Page 54 of The Duke and the Runaway Bride

“Keep your hands clasped before you,” Beatrice replied. “It depends on what was said. If you know the statement is categorically false, then you might correct the person, but it should not be done in a way that makes them feel foolish, and you should refrain from accusing them of lying. If the comment is innocuous and will not harm anyone, it is often best to let it go. If the person who made the comment is ranked above you, it might also be best to ignore it. We must always strive for the truth but cause no offense first. The best advice I can give you is to trust your instincts in the matter.”

“I shall try,” Elizabeth said.

They passed through the landing at the top of the stairs leading down to the ground floor, and as they walked, Beatrice saw Edwin from the corner of her eye. She was supposed to be modeling appropriate behavior, but she found herself distracted for a second.

She looked over the balustrade and down at where he stood. He seemed to be standing there for no other reason than to take her in. He smiled up at her, and she returned his smile before inwardly cursing herself for losing her composure. If she could not keep her composure because Edwin had smiled at her, how was Elizabeth supposed to keep her composure when dozens of men smiled at her during her debut?

“Are you sure you have time for me?” Elizabeth asked. “I know your sister will also debut, and I don’t want to monopolize your attention.”

“I have enough time for you both,” Beatrice assured her.

The more she had on her plate, the less time she had to think about the scandal sheets. And seeing as she did not wish to be seen in public with the scandal on everyone’s lips, she had no better place to be.

“Another valuable skill is to be able to engage anyone in conversation. You will dance with many fine gentlemen over the coming months, and while they will be taken by your stark beauty, it is your conversational skills that will charm them.”

Now that she could not see the Duke, she was able to concentrate on the matter at hand.

“What can you teach me?” Elizabeth asked.

“Two things that have helped me are flattering the person and asking them to explain things to me as if I have no knowledge of the matter. Let’s try it. Pretend we are at a ball, and you have been asked what you like to do in your free time?”

“Well, I like to do needlepoint,” Elizabeth said.

“Needlepoint?” Beatrice asked brightly. “I have never been able to do that myself. You must have fine attention to detail and perseverance if you are able to do it as a hobby. How do you even make the string go where you want it to go?”

“Oh, it is called thread,” Elizabeth explained. She stopped walking and faced her. “It is really not all that hard, and I would be glad to show you if you wish. It only takes a little practice.”

“And now you have the chance of meeting again,” Beatrice pointed out.

It took a second for what she had done to register.

“You told me what you were about to do, but I was still flattered by it. Oh, that is wonderful and something I must try. You are a very astute teacher,” Elizabeth gushed.

“You are getting the hang of it,” Beatrice told her. She resumed her walk, and Elizabeth followed her. “Another thing you can do is ask follow-up questions to show interest. It does not matter if the man you’re conversing with is the most dull person in the world. It is up to you to make the conversation interesting. He might inform you that he went to business school, and you can follow up by asking him if he has any interesting stories from his time there. Or, if he likes to hunt, you might ask if he has ever been in danger while hunting. It does not matter if you do not like the chosen subject, you must still feign interest.”

“I am learning so much,” Elizabeth said. “I thought I was ready to debut, and I know I am, but all of this will make my debut much better than I ever could have expected.”

“Now, I have seen you dine enough times to know you have very good table manners. Your brother has taught you well. And the same goes for greeting people. You are always very polite when you meet someone new or a familiar face, so there are no issues there. What you might want to work on is your body language.”

“I don’t know what that means,” Elizabeth mumbled.

“Your posture and poise,” Beatrice clarified. “When you get excited, you often flail your arms a lot when you speak, and you slump and slouch more when you become caught up in a topic. For the remainder of the time before your debut, I want you to focus on keeping your head held high and your shoulders back.”

Elizabeth did so immediately, affecting a pose that made her look more sophisticated.

“You must believe you are better than everyone else. Even though that is not true for anyone, it will help your confidence shine through.”

“Except for Miss Jennings,” Elizabeth said conspiratorially. “Most are better than her, but she acts as if she is better than everyone else.”

“Yes, she does,” Beatrice couldn’t help but agree.

She did not know who had written the article about her, but Miss Jennings was at the top of her list of suspects. She had to forget about the whole thing. Edwin was dealing with it, so there was no need to dwell on it.

“Ah, here we are,” Beatrice said, indicating the large, bare room. “You are doing ever so well with your education so far, and I thought we might learn some more while having fun.”

“I like fun.” Elizabeth giggled.

In a corner of the room was a pianoforte and a hired musician, ready to play for the two women.

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