Page 22 of Seducing a Frigid Lady
Though she told herself it was the simplest of advice that she would have given any woman in Lady Caroline's situation, there was a small gnawing in her gut that reminded her it might not be entirely true.
She forced herself to remember once again that though he was an obviously outwardly attractive nobleman, deep down he was just like all the other men of theton, only interested in one thing; getting whatever it was thathewanted.
"You… you danced with him last evening, did you not, Miss Lloyd?" Lady Caroline asked, suddenly turning to look at Priscilla. Bile rose in the back of her throat at the question. She gulped it back down again, knowing very well that she could not lie. How would that make her look when everyone had likely seen her dancing with him?
"I did. Just the once," she admitted, hoping that her small layer of facial powder was enough to hide the heat that she felt coming into her cheeks. "Why?"
"What did you think of him?" Lady Caroline asked. The way her brown eyes bored into Priscilla's made her feel more than a little uncomfortable. She got the distinct impression that if she even attempted to lie, she would be caught.
And yet, she had spent most of her life lying, in one way or another, to every member of society just to keep the gossip from her father's door as she had promised him she would.
"I… I found him pleasant enough," she stated, being entirely careful about not saying too little or too much. And though the words appeared to satisfy Lady Caroline, they did not appear to have the same effect on Sophie. The other viscount's daughter raised one brunette eyebrow, examining Priscilla's face closely as though she hoped to glean a little extra information from her.
In the hopes of putting her off the scent, Priscilla quickly added to Lady Caroline, "I would not worry too much. The viscount appears to be a man who enjoys his own company greatly and I cannot imagine he is the type to go rushing into anything. Especially if it is what someone else has told him to do."
Just like the other members of thetonhave warned him that I am an Ice Queen and he ought to stay away from me, she thought, realising that in fact, save for the latter part of the night before, he had done quite the opposite.
"Thank you, Miss Lloyd," Lady Caroline said with a genuinely grateful smile upon her face. Priscilla was surprised when she reached out and clutched hold of her hand, squeezing her fingers delicately. "Your reassurance is greatly appreciated."
Had the words come from anyone else, Priscilla might have believed there to be some sarcasm in her voice, but Lady Caroline was nothing but genuine, as always.
"I should probably return to my mother and remind her that we have other appointments to make," Lady Caroline said then, releasing Priscilla's hand. She took a step away, dropping the ribbons she had been holding back into their display box. And in the moment before she turned away, she paused and looked directly at Priscilla again.
"Oh, Miss Lloyd, before I am entirely forgetful. I wished, if I may, to give you somewhat of a warning."
Priscilla's jaw clenched, her entire body stiffening as she met the other woman's gaze. Was this the part where Lady Caroline showed her true colours and warned her to stay away from the viscount just in case they did indeed make a true love match?
Struggling to speak past the sudden lump in her throat, Priscilla said, "Yes?"
"I know that you have somewhat of ahistorywith Mr. Kenyon," Lady Caroline explained. The hair on the back of Priscilla's next started to rise.
"What of him?" she blurted, unable to stop herself. Though Lady Caroline was kind and always friendly, she did sometimes have a habit of talking a little too slowly.
"I have heard some of the things that Mr. Kenyon has been saying about you," Lady Caroline declared, her cheeks beginning to blush as though she was embarrassed to admit that she had paid any heed to gossip, especially from the likes of Mr. Kenyon. "And I regret to admit that some of what he has been saying has been rather unsavoury."
Priscilla had to bite the inside of her lip to stop herself from offering some kind of curse out loud. More and more Mr. Kenyon appeared to be the thorn in her side.
"Thank you for the warning, Lady Caroline," Priscilla said, forcing a smile that was only half-fake for once. She could at least identify the fact that Lady Caroline had not told her such things out of malice or wishing to cause any trouble. It was not at all in her nature.
"I shall keep it in mind."
As she watched Lady Caroline give a nod of farewell and turn to rejoin her mother, Priscilla couldn't help but think,I only hope that whatever he is saying is nottooawful.She could imagine that with their history, as Lady Caroline had stated, it was quite unsavoury indeed.
She had heard more than once the unthinkable things that men had come up with about the women who had rejected their less-than-desirable marriage proposals.
"I wouldn't worry too much," Sophie reassured her with a hand on her arm. "Mr. Kenyon has never been takentooseriously amongst theton."
Her friend's reassurance did little to calm the nerves that suddenly bubbled in Priscilla's stomach, and for the life of her, she couldn't understand why she suddenly cared so much.
Chapter 8
“Are you quite certain that you need me to come with you this morning?” Priscilla asked Sophie just two days after their trip to town with Sophie’s mother to have her hat repaired.
Though she had arrived at the Lyttleton townhouse at a written invitation from her best friend, requesting her to go on a jaunt about the park with some suitor her parents had chosen for her, Priscilla could think of nothing worse.
“Oh, Cilla, please! You must come with me!” Sophie insisted, grabbing Priscilla’s hands and practically dragging her into her bedroom, where her mother had suggested she would be still preparing. Priscilla had been more than happy to leave her aunt downstairs with Lady Lyttleton, as unfortunately for her, Lady Bishop had also been invited on the walk, which was beginning to seem far more like an expedition to Priscilla.
Sophie slammed the door closed behind Priscilla, still holding onto one of her hands as though she was desperate not to let go. “I am so nervous I feel like I might throw up.”
