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“No. And he would absolutely not want to be corrected by a woman.”
“So, I should let him be wrong.” Olivia nodded thoughtfully.
“And third, laugh at everything he says. For some reason unknown to females, gentlemen love to make jokes, and they think themselves extremely entertaining. Often enough, it is not true. But it does not take much on your part to pretend amusement. Whenever you laugh, touch him on his arm, and cover your mouth with your hand as if you’re not able to contain your laughter.”
“Laugh, touch, cover my mouth. All right.”
“Since we don’t have enough time to practice a full conversation whenever he asks you something, answer in monosyllabic words, and lower your tone, so he has to get closer to you whenever you speak.”
“What will that do?”
“That will force him to notice your scent. And the scent of a woman is the biggest aphrodisiac to men.”
“Aphro—what?” Olivia asked with a frown.
“Aphrodisiac. What we are trying to accomplish here is for Bradshaw to become so enchanted by you he won’t be able to think straight. He needs to want you in his bed so badly that he’ll have to marry you.”
“Caroline!” Lavinia gasped.
“Well, we are talking honestly here, aren’t we? Most men do look for a proper hostess, a lady with perfect lineage. But since our dearest Olivia is neither of those things, we need to rely on the third reason all men marry.”
Olivia tried not to get offended. After all, Caroline was right.
“What is that?” Lavinia asked, seemingly in awe of this new information.
“They want us in their beds.”
Lavinia looked around in horror. “I hope nobody overheard you.”
Caroline winked at Olivia. “This is a simple truth. We need to make him want you enough to fog his clear reason. And you accomplish this by flirting.”
Olivia frowned. She could understand the allure scents had on people. She dabbled in perfumery enough to know how to mix nature and human scents for the most enticing effect. However, she did not know what any of that had to do with Bradshaw wanting her in bed. And what did people do in bed to make gentlemen eager to marry? She had more questions than answers.
“All right, I shall just trust you and your infinite wisdom.”
Caroline smiled. “Good choice. Now, if he asks you something you do not know how to answer, lower your gaze like this and look at him from beneath your eyelashes. It makes you look coy, mysterious. And in your case, it might get you out of trouble when your attention strays and you have no idea what he asked you.”
Olivia observed Caroline’s demonstration, doubting she could recreate that same coy look. “Couldn’t I just ask him to repeat?”
“You could, but you can lose track of his words again if what he speaks about is incredibly boring. For the sake of this first outing, just stick to these few things: Laugh at his quips, touch his arm as you do so and cover your mouth. Agree with everything he says. Act impressed, and compliment him on the smallest of his achievements. Give him short answers, with a soft smile and a look from under your eyelashes.”
Olivia fidgeted in her seat. “This is too difficult. I need to write that down. And practice.”
“Trust me. If you remember all that I told you, your outing will be a success.”
Yes, if she remembered and managed to implement all that knowledge. Olivia heaved a sigh.
Caroline turned to Lavinia. “Anyone in mind for you? I think I can set you up with a nice gentleman as well.”
“Actually… I do have a gentleman in mind. However, let us concentrate on one conquest at a time,” Lavinia replied, grinning.
“As you wish, my dear. I need to go and help my cousin with a few concerns. But do enjoy yourselves.” Caroline smiled, stood from her chair, and walked away.
Olivia turned to Lavinia. “What? Are you going to ask Caroline to set you up with her betrothed?”
Lavinia shook her head. “I do not know. I haven’t made up my mind about this yet. But Caroline and Kensington are never around each other. They do not act as a betrothed couple. Perhaps this union will be dissolved after all, and I shan’t have to say anything at all. I shall speak to Caroline, but first, I want to make certain that she is set on marrying him. Wouldn’t want to worry her for naught.”
“What if she’s struggling with this decision as well? You could help her out of the difficult predicament. I think you two just need to have a heart to heart.”
