She drew in a trembling breath. “We both know that my other brothers are ill suited to society.”
Boxby’s gaze flicked back at them. The smile stretched a little further across his face. “True.”
“And Anna and I will need…” Her sister needed Mirabelle to be successful to ensure her own. If Mirabelle could make a great many connections, Anna’s entrance into society would be so much easier. “Help.”
Boxby’s brows furrowed then. “Help?”
If she wished to be a jewel, someone was going to have to teach her how to shine. Someone that wouldn’t seize her with worry. Someone that she could keep secret from her brothers, who would never approve. Then again, they never seemed to know what was best for them. Large children, the lot of them.
“Yes. We can’t go to a ball with them…” She nodded toward her brothers. “Can you imagine? They’d spend the entire night brawling with any man that even looked at me.” And they’d berate her for even wishing to be part of that world. But they didn’t understand. Men got to make their own destinies.
A mild alarm filled Boxby’s eyes. “Does Emily know that they’re so crass?”
Drat. Now she’d just concerned him about the ceremony that would start any minute. “They are all lambs with Emily. It’s men of the peerage that rile them.”
Boxby looked a bit relieved, but his shoulders still straightened as he glanced back at her brothers again. Everything in him hardened as his gaze swept over them, from his jaw to his fist. He didn’t look frightened. More like he was assessing what he might do to them if they hurt Emily.Brothers.
But her first direct appeal had been ignored. She tried another. “But still. I know Emily found society difficult.” Inwardly she knew she would have the same troubles. Not only was she less trained, she had a natural tendency to be a wallflower. “I wonder. How will we fare? What did you do to help Emily succeed?”
Boxby returned his gaze to her, one of his brows quirking. “I convinced my friends to publicly support her. You have a half-brother who is an earl and full brother who is a marquess. I’m sure they’ll do the same for you.”
This was not going at all how she wanted. She’d been hoping he’d show some sympathy. He was one of the few people she could be herself around. She’d hoped he would offer to help her learn how to pour tea without making a fool of herself. Or dance without tripping. Or have a conversation where she didn’t mix up a title.
And how did she properly reply to a man’s request for a dance? Should she say no first before she agreed? This was not a question she could ask any of her brothers, especially Ace.
But Boxby was not taking the bait. Good thing she had a dearth of tricks up her lace cuff.
She cleared her throat and leaned a touch closer, allowing her arm to brush his. The touch sent a shiver coursing through her. “I know you now own a part of my brothers’ gaming hell.”
Boxby had turned forward but at her words, he twisted toward her again, cocking his head to the side as he assessed her without a word.
She had to give the man credit. He gave little away. She leaned closer. “Do you like to place wagers?”
His eyes widened the slightest bit as he leaned back away from her touch. Clearly, she needed practice. Boxby was avoiding every trick she’d attempted. “Wagers?”
“I’ll bet you a boon that one of my brothers interrupts the ceremony with some inappropriate comment.”
“Don’t be silly,” he said, even as he looked over his shoulder again. “They wouldn’t.”
They would. They definitely would. No one knew that better than her. And the group of women behind them was sure to titter wildly. Didn’t her brothers understand the sort of negative attention they brought acting like that? She was trying to elevate the entire family, but they insisted on pulling them back toward East London. Not actually…but by their behavior. They refused to be tamed.
But she’d allow Lord Boxby to think there was a chance he could win. “Perhaps you’re right. Even they respect a church.”
He nodded his agreement and faced to the front again, as Ace appeared. Her brothers shifted behind her, and she prayed that they did not call out to him. Not yet. She needed them to remain silent just a bit longer…
“Exactly. Which is why there would be little point in betting. And even if we did, I need no boons from you.”
“Really?” She gave a delicate sniff. She knew that Emily had begged her brother not to leave London. Knew that he’d agreed not to go until his sister was properly settled. She’d used that knowledge to her advantage. “You wouldn’t want to know how your sister fared in our house as she settles in? I thought for sure you might like the chance to win information from someone who wasn’t one of my brothers.”
She felt it then, the shift in his attention. The focus that landed on her. She knew he was tempted. She wanted to smile with satisfaction, but she kept her face a blank mask. The bluff was important.
“And if you win?”
Her lips did press together then but just to keep them from twitching in satisfaction. She’d structured this so that she wouldn’t lose. Even if by some miracle her brothers managed to stay quiet meeting Boxby, fulfilling her obligation to pass along information would give her another chance to spend time with him. Collect information…
“I don’t need much,” she said as one of her shoulders rose in a small shrug. “Just a chance to gain some knowledge about the workings of society and how best to be a charming”—bycharmingshe meant not a complete fool—“debutante.”
His mouth fell open a bit as he looked at her. She couldn’t tell from his expression what he was thinking and she found herself holding her breath.