Page 2 of Seducing a Frigid Lady
“Yes, well, you know how this time of year affects me,” Priscilla said, struggling to meet her friend’s gaze. It was no secret to her or her friends that she hated the London Season and all the pomp and arrogance of it all.
Though she tried her hardest to hide her true feelings from the wider public, the more occasions she attended, the harder it was to do so. Better to stay out of the public eye as much as possible, especially as her father had so often promised her a simple and slightly more unconventional life.
“Yes, but I also know that the deal you have with your papa is to keep up appearances, and so I do believe you ought to at least try and make a small effort on what remains of the Season,” Sophie said pointedly, and from the expression that she gave, Priscilla started to wonder whether tongues had begun to wag about her.Great, just what I need.
In an attempt to glean a little more information, she asked, “If I am to do that, then you must catch me up. What have I missed?”
Though she offered her friend her full attention, she could still feel the watchful eye of her aunt upon her every so often. Lady Bishop remained close by, speaking with Sophie’s parents, though Priscilla knew well that her aunt was an excellent multitasker.
“Well, there is news that a new and very admirable viscount and future earl arriving shortly,” Sophie explained, clearly not having gotten the hint as to what Priscilla was truly asking. Feeling the eyes and ears of several other guests upon them, she decided it was best not to try to correct herself and simply go with the flow.
“Do we have a name?”
“Viscount Lionel Sinclair, one day to be the Earl of Oxforth,” Sophie explained, brushing back a strand of hair from her face and gazing out around the room almost as though she expected the very man to appear out of the crowd. She sounded excited, as though a simple name could merit such a thing.
“I am afraid I do not believe I have heard of him,” Priscilla admitted, trying her hardest to recall a man with that name. Yet she had met so many viscounts, all waiting to inherit their father’s titles, and one seemed to melt into another like rain droplets into a stream. Just like all other members of theton, they were all the same in essence.
“Surely, you must have,” Sophie said, looking at Priscilla almost as if she believed she had lost her senses. “He is a cousin of our most dear friend, Mr. Parr.”
Priscilla bit back the urge to scoff at her friend’s overly enthusiastic words. She was certain that it was more for the overbearing ears in close proximity, namely her parents, who were adamant to see their daughter married off by the end of the Season.
Though she was no stranger to Mr. Maximillian Parr, a gentleman of thetonwho was quite bearable compared to most. In fact, he was a neighbour to them in Covent Garden and though she did not see him all that often, whenever she did, their encounters were always amiable.
“One can only hope that this new nobleman is as pleasant as his cousin,” Priscilla responded carefully to her friend, knowing that if she said the wrong thing now, her aunt would likely scold her later. To discard any thought of a new gentleman in town before he had even arrived was one thing that Lady Bishop would expressly frown upon, whether she and her father had an agreement for her not to be forced into marriage or not.
“Well, the general talk about town is that he is a most agreeable man in appearance and very respectable on the surface but…”
Sophie trailed off for a second, glancing about them both as though she wanted to be sure that nobody was watching or listening in. For the most part,other guests were much too taken by their own conversations to pay any attention to them. Though Priscilla still suspected that there would be at least one set of ears listening in.
“They say he is witty and loved by all and that he is especially fond of the ladies.”
Priscilla felt as though she had heard it all before. There were far too many noblemen around her capable of doing whatever they wished when it came to extra-marital affairs. Yet if a lady were to so much as sniff in the direction of the wrong man, she would be scandalised for all eternity.
“Is that not the case for all men?” she commented openly, shrugging her shoulders. “Lord Sinclair need be no different.”
“You would believe so, wouldn’t you?” Sophie said, and the way her eyes glistened suggested that she had yet more to say.
“But the talk is that he is exceptionally scandalous. Flirtatious and downright depraved, and yet everybody loves him so greatly that he seems to just flutter on overall mention of scandal in the eyes of the most respectable noblemen around.”
Priscilla did scoff at that. Of course he did. A man, so long as he had the backing of other men like himself, could get away with just about anything that he wanted. It was no secret, and yet Sophie appeared absolutely fascinated with the fact.
“He is so well-respected. In fact, my papa has invited both him and Maximillian to join us for dinner tonight,” Sophie explained, her excitement seeming to grow. And with it, the mood in the room seemed to grow, too. Suddenly, the fact that there were so many people in attendance made far more sense.
If this was to be the Viscount’s first night in London, and if he was as eligible as Sophie was making him out to be, then every man and his daughter would be looking to secure some kind of connection with him.
Glancing about the room, Priscilla could suddenly see it in an entirely new light. Though there were many elder men about the place, there were a few younger gentlemen and a great number of young ladies, all of which were fluttering about like birds with their brightest and most glorious feathers on.
This was one of those odd mating dinners if ever Priscilla saw one.And here I am, caught right in the middle of it!She thought, gulping past the sudden lump in her throat.
As though she sensed exactly what Priscilla was thinking, Sophie scowled and huffed, “Can you believe all of these young ladies have been dragged here by their fathers to be paraded about before him?”
The look on Sophie’s face made Priscilla bite back the urge to laugh. Of course, she could believe it. She had seen it a hundred, if not a thousand times before. She opened her mouth to say as much but bit that back too as Sophie beat her to it.
“And can you believe that my own papa is one of them?”
It was no surprise to Priscilla that her friend was angry at the fact. Having known Sophie for practically all of her life, she was no stranger to the fact that she hated being told what to do. And yet, she had never quite been able to say no where her parents were concerned.
“I so wish that my parents could be more like your dear papa.” Sophie continued to ramble on and her words made Priscilla search through the crowd, trying to catch a glimpse of the very man she was talking about.
