Chapter5
Drew glanced sideways at the woman who’d managed to utterly shock him tonight. Aurora Hillcrest, a friend and confidant for two years, saw far too much about him that had proved to be completely right. He had not indulged in any intimacy since before his wife had passed away. But he’d not made a conscious decision not to. He’d just never met a woman that he wanted to be with in that way.
Not until tonight.
He sighed heavily at the awkwardness of the situation he now found himself in. He had almost kissed Aurora Hillcrest tonight. Had wanted to very much, and still did. He’d managed to pull away from her, but it had not been easy. She was his…he wasn’t sure what to call her now, but he supposed he was still her client, and she deserved better from him. There were rules about propriety when dealing with a lady of the ton, too. He should not have pawed at her the way he did. He should not be here in the carriage now, either. But he’d wanted a chance to set things right between them. “How did you know?”
She inhaled deeply before answering. “I’ve learned to pay attention to that sort of thing. My work at the academy required me to ask impertinent questions sometimes. How men answer them says a lot about their state of mind. Many men had trouble expressing themselves, and what they fear most.”
“But you saw through them. You told them…like you told me tonight.”
“No. My cousins would never have permitted such an intimate discussion.” She shrugged. “Sometimes they were easy to understand, others were harder to pin down. It depended upon their honesty.”
He winced, knowing the answer to his next question. “What was I?”
“Oh, very mysterious indeed,” she said, and he heard the tease in her voice that hinted she was trying to spare his feelings.
He shook his head. “You probably understood me the moment I walked in, didn’t you?”
She rubbed his arm. “Don’t take it badly. That transparency made you easy to understand but also a lot harder to help. There were things you were not ready to hear then. I thought you would have taken a lover of your own accord long before now.”
He sighed as he remembered the anxiety of that first meeting, when he’d stepped into her home on Albemarle Street. A terrible row with Northport over remarriage had driven him to the Hillcrest Academy’s door in desperation, for sympathy perhaps. From his family, he’d received little by way of understanding or patience. But Eugenia, Sylvia and the woman at his side had been a great help to ease his conscience. Especially Aurora.
“The season’s beauties are being snapped up every day. Tonight, I heard Lady Eloise accepted Lord Rushworth’s proposal,” she confided.
“Who is Rushworth? I don’t believe we are acquainted.”
“A very nice young man, new to his title. Brown hair, nervous smile. Wharton likes him already and believes he has a sensible head on his shoulders. He was at the Castlereagh Ball. Danced with her there, too. You must have seen him.”
Drew knew him then and was relieved at the news Lady Eloise was no longer looking for a husband. “I’ll be sure to offer my congratulations the next time I see her.”
“You’re not disappointed? Lady Eloise married a mere viscount when she could have had anyone she wanted, and with a greater title, like yours.”
“No. I’m not disappointed,” he promised.
“But you were courting her,” she insisted. “You’ve danced with her often.”
He shrugged. “I was being polite. Our families are good friends, and while they might have harbored some hope of a match between us being made, I never did. I’m sure you heard that Berringer encouraged his friends to help young women stand out last season. If my attention to Lady Eloise this season has prompted this viscount to propose sooner than later, I’m very glad to have played a small part.”
“Yes, I heard about Berringer’s efforts to help wallflowers,” she murmured. “I didn’t know you were also involved.”
“When it suits,” he murmured. “I would not ever describe any woman I know as a wallflower. I quite dislike the term.”
She looked down at her hands. “Many ladies pretend to be proper but are really just trying to fit in with society’s high expectations for them.”
“Gentlemen do the same,” he freely admitted. “As I’ve shown you tonight, I’m not the man you thought I was. We men curb our hungers when we need to, so as not to offend delicate sensibilities. Everyone except Brandestock perhaps treads lightly around available ladies.”
“You shouldn’t have to do that around anyone, but someone should put a gag in Brandestock’s mouth some nights. Whatever is in his brain comes directly from his mouth the next moment.”
“Oh, I agree with you there.” He chuckled softly. “Did you really think me tame, dull and unadventurous?”
After a long moment, she shrugged one shoulder. “I’m afraid I did.”
“I played the role too well then.” He shuffled closer to her. “I would be more than happy to stop being good around you, if you’ve no objection.”
“You may behave any way you like around me. I’m not the one who needs to be charmed.”
He relaxed a little more. “Hopefully a title isn’t all a woman needs when making a marriage,” he replied.