“Yes, and also your dancing skills,” he chuckled to himself. “Those require some work as well.”
“Yes, you mentioned already,” she frowned.
“Six more days,” he replied. “I believe it will lead to some great improvement.”
They noticed as Owen began to approach them.
“Perhaps this is my cue to leave?” Maria asked, glancing over to him.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Stephen scoffed. “Let him approach you. Why should you do the labor of walking towards him?”
“Because what if he changes his mind partway?” Maria replied. It was her insecurity talking, and it felt refreshing to let herself be honest about it for a change.
“Then, you shall hope that he reconsiders. But you shall never do the chasing. That is a man’s job.”
“I see,” she considered his words again. “Does it work for you in a similar way?”
“What do you mean?” he asked, amused.
“With the women… well, the women that you are interested in. Do you chase them?”
She had asked the question, but she did not know if she wanted to know the answer. A strange feeling arranged itself in her throat.
“Oh, please,” he laughed. “I do not chase.”
“So your own advice does not apply to you?”
“I am perhaps the exception,” he grinned, seeming pleased with himself. “But I do charm, and in doing so, I attract.”
She wanted to tell him that he sounded rather insufferable, but her words were cut short when Owen finally approached them. He passed her a look, as if to say, ‘I told you’.
“Miss Havenford,” Owen said to her, and then a bit more stiffly. “Your Grace.”
“I shall leave you both to it,” Stephen said, and slipped away.
“Was it a fine dance?” Owen asked her, and she could sense his curiosity bubbling up. It was as though he wished to know if there was something brewing between her and the duke.
It dawned on her that, again, Stephen had been correct in his assessment of men and their behaviors.
Huh. Who knew they could be so predictable?Never could she have learned this on her own, and if anything, she would have done everything in her power to win over Owen’s affection. Which, in turn, might have just bored him.
“Well, yes,” she replied, without giving much away. “But we may continue our conversation.”
“Yes, I am quite eager to,” Owen replied.
And so they walked off together. But all Maria could think of was how Stephen had been right about everything.
And more surprisingly, how she actually looked forward to their lessons later.
CHAPTER 7
“This is a terrible idea,” Maria whispered to herself. She had shown up for their midnight lesson, but it was not without some remorse.
What if they get caught?
“Most instruction worth having begins that way,” Stephen said from the far end.
“This is not amusing,” she shot him a look.