Page 21 of Seducing a Frigid Lady
"Good morning, Miss Lloyd. It is marvellous to see you both looking so well after last night's festivities."
Lady Caroline's words made Priscilla's stomach clench. Had she noticed something between Priscilla and the viscount, after all?
Yet there appeared no cunning smirk or intrigued smile upon the lady's face and Priscilla quickly decided that she was merely kindly making conversation.
It was confirmed the moment she glanced over Sophie's shoulder and added, "Oh, Miss Lyttleton. Those are lovely ribbons. I rather think I should get some for myself."
Sophie turned the moment that the shop assistant had placed the ribbons in a paper bag and smiled at Miss Caroline.
"Would you like me to show you where I found them?" she asked. "I had to do a little digging."
"Oh, I would be most grateful if you did," Lady Caroline smiled warmly. Not for the first time, Priscilla could see why she was so often the talk of theton.With her honey-blonde hair, warm brown eyes, pale and flawless skin and her petite frame, she was already worthy of note.
Add that to her friendly countenance and her lack of being able to say anything negative about anyone, as well as her gentle and quiet nature and one need not even ask what her talents and skills were to know that these things alone with her family's wealth and titles would make her the catch of the Season.
In fact, where she and Priscilla were concerned, Priscilla believed that they were polar opposites. And where other ladies in Lady Caroline's position might have looked down on her for such a thing, she did not. Though Priscilla could place the name of a friend on only one person with certainty, Lady Caroline came a close second simply because she was a friend to everyone. Nobody could fault her.
Following Sophie and Lady Caroline back across the shop to where the ribbons had been found, Priscilla heard Sophie whisper, "What do you think they are talking about?"
Priscilla scowled at her friend. It wasn't difficult to guess. Especially with the way the two ladies glanced in their direction several times.
Lady Caroline huffed at the question and Priscilla actually felt sorry for her. It was clear that something was lying heavily on the lady's shoulders.
"I fear they are talking of me and the supposed love match my parents are trying to make for me." The way she rolled her eyes suggested about as much as Priscilla needed to know of her thoughts on the matter.
"Why? Has something happened between you and… and, well, who is it?" Sophie asked, the ribbons entirely forgotten.
Though she was only half interested in the conversation, Priscilla took a moment to think of the night before, trying to remember the faces of any gentlemen Lady Caroline had danced with the night before. Though, as expected from a lady such as her, there were many faces that popped into mind, an almost impossible stream to remember every face and name.
Lady Caroline quickly glanced over her shoulder to look at the two older ladies, making sure neither mother was looking in their direction before she leaned in closer and whispered, "Lord Sinclair."
Priscilla's blood ran cold. She told herself that it was only the reminder of the wager she had set with the viscount the night before. And yet a small voice in the back of her mind said,What if Lady Caroline is the woman he will marry after he's finished playing with his toys?Even worse was the way Miss Kendall's words repeated again and again in her mind about how she was the toy he was playing with while he waited to find his bride.
"Well, Lord Sinclair certainly does have quite the reputation, but he is also very well respected," Sophie pointed out, looking between Priscilla and Lady Caroline as though she were looking for some kind of help on what to say.
For once, Priscilla was at a loss as to what to say. And she was most relieved when Sophie seemed to follow her own thoughts and ask, "What do you think of the match? Do you believe you could love such a man?"
The silence seemed to drag out all around them and Priscilla's heart beat so fast and loudly that she was almost certain everyone else in the room would be able to hear it.Can I truly keep up with a wager for the viscount to try and seduce me if a match is already being made for him?
What had begun as a scandalous and playful wager suddenly felt even more dangerous than ever.
"Lord Sinclair is indeed a respectable nobleman and I would be blind if I said I didn't find him attractive," Lady Caroline admitted, keeping her voice low as though she were telling them her deepest, darkest secret, "But I believe that what my parents hope for is just a ridiculous fantasy based on our standing within society. I hardly know the man."
Priscilla was surprised by that. Though Lady Caroline was far nicer than many of the members of theton, she hadn't expected for her not to buy into whatever it was that her parents were trying to do. After all, there were many ladies like her who would have done just about anything to see themselves married to a nobleman like Lord Sinclair, even with his reputation for having a fondness of women.
"From what my mother says, Lord Sinclair's aunt and uncle are adamant to try and make the match, too."
Now Priscilla truly did feel sorry for Lady Caroline. After having multiple conversations with her father on the matter of her own marriage prospects, and his agreeing to make her own choices, she was well aware of how different things were for the other ladies of theton, especially the ones like Lady Caroline whose parents appeared adamant to do what they thought right even if it did not align with her own wishes.
"I suppose my dancing with the viscount last night did not entirely help matters, but what else could I do?" Lady Caroline continued, looking down at the ribbons she had picked up almost as though she wasn't actually aware she was holding them. The look in her eyes was distant, as though she were thinking hard on a problem she was trying to solve.
"From what I hear, Lord Sinclair left the countryside to get away from his overbearing parents. I can't imagine he would put any weight behind the wishes of his aunt and uncle if he does not do so with his own parents," Sophie said reassuringly, placing her hand upon Lady Caroline's forearm as if to comfort her.
Though they were not aimed at her, they did indeed comfort Priscilla slightly. From what little she knew of the viscount, she did not believe him to be a man easily swayed by the wants and desires of others.Though he is certainly swayed by his own desires,she thought, shivering as she remembered the husky lustfulness of his voice when he had made his proposition to her the night before.
"I am certain your parents would not force you into anything if it is indeed a love match they are searching for, for you," Sophie continued, looking to Priscilla as if to help in her reassurance.
It is no business of mine if the two were to find a love match,Priscilla reminded herself, and she forced a smile as she nodded her agreement. "Sophie is right. Your parents have always been fair enough. If you do not think it a wise match then you must tell them."
