Page 34 of A Duchess' Irresistible Tutor

“Isn’t that right, Lady Daisy?” She barely heard her stepmother, only really registering that Lord Bessington had said something moments before when Bertha gave her a pointed expression that caused her to sit up straight and take note that everyone on the table had turned their attention upon her.

Cheeks burning with embarrassment, Daisy looked down at the plate of half-eaten food still sitting in front of her and tried her hardest to think of what the baron might have just said to her. Yet no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to put her finger on it.

“I’m sorry,” she apologised, quickly clearing her throat and picking up her wine glass to take a sip to give herself an extra moment to think. “I didn’t quite catch what you said.”

She glanced around the table, hoping someone might elaborate. Bertha looked as though she was about to speak, and Daisy was grateful to her for trying, but her mother beat her to it.

“Lord Bessington suggested that you might take a walk together one day soon, and I said that you would enjoy that, wouldn’t you, Lady Daisy?” Lady Balfour stared at her with such an expression that Daisy felt she was trying to burn her. It was clear there was only one acceptable answer, and she knew that if she did not give it, she was certain to get some kind of punishment from her stepmother as soon as their guest had taken his leave.

What harm could agreeing to a walk do?Daisy asked herself, though she couldn’t help thinking of the last time she had taken a walk through the park only to become stranded in the rain, left with no choice but to take Lord Philip’s help when he offered to escort her home. Merely remembering how he had kissed her in his carriage made her chest tighten and her skin tingle, her lips pulsing with the desire to be kissed again.

Dropping her gaze to the table once more, she tried not to think about it too much. The last thing she needed right now was to become so distracted by thoughts of Lord Philip that she ended up agreeing to something she would later regret.

“We do not have to plan anything right this moment,” Lord Bessington put in as though he sensed her reluctance, and had her stepmother not been watching with such a stern expression, Daisy might have allowed herself to let her guard down a little.

It was clear that the man was a gentleman, even if he was a little leery, and if her stepmother was using him in one of her plots, he was clearly none the wiser. From what she had learned of him during their short dinner, Daisy was certain he was merely a lonely man still grieving the loss of his late wife and child.

Hoping to ease his suffering a little, Daisy turned to him with a brilliant smile and responded, “I would greatly enjoy a walk with you, My Lord.”

Daisy saw the look of satisfaction that barely flashed across her stepmother’s face at her words, and she knew that for now she could at least relax a little. She was even more relieved when Lord Bessington leaned over and whispered discreetly into her ear, “Do not fear. I shall endeavour not to bore you with small talk when we do.”

“That would be much appreciated, My Lord.” She smiled back at him.

The more time passed during dinner, the more Daisy realized that her stepmother was trying to force Lord Bessington onto her. Though she was happy to play along for the simple fact of not hurting the baron’s feelings due to his kindness, she was adamant about never truly giving Lady Balfour what she wanted.

Not even my own mother could have forced me into any such thing,she reminded herself, knowing that if her mother had still been alive, she would likely be just as the current Lady Balfour was, desperate to see her daughter married off.Though I am certain my own mother would have been much more discreet about it.

By the time dinner had finished, Daisy had spent half the evening daydreaming, wondering what it might be like to get into bed that night only to hear the pitter-patter of stones being thrown at her window again. The thought that Lord Philip might somehow come to her during the night and whisk her away from all that was happening made her heart race.

She had to fight the urge to excuse herself early, reminding herself that if she did, she would likely only lie in bed feeling disappointed when Lord Philip did not arrive, and no stones were thrown at her window.

It wasn’t the first awkward dinner she had been forced to sit through, and it wouldn’t be the last, but she was more relieved than ever when Lord Bessington finally took his leave and Lord and Lady Balfour escorted him from the parlour after post-dinner drinks.

“What on earth was all that about?” Bertha exclaimed, dropping down onto the couch beside Daisy the moment they had all left the room. Daisy breathed a deep sigh of relief and leaned back in her seat, throwing her head over the back of the couch to give her neck a good stretch, hoping it would relieve some of the tension building there.

“The usual, I am sure,” she sighed and rolled her eyes before closing them, fighting the pain building at her temples.

“You can’t possibly believe that Mama wishes to marry one of us off to that man!” Bertha protested. “He’s almost old enough to be our father.”

“Thirty-five is nowhere near old enough to be considered our father.” Daisy chuckled but still cringed as Bertha’s exclamation sunk into her consciousness, “And no, she does not wish to marry either of us off to him. She wishes to marry me off to him. You know as well as I do that I am the first to be married.”

“Are you defending him?” Bertha gasped, and when Daisy looked up at her, she found that her sister was looking at her as though she had somehow grown an extra head. “You can’t possibly mean to entertain the idea.”

Bertha scowled at her so deeply that it was actually painful to watch. Daisy reached out and laid a comforting hand on her sister’s shoulder.

“Bertha, I can assure you that I have no intentions of being married anytime soon,” she assured her firmly, looking deep into her sister’s concerned gaze. “You are safe for a good while longer yet. Do not worry about your groom.”

Bertha immediately straightened up and pulled away from Daisy, glancing around as if she half expected their parents to return at that very moment. Daisy didn’t suppose they would because she was all but certain that Lady Balfour was likely trying to determine a few final details about whether the baron was the man to whisk their eldest daughter off her feet.They can try all they like,Daisy thought.No man shall ever whisk me off my feet.

Yet as she thought it, one man’s face, in particular, popped into her mind. Lord Philip seemed to smile at her as though he was standing right before her, knowing exactly what she was thinking. A lump formed in her throat, and she struggled to swallow past it.

“Then what do you intend to do?” Bertha asked, her voice still filled with concern and confusion.

“What I always do.” Daisy shrugged. “I will give your mother exactly what she wants until I can think of a way to frighten Lord Bessington off gently or even encourage him onto somebody else more who might be more willing to accept his affections.”

Daisy shrugged as she said the words, knowing it wouldn’t be that difficult. She had done it several times before, always managing to foil her stepmother’s plans to try and marry her off and get her out of the way.It has worked every time before,Daisy reminded herself, knowing she had become quite skillful at it.Why should this time be any different?

Yet as she thought about it, she couldn’t help also thinking about just how smug her stepmother had looked when she had accepted Lord Bessington’s invitation to walk together. Something about it left her feeling more than a little uneasy.

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