Page 16 of The Duke's Ultimatum

She looked directly at Eleanor and motioned to the slight brush of freckles that dusted her cheeks.

The girls all muttered their acknowledgement, grateful for the reprieve from their mother.

Beatrice inspected her biscuit. “What about the Duke? He’s new, and he seems nice.”

Both Sarah and Eleanor looked at her.

“I mean, for a suitor. He’s older, but not Leonard Marsh old, at least I don’t think he is. Could he be a good match for you, Eleanor?”

“He is far from nice,” Eleanor countered.

“How would you know?” Sarah asked.

“Yes, how do you know, Eleanor?” Beatrice added.

Perfect. Walked right into this one. Way to go, Eleanor.

“Well, from everything you ladies said with his behavior with the widow. First appearance in theton,and he’s shamelessly flirting with the widow.”

Eleanor crossed her fingers that were hidden her lap. She prayed that was enough. She couldn’t possibly bring up what she witnessed the night before.

Sarah’s eyes lit up as she leaned in across the table. “I heard he’s an absolute rake who spends his time hopping from one bed to the next.”

Eleanor groaned. “Sarah. You shouldn’t gossip. Remember what mother said.”

Sarah waved her off. “Who’s going to hear me? Madden?” she asked with a nod over her shoulder to her mother’s elderly butler. “He’s deaf. Anyway, Mary Stevens said she heard her mother talking about how the Duke is known for his penchant for actresses.”

“Oh, how deliciously scandalous,” Beatrice squealed.

“Sarah! You should not be talking about such things, especially in front of Beatrice.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Have you seen some of the books our darling little sister reads? If you think my books are inappropriate, you should read hers.” She laughed with a pointed finger at Beatrice. “She may only be fifteen, but she most likely knows more about the human body and its purposes than you or I. I caught her with an anatomy book the other week. At least my books have a plot.”

Eleanor’s eyes flew to Beatrice.

The young girl only shrugged. “Mama likes to think I can’t handle adult topics, so I go out and find information about them. I don’t want to wait until I’m old enough to understand.”

Eleanor’s mind whirled. “But you acted so naive and innocent with Mama. What was all that, ‘how was the Duke looking at the widow’ business?”

Beatrice smiled. “Just that. An act. Mama already doesn’t like the fact that I prefer books over people; if she knew I was actually learning and forming opinions from them, I’d never see the inside of a book again. So, I pretend to be the young girl who is just curious enough to be interesting but not curious enough to cause a problem.” She lifted a slender shoulder. “It’s a balance.”

Eleanor cringed. “What is to become of us when you both enter into your seasons. The world is not ready for either of you.”

Beatrice’s smile widened even more. “I know. It will definitely be a sight to see.”

A sense of dread settled over Eleanor. Between what she learned of the Duke and how unrestrained her sisters were, she worried her bottom her lip, contemplating their future.

“Calm down, Eleanor. It’s not like we’re postulating over what the Duke and widow did when they conveniently disappeared at the same time,” Sarah offered.

Eleanor could feel her cheeks heat. She knew exactly what they did. The memories of it played on an endless loop in her thoughts all last night.

“Wait. They disappeared together?” Beatrice sat up, positively drooling over the gossip. She definitely was a different girl without her mother around. How had Eleanor never noticed this?

Sarah nodded. “Mhmm. I wasn’t going to say anything to Mama last night. I didn’t want her to cause a scene, but Mary saw the Duke go onto the veranda, and the widow followed shortly after.”

Eleanor sat still, her body frozen, afraid the slightest movement would showcase her memories from the interaction last night.

“Eleanor, did you check the veranda last night when we went with Mama to check the parlor? Did you see them?”

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