Page 15 of The Duke's Ultimatum

Charlotte shrugged. “He is a man, and she is a very handsome woman. No man can resist her charm. Perhaps he was just being a gentleman and entertaining the widow.”

Sarah giggled. “You obviously didn’t see them then because if any gentleman looked at me the way I saw him look at her, you would send me to a nunnery. I’m sure she was very entertained.”

Eleanor covered the laugh that bubbled up. She didn’t agree with Sarah’s romantic and scandalous view of the world, but it sure was entertaining when she opened the door so others could see it.

“Sarah! What do you know of how a man looks at a woman?” Charlotte reprimanded.

Eleanor could tell her mother was partly embarrassed at her child’s comment yet intrigued by her knowledge.

“It’s the books you let her read,” Eleanor answered.

“I do nothing of the sort. I am very careful with what you girls are allowed to read,” Charlotte defended herself.

Eleanor raised an eyebrow and motioned to Beatrice. “Her, you monitor. Sarah? Not so much.”

Charlotte grimaced. “Beatrice reads books that are too advanced and fill her head with nonsense. Girls, especially young girls her age, shouldn’t worry themselves with such topics like science or world issues.”

Eleanor barked out a laugh. “But Sarah reading about salacious men stealing women away in the middle of the night for the sake of romance is appropriate?”

“Oh, no,” Sarah quipped. “Leave me and my books out of this.”

Charlotte huffed, “If your poor father?—”

“Mama,” all three girls groaned. Whenever a conversation wasn’t going Charlotte’s way, she had a habit of invoking their father’s name. It used to work, but now, it just annoyed the girls.

“Oh, all right,” Charlotte huffed as she sat up to pour more tea into her cup. “All I’m saying is your father and I raised you girls to have a certain level of decorum, imagined or not. Illusion is everything in theton. If we have any hope of marrying you girls off to respectable men, Beatrice will need put her thick tomes down and learn to have conversations with actual people.”

“Actual people are boring,” Beatrice mumbled into her tea.

“… and Sarah needs to learn not every word or action is done for love or romance regardless of what her books say. And you,” she pointed her spoon at Eleanor, “need to stop calling the Duke a deviant where anyone can hear you. Servants talk, and we cannot handle a scandal.”

There was a moment of silence following her mother’s rant.

Sarah dropped her eyes to her lap. “Why is it so bad to dream of finding a love like you and Papa had?”

“Oh, darling.” Charlotte reached her hand out to lift Sarah’s chin. “I’m not saying that. It’s just those books are not a true representation of what love is. It’s like I was telling your sister earlier. Love like what your father and I had was created between us; we didn’t just look at each other one day and it was magically there. We worked for it.”

Another moment of silence passed between the women.

“So, how did the Duke look at the widow Devin?” Beatrice asked.

Charlotte groaned and gave Sarah a pointed look. “This is another reason why those books are no good.” This time she reached out and patted Beatrice’s hand. “Never you mind, dear.”

“Was it like the way Lady Marsh’s son was looking at Eleanor?”

Eleanor sputtered her tea. “Excuse me?”

Beatrice looked at Sarah who was giggling uncontrollably. “What’s so funny?”

“Eleanor? Did you lie about not dancing with Leonard?” Charlotte inquired, most likely hoping her soon-to-be shelved daughter may have a suitable gentleman calling on her.

“What? No. I had no idea he was even there.” Eleanor shuddered. She couldn’t imagine having to dance with Leonard Marsh. Just the thought of his spindly arms wrapped around her made her breakfast threaten to leave her stomach.

“Oh. It’s a shame. You could do a lot worse than Leonard Marsh,” Charlotte said.

“Yes, but she can do a lot better,” Sarah added, much to Eleanor’s pleasure.

Charlotte sighed. “I’ve had enough of the fresh air for one morning. I must get started on my correspondence for the day. Make sure you don’t stay out here too long. We don’t want the summer sun to freckle your skin any more than it already is.”

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