And there it was. The Elysium was not for her daughter. Nothing short of anything that would get her into that famed ballroom was.
“Your father has passed, has he not?” Mama continued and Leonora wished she’d never made eye contact with her, had not introduced her into their conversation.
“He has,” Camberley said.
“You’ll never rise above the rank of earl, then.”
“I will not. You Americans seem to believe that dukes grow on trees over here. They do not.” His tone was cutting, and Leonora suspected if he hadn’t arrived with flowers to send the message that he had an interest that his voice might have sounded scathing.
“Mama finds no fault with earls,” she assured him. “She hasn’t quite comprehended how a lord with one title becomes a man with another. Then so many of you have more than one title and your son will have a title—a courtesy I think it’s called—she meant no insult. She’s simply striving to figure it all out. To be quite honest, I’m rather glad our founding fathers did away with the entire practice of the nobility.”
“Well if they hadn’t, you ladies wouldn’t be coming over here in search of what you can’t find over there, would you?”
“I suppose we wouldn’t. More tea, my lord?” She smiled as sweetly as possible.
“Thank you, Miss Garrison, but I should take my leave now.” He stood, and she followed suit.
“Again, thank you for the lovely roses.”
“They were my pleasure. I look forward to tonight’s demonstration regarding your writing machine.” He leaned forward slightly and said in a low voice as if sharing a secret, “Everyone is talking about it.”
That was satisfying news. At least there was interest. It still remained to be determined if there would be investors.
As this wasn’t their residence, but simply their hotel, he saw himself out. Leonora lowered herself back to the wrought iron chair, torn between hoping tonight would see them acquire investors and hoping it wouldn’t so they’d have an excuse to remain in London a bit longer. She thought she might return often to give reports to the investors. She’d been so keen to leave shortly after they arrived. Now, she’d grown to like the misbehavior she experienced over here.
“Lord Camberley seems like a good prospect,” Sam said, as he wandered over and took the seat the earl had vacated. His leg began jostling. She wondered how long he’d been watching them, hidden as he must have been. Or had he just arrived and run into the earl in a hallway? “If you were to marry him, the Trewloves are sure to invest, offer their support.”
“The Countess of Camberley,” Mama chimed in, as though trying it on for size, even though she’d been more than obnoxious to the earl. “With him, unlike another, say, you’re not having to wait to become a countess.”
Leonora refrained from snapping that she didn’tgive a fig about a man’s title. That she was, in fact, in want of a viscount. “Maybe you should marry him.”
“Don’t think I haven’t given it some thought. There are some older lords, widowers, in need of companionship. But marriage is a young woman’s game.”
“If it’s not a game I want to play?”
“Then your selfishness will see us ruined.”
Leonora met her mother’s furious glare head-on, surprised she didn’t feel the slap of her palm against her cheek. “I don’t mean to be stubborn. Lord Camberley is incredibly nice, but—”
I can’t imagine kissing him. Or having him suck on my breast. Or having his tongue swirling over that sensitive flesh between my thighs.
“—I just don’t know that we would suit.”
“You make yourself suit. Since the dawn of time, women have made themselvessuit.”
“Did you make yourself suit Papa?”
“We made ourselves suit each other.”
“Did you love him?”
Mama looked at Sam, who seemed to be as curious regarding the answer as Leonora. Finally, she sighed. “Eventually I came to care for him very much. And he for me. Because we were good partners together. Like that Darwin conclusion. You adapt in order to survive, flourish, and acquire what you desire most of all. Although your father failed me when it came to giving me my dream of being welcomed into the Astor ballroom.”
Leonora had never seen her father as a failure, not even when his latest venture struggled. If he’d had more time, he would have made a success of it. She also couldn’t help but believe Mama’s dream was as small as a mote of dust. And wasn’t reaching dreamsmore satisfying if one accomplished them, rather than relying on someone else to make them happen? “You don’t care about the business at all, do you?”
“I care about it very much. We need an income. But we also deserve a place in Society, here and back in the States. You are our best hope for success there.”
She wanted to scream but wasn’t going to give her mother the satisfaction of knowing how much she angered her. If Rook was at the demonstration, perhaps she’d slip away with him for a while so she could justbe. Feel. Without worries or cares. Surrounded by pleasure and appreciation. Valued for herself and not what she could bring to him. Because there was nothing she could offer him that he didn’t already have. Rank, power, prestige, wealth. He didn’t need to invest in their little company in order to survive.
