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“But enough about me. I am making everyone maudlin.” She fanned her face and turned to Olivia. “I’ve missed quite enough as it is, spending months in the country. Tell me, how is your suitor hunt? I’ve been out of the loop for so long, I want to know your progress!”
Olivia grimaced. “I have no progress.”
“She enlisted the help of her friend, St. John,” Lavinia supplied.
Caroline raised a brow at Olivia. “St. John? You enlisted his help to trap a suitor?”
“Yes.”
Caroline looked to Lavinia, her gaze confused. Then she turned back to Olivia. “I thoughthewas your suitor!”
Olivia frowned. “Why would you think that?”
“Only that he is the only gentleman we’ve ever seen around you and the way he usually—but never mind, this is not about him.” She cleared her throat and took a sip of tea. “Who is this suitor, then?”
“I suppose there is no reason not to tell you. Lavinia already knows. It’s Alan Boyle.”
Caroline wrinkled her nose. “The Earl of Bradshaw? When did you even have time to interact with him?”
“Well, I didn’t. But I’ve heard of his merits on numerous occasions from other ladies, and I happen to agree. He is very handsome, tall, courteous, strong, and he’s an earl. And also, he makes butterflies flutter in my stomach every time I see him. And Lavinia said that butterflies are a sign of attraction.”
“All right,” Caroline said slowly, with a frown. “I just can’t see you with Bradshaw. I do not think he’s the best candidate for—”
“For a graceless spinster?”
“No, that’s not what I was about to say at all, and you know it. Sure, he might seem like a perfect gentleman for some ladies, but you are different. And quite frankly, it doesn’t seem like you have a strong interest in him.”
“I can understand the flutters in your stomach,” Lavinia said with a smile.
Olivia smiled in return. “Thank you.”
“You’re right. I apologize,” Caroline said. “It is not my business to judge, it’s just that—never mind. Well, if you’re adamant on pursuing Bradshaw, I am happy to help.”
“You are? Oh, that would be so perfect! Jarvis has been wonderful, but I feel like his tutoring is not enough. I need as many helping hands as I can get.”
“So, what is your plan?” Lavinia asked, moving closer on the settee.
Olivia cleared her throat and put the cup down on the coffee table. “Well, I thought about it ad nauseam. First, I need him to notice me. So I thought I would flutter around him—”
“Like a butterfly?” Lavinia smiled.
“Exactly. I have the gowns you helped me pick out, and if I am constantly in his line of sight, acting as a perfect lady, he is bound to pay me attention.”
“No, no, and no,” Caroline said and shook her head.
“What do you mean no?” Olivia frowned.
“If you go after him with a plan like that, I guarantee you it will take you a lifetime to get noticed.”
“Then what should I do?”
Caroline narrowed her eyes in thought. “Something ostentatious. Something that would get you noticed. That’s the first step, isn’t it? To get noticed by him?”
“I do ostentatious things all the time, and it gets me nowhere, except for a page in the paper and a caricature with a headline stating that Graceless Livvie acted a fool again.”
“That’s because after you do something ostentatious, you hide from it until all the talk goes away. Instead, you need to embrace it and act like you do not care.” Caroline flicked a loose lock of hair away from her face.
“But men do not like that. They need perfect hostesses, boring wives,” Olivia said.
