Trevor stiffened, but it was nothing compared to the jerk that went through Mellie’s hand. Though tiny, he felt her reaction all the way to his toes. “Not a companion, Eleanor,” he said coldly. “As a friend.”
“Well, what is a companion except a friend?” She turned back to the duke and duchess. “You see, I thought Melinda could stay here with us for her come out. She and I will have the grandest time. We could go together to balls and such. Don’t worry about her attire. She’s going to get completely outfitted. I thought we’d go to your dress shop, Wendy. And then—”
“Stop.” The one word was soft, but no less clear. It came from Mellie like the single ring of a bell, and all eyes turned to her.
Trevor’s fingers tightened on her hand, alarm shooting through his body. “Mellie, dearest, you must trust me.”
“I am not accustomed to trusting others with my life,” she said simply. “Nor am I a beggar to be thrown at their doorstep like a lost child.”
“Of course not—”
She didn’t stop to allow him to finish but turned directly to the duke and duchess. “Your Graces, I apologize for intruding into your home. The thought had been to seek Lady Eleanor’s sponsorship during the coming Season, but I see now that it won’t work.”
Trevor patted her hand, desperate now for the gesture to soothe her even though it had already failed. “Itwillwork, my dear, if only you would allow me to—”
“Why won’t it work?” asked the duchess. There was no animosity in her tone, but neither did she allow others to speak over Mellie. When Trevor turned to her, she waved him to silence with an impatient gesture. Her gaze was on his fiancée as she waited for her answer.
Beneath his hand, he felt Mellie wage an internal war between honesty and prevarication. He knew because he recognized the symptoms. Her breath accelerated, her fingers twitched, and her gaze dropped to the floor. The changes were subtle, but he was watching her closely. Sadly, he couldn’t help her in this. If their scheme were to work, she would need to face the duchess regularly. And yet, he still tried.
“It has been a long, exhausting day, hasn’t it? You’re feeling quite overwhelmed and probably would like a lie down.” That is, after all, exactly the suggestion his sisters would adore.
Her expression broke, and she shot him a glare. “I began the day fearing for your life, Mr. Anaedsley. Then I wallowed in the mud with you before being cast out by my father. What exactly do you think is overwhelming about sitting in a parlor with pleasant people?”
The duke barked out a laugh as he settled on the arm of his wife’s chair. “Sounds like a lively tale.”
“It isn’t,” Mellie said in exasperation. “It’s an embarrassing tale. Just as this conversation is rather…”
“Humiliating?” offered the duchess. “Feeling like a piece of rubbish being tossed about on the wind?”
“Yes.” Mellie’s body tightened then released, her breath coming out in a soft sigh. Exactly the reaction he’d wanted, but he hadn’t expected the duchess to understand what he had not.
“But there’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” he said. “I’ve got it all handled.”
The duchess snorted. “She’s not the type to want to sit quietly while others do everything for her. If you don’t understand that about your own fiancée, then the two of you don’t suit.”
Trevor rounded on the woman, outrage at her statement overruling his good sense. “On the contrary,” he said coldly, “it is one of the things I most admire about her.”
“Really,” drawled the damned seamstress. “Then why did you just go off with another woman to arrange things on her behalf? Did you think she’d appreciate being left with strangers while you bartered her future behind her back?”
“I wasn’t bartering!” Except, of course, he had been. And the guilty flush that heated his cheeks showed him for the liar he was. “I was…I was arranging things. But that’s what we wanted, isn’t it dear?”
Mellie didn’t comment. She’d gone mute. Even her hand had stopped moving, which was a sure sign that she’d locked herself up tight. In fact, he’d bet his fortune this was exactly how she acted when Ronnie got out of hand. But he wasn’t Ronnie to blather on in ignorance of her wishes. “Damn it, Mellie, we discussed this and agreed.” She’d even kissed him in full view of the entire county.
Her gaze dropped from his. “I know. But I hadn’t realized…I didn’t know you’d meant here. With…”Them.She didn’t have to say it, but her gaze encompassed the house and all its exalted occupants.
Good Lord, didn’t she understand? “I am the grandson to the Duke of Timby. Did you think I spent my days with merchants and a baron or two? You wanted a Season. This is what it means to have one.”Withme.He didn’t say the words, but she had to understand them. He was a peer.
The room settled into an uncomfortable silence until the duke apparently got impatient. “So as I understand it, Eleanor, you want to sponsor Miss Smithson. Introduce her to society, but what exactly does that mean?”
Eleanor immediately brightened. “Well, I should like her to live here,” she said. “We’ve plenty of room, and she does need some education.”
“Actually,” Trevor cut in, wondering why he was suddenly so irritated by his childhood friend. “She’s had a better education than you. Certainly a better grounding in the sciences.”
Eleanor huffed. “Well, what is that to the point? There’s not a soul who will ask her anything about that.”
Surprisingly, Mellie spoke up next. “She’s right, Trevor. There are things I should learn before I enter society.”
Eleanor beamed at her as if she were a particularly bright child. “See, she understands.”