothered her to know that she was bound to be ignored when surrounded by such beauties. But since there were no gentlemen, Elaine only lamented the fact that she had a few more hours of this to go.
“Oh, don’t get shy now,” the blond-haired lady said, smiling brightly. “It is far more entertaining when I have someone to complain with.”
Elaine blinked. Ah, yes. Someone had commented on how long the night was and…had she spoken aloud? She could have sworn she had agreed in her mind.
“Elaine,” she managed to say as she regained her composure. “Elaine Sutton.”
The lady curtsied slightly, her smile lighting her bright blue eyes. “My name is Clarissa.”
Clarissa approached and positioned herself beside Elaine. Elaine didn’t miss the fact that her dark corner brightened considerably with this new company.
