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James nodded thoughtfully. “Then this will be an excellent opportunity for you.”
“I see,” she said, not sounding nearly as excited as he would have expected.
“All you need to do is determine which men are unmarried and choose the best of the lot.”
“I have already looked over the guest list, and there are several unattached gentlemen expected. But”—she let out a frustrated laugh—“you’ve forgotten one thing, James. The gentleman in question must also choose me.”
He waved off her protest. “Failure is not a possibility. By the time we’re through with you—”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“—you’ll be impossible to resist.”
One of Elizabeth’s hands unconsciously rose to her cheek as she stared at him in amazement. Was he offering to train her? To render her marriageable? She didn’t know why she should be so surprised by this—after all, he had never made an indication—save for one sweet kiss—that he was interested in her for himself. And besides, she had made it clear that she could not marry a penniless estate manager.
So then why was she so depressed that he seemed so eager to marry her off to a wealthy, well-connected gentleman—exactly what she told him she wanted and needed out of life?
“What does this training entail?” she asked suspiciously.
“Well, we haven’t much time,” he mused, “and there’s nothing we can do about your wardrobe.”
“How kind of you to point that out,” she muttered.
He shot her a vaguely remonstrating look. “If I recall, you had no compunction about insulting my wardrobe earlier.”
He had her there, she allowed. Good manners forced her to say, somewhat grudgingly, “Your boots are very nice.”
He grinned and regarded his footwear, which, though old, appeared very well-made. “Yes, they are, aren’t they?”
“If a bit scuffed,” she added.
“I shall polish them tomorrow,” he promised, his somewhat superior look telling her that he refused to rise to her bait.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “That was uncalled for. Compliments should be freely given, without restrictions or qualifications.”
He looked at her with an oddly assessing expression for a moment before asking, “Do you know what I like about you, Elizabeth?”
She couldn’t even possibly imagine.
“You’re as kind and good a person as they come,” he continued, “but unlike most kind and good people, you don’t preach or cloy, or try to make everyone else kind and good.”
Her mouth dropped open. This was the most unbelievable speech.
“And underneath all that kindness and goodness, you seem to possess a wicked sense of humor, no matter how hard you occasionally try to suppress it.”
Oh, dear Lord, if he said anything more, she was going to fall in love with him on the spot.
“There’s no harm in poking fun at a friend as long as you intend no malice,” he said, his voice melting into a soft caress. “And I don’t think you would know how to be malicious if someone offered you a dissertation on the subject.”
“Then I suppose that makes us friends,” she said, her voice catching slightly.
He smiled at her, and her heart stopped beating. “You really have no choice but to be friends with me,” he said, leaning closer. “After all, I know all of your most embarrassing secrets.”
A nervous giggle escaped her lips. “A friend who is going to find me a husband. How quaint.”
“Well, I should think I could do a better job than Mrs. Seeton. If that is indeed—”
“Don’t say it,” she warned.
