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“Oh, do stop it, Benedict,” Emily sighed. “It was merely a dance.”
“Yes, but now he intends to call upon you tomorrow.”
She smiled stiffly at him. “You of all people should know that men are wont to say a lot of things they do not really mean.”
The Duke of Gilleton gave out a bark of laughter which earned him another glare from the hapless Earl.
“Well, she does have a point there, Hardy,” His Grace remarked. “Your sister, for all her shortcomings, appears to be a rather wise young lady.”
“If she is as wise as you claim she is, she should not take you up on any of your advice!”
“What is wrong with my advice?” Daniel replied easily. “I am just helping our dear Emily find a suitable match. I trust that she will be wise enough to pick out the unpleasant ones, and should there be any oversight on her part, I am certain the Marquess will make sure she does not fall into the clutches of just anyone.”
Benedict smirked at his friend. “You seem to have thought this out rather well.”
“As her brother,youshould have taught her better,” the Duke reminded him again. “It is good for a young woman to have options available to her.”
“He is right!” Emily piped up, beaming at the Duke. “I will need more of your advice, Your Grace.”
“No, you do not!” her brother interjected. “Gilleton, this ismadness—”
“Benedict, I am already on my second season,” she told him in a despondent tone, turning her pleading eyes towards him. “Lady Rutbridge does not intend to spend for athirdseason. This is my last chance.”
Benedict looked at his younger sister and sighed. Whenever she did that…thatthingwith her eyes, he could never resist her.
Emily was possessed of soft, expressive brown eyes, and whenever she turned them to him with that expression, it was like a puppy begging for affection.
Their mother had died shortly after Emily was born, and just a little over two years after, their father had remarried. Unfortunately, the woman he married was not as kind to his children as he had hoped. Horatia Montgomery harbored a deep resentment for the children borne from her husband’s previous marriage.
With Benedict, there was little she could do as he was the heir to the Marquisate. Emily, however, was adaughter,and when Amy was born, her position in the household fell even lower.
It did not help matters at all that their youngest sibling was spoiled rotten by their stepmother and seemed to be convinced that Emily was an obstacle she should eliminate at all costs.
“You are my beloved sister,” he sighed in frustration. “Of course, I wish to see you suitably married. I just…I hope you would not settle for just anyone because of Lady Rutbridge.”
Emily beamed at him, her features aglow. “Of course not, Benedict! As His Grace told you, I am still allowed to weigh my options. But before that, Ineedto have options.”
“Very well,” he muttered, looking at his best friend once more. “Nothing too insane, Gilleton. Emily must maintain a respectable image at all costs!”
With that, he left the both of them to ruminate on their next course of action. Emily was quite set on acquiring the necessary knowledge that would snare her a suitable match, and the Duke of Gilleton was a treasure trove of preciselythatvaluable information.
“Your brother is right, you know,” he told her softly. “Most men cannot be trusted.”
“But I can trust you,” she pointed out to him.
“No, you cannot,” he replied succinctly. “What I am about to teach you will attract men—that much is true. I cannot, however, guarantee that they will all behonorablemen or even men that will be a suitable match for you.”
“It certainly cannot be as bad as you say,” she paused and bit her lower lip. “Certainly, there must besomeonewho is not all that bad.”
The Duke of Gilleton rolled his eyes at her. “Spoken like a true innocent. I am afraid I must inform you that the first part of your education is to remind you precisely that the perfect gentlemandoes not exist. Men are driven by their baser, more primal needs.”
She appeared shocked by his words, but he continued, “The art of flirtation is but a veil for procreation, my dear Emily. I can help you become desirable in the eyes of men, but I cannot ascertain that they will begoodmen. You must be clear on what you are getting yourself into.”
“It isn’t like I have any choice,” she said haplessly, her shoulders sagging. This was already her second season. Even by conventional standards, after her third season, she would be considered a failure.
Lady Rutbridge could not wait that long. Even now, her sister and stepmother had already relegated her to spinsterhood in their minds, and they had even started to plan for Amy’s coming out the next year. Should Emily wait that long, her chances of finding a suitable match would plummet even more drastically.
With a resolute and grim look, she straightened her shoulders and looked him in the eye.
