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“Are you and Dalton lovers?”
She nearly dropped the plate in her hand at the abrupt statement. “Pardon?”
Candice’s smile only deepened. “So, it is true. You wouldn’t have reacted as such if it wasn’t.”
Eliza had yet to tell her friend of the new affair and wondered just how she had figured it out. The thought was most discomfiting. “How did you know?”
The worry must have shown on her face, for Candice waved a frantic hand. “Oh, please do not panic. There aren’t any rumors concerning you swirling about. Francesca told me about her talk with him and how he all but chased down your carriage after you’d left. It wasn’t hard for me to put two and two together. I am your dearest friend, after all.” The woman set down her tea. “Really, Eliza. Why didn’t you tell me about it? I’ve been on the edge of my seat for weeks.”
“I didn’t want to cause a stir.” Eliza frowned at her friend. “And what do you mean ‘weeks’?” Their affair had begun only within the last month. One couldn’t say that their relationship was well established.
Candice huffed with a shake of her head. “I knew you had some sort of tendre for him almost from the moment he began pestering you for aid. It was obvious that you were smitten. Why else would you have involved yourself so much in his affairs?”
Eliza blushed fully this time. “I hadn’t realized it myself yet until recently.” Another mortifying prospect hit her. “Does anyone else know?”
“Francesca suspects. According to her, Lady Amberwood is determined to play matchmaker, so I am sure she also saw what was between the two of you.”
So that entire little group was speculating on them, then. How lovely, she thought sarcastically. “I am not sure I’d like them meddling.”
“It is too late for that, I’m afraid. Lady Amberwood is apparently convinced the two of you will marry.” Candice peered at her, all trace of humor gone. “Are you thinking of marrying him?”
“Don’t be silly,” Eliza said with a scoff, even if the words did not feel as final as they once did.
“So, it isn’t serious, then?”
“I…don’t know.” That she was unable to answer in the affirmative gave Eliza pause. The past few weeks had been some of the best of her life, James’s presence bringing a light to her existence that she’d never felt with any man before. Spending their nights cozied up by the fire and talking about their days, his mere presence chasing away every ounce of stress she’d accrued, made him feel far less like a summer fling and more like something permanent, someone to support her through hardship, someone that she couldn’t imagine leaving her side. Someone like a good husband.
Oh, she realized with dawning horror, she was in love with him already.
“Eliza?” Candice said, interrupting her quickly devolving thoughts. “Are you alright? You look like something just died in your tea.”
She might have preferred that to this sudden revelation. “I think I’m in love,” she blurted, her hands mildly shaking the plate.
Not a trace of shock crossed Candice’s face. “Of course you are. I’ve never seen any man turn your head the way Dalton does. So, why don’t you marry him? Surely it isn’t society’s opinion you are concerned about?”
“You know that isn’t why,” Eliza shot back. His immense progress over the season was having a notable effect on his reputation. Lady Clifton and The Duchess of Ashford were openly receiving him, and this, combined with the quieting of his mother’s shenanigans, had improved his standing with the notoriously fickle Ton immensely. There was nary a whiff of him in the papers these days. While an affair with her would shake things up once more, marriage was an entirely different matter. But the specter of her cold, detached late husband loomed heavily on her mind. Could she really trust Dalton with her independence? The lovesick part of her knew the answer to be yes, but reason still had an edge. Besides, for all she knew, Dalton might not even return her feelings. Somehow, the thought that he would move on from her was even more agonizing than her reluctance to build a life with him. What a massive mess she’d waltzed herself right into.
“May I be frank?” Candice said.
“Please.”
Her friend stared at her hands a moment, as if to gather herself, before speaking. “My marriage was awful, as you well know. Hell, I would have taken your Aircourt over Clifton in a heartbeat, even.”
“Of course,” Eliza agreed. While Aircourt had been far from a warm husband in the few short weeks they’d had together, he’d never been cruel. Given time, she was sure they might have developed a civil partnership. Clifton had been a mean soul to his core, tormenting Candice for a good ten years before finally dying. If anyone understood Eliza’s reservations, it was her.
“My experience was horrid, but I know it doesn’t aways have to be so, especially with women in our current position who have far more freedom to choose their spouses than many young ladies on the rope of their parents’ whims.” Both of them had been the victims of such circumstances, Eliza’s parents all but forcing her to accept Aircourt’s suit in the hopes of snagging her a title and Candice’s match having been arranged even before her come-out.
“What I am trying to say,” the dowager continued, “Is that if I found a gentleman I loved, I would be willing to give it another go.”
The words shocked her. “You, of all people?”
“Yes,” Candice replied firmly. “But I would certainly need to be sure of his true feelings, which is where I think you are stuck. Given the man’s past, I don’t blame you. He was a fortune hunter, no matter how good his intentions were, and you are ludicrously wealthy.”
“James would never do such a thing again, I know it,” she replied hotly, without thinking.
Candice beamed. “Well, there is your answer.”
The truth of it settled over her, and she was surprised at how easily her mind accepted it. Yes, he could be trusted. But did he want it? The answer was unclear. Eliza would merely need to see how things unfolded and hope that he wouldn’t inadvertently break her heart in the process.
