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"You have been wonderful" She wanted to say that Regina had done far better than her own ue She would never understand what the sweet, generous Lady Collingsworth had seen in the self-centered, ina Whatever it was, it had inspired an abiding loyalty that persisted beyond the grave Eliza learned long ago to voice no disparageina To do so was to invite extensive reprimand and extolments of her mother’s worth

"You are kind to say so" Her ladyship sown I was taken aback upon first sight of you For a moment, it felt almost as if time had moved backward"

Eliza didn’t see the reseain, she said nothing Then, she realized she should offer thanks for the voiced observation Her ladyship would perceive it to be a compliment "Thank you"

"You are a reina continued "You are cautious and prefer not to leave anything to chance Butchances Do you kno ether before he paid his addresses? If you consider only the moments we actually spoke to one another, it was no more than a handful of hours There were parties and dinners and picnics and such, but alith others nearby iful discourse You speak of knowing someone well, but in truth there is very little you need to know Does an attraction exist between you? Do you both wish to see the other happy or, at the very least, reasonably content? If you have those things, you have all you need to enjoy a cos he refuses to share with me? How can there be trust, if there are aspects of one another we don’t know?"

"Are there not parts of yourself that you would rather keep private?" Regina challenged "Things you would choose not to discuss? Of course there are Women are entitled to their mysteries, and men are entitled to their secrets Frankly, some secrets are painful and best left alone"

Eliza considered this infors she would prefer never to discuss again It stood to reason that Jasper, too, would have ht have been shaped by past events, but they didn’t rule hie a man," her ladyship coached, "if you pander to his pride and innate sense of self-importance Convince hih When handled correctly, e can be a useful enterprise"

"The effort you describe is altogether too much work, in my opinion" But perhaps worth the effort for aall the things she ht have to concede if she wanted to have Jasper in her life for longer than the length of the Season

"My dear child You extract froina leaned forward "Your coin will be of little cohts and solitary meals I want a happier future for you Someone to look after you Children to love This is a man’s world, Eliza Whether we like it or not, there is no help for it You think you have freedoreater license And Mr Bond appears to have ain and nothing to lose"

The carriage rolled to a halt outside the Melville town house

Eliza caught her ladyship’s hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze "Thank you, Regina You’ve given reat deal to think about"

"I’m available to you, if you need me"

As Eliza clinized that a decisive shift had taken place in her world It was as if she’d been sleeping in a eneral direction Now she akened and feeling the need to change course Unfortunately, she had no notion of where she wanted to go She was, however, beginning to think that wherever the destination, having Jasper with her would

Chapter 7

"This is the last one" Mr Terrance Reynolds consulted the sheaf of notes in his lap "As I , Miss Martin, your newest tenant creates perfumed soaps, bath oils, and candles to order Business is slow at present, but having purchased so-ton’s products for e"