Page 8 (2/2)

Eleanor’s soodness, you are the only eligible duke’s daughter this season I must write to your father and brother im And weIn fact, we should probably--"

"Villiers plans to pay a visit to Sevenoaks," Eleanor said

Her mother frowned "Sevenoaks, in Kent? Why? What--No!"

"Lisette" Eleanor nodded

"But Lisette is irl," she added, but then returned to her irl is mad as a March hare Cracked Moonstruck And I say that not irl Everyone knows it!"

"She’s not precisely mad," Eleanor protested "She’s merely--"

"She’s " A frown crinkled her brow "Of course she is quite pretty"

"Lovely," Eleanor supplied helpfully "Her eyes are a lovely blue, if you remember"

Her mother’s eyes narrowed even further "By now she et better, only worse Look at your uncle Harry We used to think it rather chareneral But now that he’s taken to thinking that he’s a Russian prince, your aunt Margaret has such an unco she wear furs and trundle about in a sleigh"

"Lisette has improved She sends me quite cheerful letters"

"Villiers plans to visit Knole House, you said?"

"I told hi to pay Lisette a visit"

Her ent thing I’ve seen you do in years!"

Eleanor involuntarily twitched but didn’t reply

"We’ll leave to day I wonder if Gilner hih it hardly uerite over the past few years, ever since Lisette’s mama died What an unfortunate life dear Beatrice had! Only one daughter, and the child deranged"

"Lisette has improved," Eleanor repeated

"Nonsense! Pretty is as pretty does, and your Lisette is not fit to be a duchess I trust the duke will realize that himself, but just in case, we’ll be there as well"

Eleanor hated the ti toward a goal that she hadn’t envisioned aback on Gideon’s eighteenth birthday, when he paid a sudden visit, his face as white as a sheet of paper She re surprised that he had sent in his card and requested a formal visit Gideon had never been formal…

Gideon was always formal now that he was married to another wooing to be married to the Duke of Villiers Just then herto her feet with a huge s to see Villiers--but it was Gideon Gideon, the Duke of Astley, who never approached her if he could possibly avoid it

A coenuine affection on the part of Eleanor’s mother had caused her to insist that her son’s closest friend, a poor motherless boy, spend his school holidays with therown up with the around the estate as if he were another brother--until the day they looked at each other and he wasn’t He just wasn’t

Noalked toward them, as lean and beautiful as ever When he was just a boy, he had been rail thin Later, ave her an unbidden and unwelco of hair covering his chest had been