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Yes, Eleanor supposed that was better. “What is your favorite tea?”
“I’m partial to black tea.”
That wasn’t much to go on, but after a moment, Eleanor ventured, “Why do you prefer black tea to the others?”
“It has a subtle flavor to it.”
Eleanor frowned. That response wasn’t any more helpful than the previous one.
The duchess offered her an understanding smile. “Some gentlemen won’t make it easy, and some of the conversations will bore you. You have to pretend to be interested, even if you aren’t.”
“Oh, all right.” Eleanor tapped her knees again. “Do you ever add anything to the black tea?”
“That is a good reply,” the duchess said. “As long as the questions require him to answer with more than a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’, you’re able to keep the conversation flowing. Now, repeat the question, and I’ll answer as the gentleman.”
Eleanor wasn’t sure she wanted to keep a conversation about tea going, but for the sake of the lesson, she repeated the question.
“Once in a while, I’ll add some lemon, sugar, or peppermint to add some flavor to the tea,” the duchess said.
“I’ve heard of people adding lemon and sugar to black tea, but I wasn’t aware you could add peppermint to it, too. Why do you do that?”
“Excellent! That is a wonderful question. From there, he might share something a bit more personal about himself. In this case, let’s say he says it helps to settle his stomach. What would you say to that?”
“I suppose I’d ask him what upsets his stomach.”
“That is what I was hoping you’d say. He’ll probably mention something about being overwhelmed by the responsibilities his title gives him, or he might mention a worry he has about finances or a family member. There are several ways that conversation can go. We’ll go through a couple more possible conversations later. Right now, I want to teach you how to walk in a way that expresses confidence. After that, I’m going to show you little flirtatious gestures you can use to let a gentleman know you’re interested in him. But remember, you only indicate an interest if you really like the gentleman. You don’t want to encourage someone whose company you don’t enjoy.”
Eleanor wouldn’t try to encourage someone she didn’t like, but the fact that the duchess felt the need to point it out made her realize that some ladies believed they had to do just that. She wondered if that was why she was having trouble making friends with the ladies in London. Maybe she didn’t react to things the same way they did, and as a result, she had little in common with them.
The duchess stood up and encouraged her to do the same. “Let me see how you stand.”
Eleanor rose to her feet and took an unsteady breath as the duchess studied her posture. She straightened her shoulders back and lifted her head higher, hoping that would limit how much the duchess would tell her to do.
“You have a nice figure,” the duchess said. “Gentlemen are apt to notice that kind of thing, though we don’t. Ladies are often more concerned with a gentleman’s sense of humor or his ability to offer them a comfortable lifestyle. Gentlemen, on the other hand, are concerned with a lady’s beauty, and part of that beauty is in how she conducts herself. The important thing is that you need to find the right balance between modesty and seduction.”
Modesty and seduction? Was such a balance possible?
“Before you have a conversation,” the duchess began, interrupting her thoughts, “he’ll see you, and more often than not, he’ll see you walk. When you walk, let your hips sway a little bit.” The duchess proceeded to walk away from Eleanor. She reached the other side of the room and headed back toward her.
Eleanor’s eyebrows furrowed. Just what, exactly, was she supposed to notice?
“If done right, it’s subtle,” the duchess said. “It’s unlikely that most ladies notice, but they aren’t drawn to what they see like gentlemen are.” She paused for a moment then lowered her voice. “What I’m about to tell you, I’m telling you in confidence. Understand?”
Eleanor nodded. “I can keep a secret.”
“The sway of your hips will draw his attention to them, and that will give him ideas of what he can do to you in bed. You will have no intention of being in bed with him until your wedding night, of course. You do want to maintain your reputation, and you don’t want to run the risk of having an illegitimate child. If you become known as a ruined lady, you’ll never get a respectable husband.” She sighed. “Though it’s not fair, a gentleman can bed as many ladies as he wants, and no one thinks anything of it. A lady, however, has to be careful. Ladies are expected to be virgins on their wedding night. Your goal is to get him to think of the bed so that he’ll marry you. Once he marries you, then you can go to bed with him without risking the Ton’s ridicule.”
So that was why unmarried ladies were required to have chaperones. Her father hadn’t taken the time to adequately explain the reason to her. All he’d told her was that she had to have one.
“All right,” the duchess said in a louder voice. “I want to see you walk to the door.”
Though it felt awkward, she strolled toward the door with an extra sway to her hips. When she reached the door, she turned around and waited for the lady to speak.
The duchess tapped her chin. “That was a little too obvious. Take smaller steps. Bend your knees a little. As you take a step, let one hip go up while the other goes down. Then when you take the next step, do the same but to the opposite hips.”
That was a lot to remember, but she would do her best. Pushing aside her unease, Eleanor followed the lady’s instructions. Doing so felt more natural than what she’d been doing before, but it still felt awkward.
“That’s better,” the duchess said, “but you don’t need to bend your knees that far. Just a little bit. Also, don’t forget to look at me. You don’t have to worry about an item on the floor that might make you trip.”
