Page 46 of Suddenly a (The St. Clairs 5)

Finally, Mia said, “You were right. I did not dance a single time after supper.”

“I won’t say I told you so,” her aunt said.

“I don’t want to be part of a society that would punish a man for the sins of his father. Mr. St. Clair is every bit the gentleman that any man present tonight is.”

“Thetonhave many unwritten rules, Mia. I’ve tried to explain that to you,” Aunt Fanny said gently.

They arrived home and she went to her bedchamber. A maid helped her from her ballgown and dressed her in her night rail. Mia climbed into bed and found she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. She cried for poor Mr. St. Clair and the unfairness of the situation. He wasn’t welcomed in Polite Society beyond his immediate family and their friends. She knew the middle and lower classes wouldn’t accept him, either. He belonged nowhere.

She had fantasized about their kiss. How it might lead to more. They were so comfortable in one another’s company after sharing so many hours together during the past few weeks. Her heart had told her if she ever were to wed, she would want a marriage with this man. Seeing how society viewed him now, Mia realized he would most likely never consider marrying because he wouldn’t want his wife to be subjected to the same rejection he faced on a daily basis.

Angrily, she brushed away her tears. She had never been a part of society and had no interest in joining it if this is how they treated a good man. Hudson St. Clair deserved better. Could she convince him he did?

Better yet, what would he say if Mia proposed marriage to him?

---