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The compliment was a nice one. Eleanor thanked her and took a sip of her tea.
As the duchess requested, the butler shut the door, leaving them alone. She turned to Eleanor. “The way we conduct ourselves is just as important as how we look. Today, we’re going to work on how you mingle with other people. One thing I noticed about you is that you tend to avoid eye contact.”
“I do?”
“I know you aren’t aware of it. You’re just shy. It’s difficult for you to connect with other people. Your father told me you grew up at his country estate. It’s understandable why you’re uncertain when it comes to social engagements. Fortunately, this can be overcome with a few little tricks. One trick is looking people in the eyes. The other trick is in how you hold yourself. Put your shoulders back and lift your head.”
Since the lady paused, Eleanor straightened up and made eye contact with her.
The duchess nodded. “That’s much better. You already appear more confident, and you didn’t even say a word.” She picked up her tea and paused for a moment. “I’ll tell you a secret. People love to talk about themselves. If you can get in the habit of asking them questions, you won’t have to do much talking. All you’ll have to do is smile or laugh when they say something funny, or you will offer a sympathetic expression if they say something sad. You don’t have to be the most talkative person in the room to appeal to others.”
“I don’t?”
“No, you don’t. A lot of ladies think they do, which is why they ramble on so much, but if you pay careful attention, most of what they say is meaningless. It’s my personal opinion, of course, but I think most gentlemen prefer a lady who is willing to listen to them. In my years of coaching ladies, the ones who mastered the ability to sincerely listen to gentlemen married quicker than those who did most of the talking.”
Eleanor released her breath. That didn’t sound so bad. She could listen all day long to other people. It was much more difficult to come up with witty things to talk about. “What kind of questions should I ask?”
“As you’re probably aware, we start most conversations with pleasantries. We say things like, ‘How has your day been?’ and ‘Have you seen the latest opera?’ These are all introductions to what can be a conversation. All you have to do is ask another question based on the answer the gentleman gave you. For instance, let’s say the gentleman is having a good day. You can ask him what was good about it. I’ll pretend to be a gentleman, and we’ll work through the conversation together. Ready?”
Eleanor put the cup down and cleared her throat. Mindful to keep her shoulders back, her head higher, and make eye contact with the lady, she said, “I’m ready.”
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Eleanor.”
Eleanor resisted the urge to chuckle since the duchess had lowered her voice to imitate a gentleman. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, too.” She thought for a moment then added, “How has your day been?”
The duchess nodded. “Very good,” she said in her normal voice. “That’s a nice way to open up a conversation.” In a low voice, she continued, “My day has been quite well.”
Eleanor waited for her to say more, but then she realized the duchess expected her to reply with another question. “Oh. Um… What good things happened to you today?”
The duchess grinned. “Well, for one, I met you.”
Eleanor’s eyes widened in surprise. “Surely, a gentleman won’t be that bold upon our first meeting.”
The duchess chuckled. “He might if he’s flirting with you. However, you’re right. He most likely won’t be so bold. I’ve only heard of a few gentlemen who have done this, and they have impish tendencies.”
“Are they to be avoided?”
“It depends. If he’s prone to act this way with other ladies, then you should avoid him. All he wants is to get in your bed. If, on the other hand, he only talks to you this way, then you can be assured he’s got a playful side to him. But we should get back to the lesson.” She lowered her voice. “I went to the menagerie today and saw the new lion they brought in from Africa.”
“Do they really have a menagerie with a lion in it right here in London?” Eleanor asked, forgetting about the lesson for a moment.
“They do,” the duchess replied in her normal voice. “And they did just bring in the lion.”
“What other animals do they have there?”
“To name a few, there are tigers, elephants, kangaroos, bears, camels, zebras, monkeys, and alligators.”
Why hadn’t her father told her about this? Eleanor would love to see such exotic animals. She’d only seen pictures and read about them while growing up. It would be exciting to see them for herself.
“It’s possible that if a gentleman takes an interest in you, he’ll offer to take you there,” the duchess told her.
“I would enjoy that very much.”
“Then be sure to ask plenty of questions about the menagerie, and slip in something about it sounding like an exciting place to see. He might not come right out and offer to take you there right away. He’ll likely want to make sure your father is agreeable to the outing since you’ll need your father, or another suitable person, to chaperone you.” The duchess paused. “Let’s try another conversation. We’ll pretend your father is hosting a dinner party and he’s invited a couple of bachelors with their sisters. I’ll be one of the gentlemen who happens to talk to you.” In a low voice, she said, “This tea is good.”
Eleanor tapped her knee. After finding out about the menagerie, it was difficult to keep up with this lesson, but she had to if she was going to have any hope of getting a husband. She took a deep breath and focused on what the duchess was saying. “What is good about the tea?”
“While that is a question, I think it might be better to ask, ‘What is your favorite tea?’” the duchess suggested.
