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Chapter 8
Oliviastoodfromthebreakfast table and walked to the patio the next day. Lavinia sat there with a cup of steaming chocolate, looking out into the gardens beyond.
“Good morning,” Lavinia said as she noticed Olivia.
“Good morning, dear. Beautiful weather, wouldn’t you say?”
Lavinia chuckled. “You are getting really good at polite talk. All that practice was not in vain.”
Olivia let out a giggle and settled next to her friend. “No, I wasn’t even trying. The morning is truly beautiful.”
A light breeze hit Olivia in the face just as she said so, and the sun peeked out from the clouds.
“You seem in a good mood. Does it mean that last night was a success?”
“Well, he did ask me out on a ride. Although there will be many other people there, yes, I still consider it a success. He spoke to me directly, and he asked me to accompany him, so he knows I exist.”
Olivia drew a breath once she finished. She’d been so excited after their plans seemed to have worked the night before that she had trouble sleeping.
“And do you know what you are going to talk about while on your ride?”
“Jarvis said that men like to talk about themselves, so I just thought to ask him a few questions, seem interested, and nod at different intervals.” At Lavinia’s amused gaze, Olivia frowned. “Did I get it wrong? Should I do something else?”
“Unfortunately, I am not the best authority on how to keep a man interested.”
“Fortunately, I am,” Caroline said from behind them.
Lavinia squealed while Olivia turned a grateful smile toward Caroline.
“Please, dear Caroline, tutor me in the way of male seduction.” Lavinia blinked up at Caroline and laughed.
Caroline glided toward the third chair and settled down. She fanned herself delicately and looked from Olivia to Lavinia mock flirtatiously. “Prepare for the lessons of love.”
All the ladies erupted in laughter.
“I am duly prepared, trust me,” Olivia said.
Caroline smiled. “Now that you’ve captured his attention, it is time to flirt.”
Olivia grimaced. “I do not know how to do that.”
“St. John told her to ask questions about Bradshaw and nod at various intervals,” Lavinia chimed in.
Caroline narrowed her eyes in thought. “He is not wrong. It is better for this first outing if you do not talk much, and if you do, just reaffirm everything Bradshaw says.”
“I should just… agree with him about everything?”
“That’s correct.”
“But what if he’s wrong?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Olivia bit her lip.
“This is not that hard,” Caroline reassured. “Men are simple. They love getting their egos stroked. So there are a few things you can do. First, ask a lot of questions about him and whenever he says something, act impressed by his virtues and abilities. Second, when he brings up that he’s good at something, pretend you’re hopeless in that area and ask him to teach you. Or if he speaks of a topic of conversation fondly, let him tell you everything he knows about it. Even if you know more than him, do not let that show. Even if he’s wrong, let him think he is right.”
Olivia frowned. “Wouldn’t he want to know that he’s wrong?”
