Page 13 of A Duke for Adela
Never.
Lavender signified purity, grace, and devotion.
A viscount had sent her those.
Dahlias also signified devotion.
A ‘Right Honorable’ had sent those.
There were a lot of lilies, too.
Those blooms represented purity and fertility.
Adela shook her head and laughed.
The lords who had sent her those were never going to get their itchy hands on her. They had to be among the vain peacocks who had dismissed her last year.
She had just finished her breakfast and made her list when Lady Dayne came downstairs. “Adela, what is all this? Not that I am surprised you received flowers this morning. I just had not expected quite this many. You are most deserving of the attention, of course.”
“All of these gentlemen are the same hounds who ignored me last Season and the start of this one, Eloise. I did nothing to change their opinion of me. It is all Huntsford’s doing. We shared a dance, and suddenly everyone is convinced there is something worthy about me, something deeply hidden that only the duke, in his infinite wisdom, discerned.”
“He merely helped them see the beauty in you.”
Adela shook her head and sighed. “But they don’tseeme. They are merely aping the duke and will drop me as soon as he does. What am I to do with these? The men are dolts, but the flowers are quite lovely.”
“We shall put them in vases around the house. You had better run upstairs and put on a suitable gown. Have Betsy fix your hair, as well. She did a lovely job of it last night. You must look your best. We’ll be having quite a few callers today.”
“But I was hoping to–”
“Do not dare say you were hoping to go out today. You must be home to receive these gentlemen when they call on you.”
“But there is an important lecture at the British Museum this afternoon on the ancient practice of brain surgery. Were you aware the ancients knew how to pierce a man’s skull, successfully drilling straight through bone, and–”
“Dear heaven!”
“The point is, I have been looking forward to Dr. Nordberg’s talk all month long. And we both know these gentlemen are not sincere. Everyone is making too much of the duke’s interest in me. We have only shared one dance. He will forget my name by next week at the latest, and so will all of those hounds. Why must I forfeit a fascinating lecture just to be in their company when we all know it is going nowhere?”
“You will simply have to grin and bear it. Truly, Adela. The duke has opened up a world of opportunity for you and you must take full advantage.”
“All right,” she grumbled. “But if they hold this lecture again, I am going. I do not care if I have been granted an audience with the king. The lecture takes precedence.”
“I shall worry about it if and when the king requests to see you,” Eloise retorted jovially. “Did the duke send you flowers?”
“No, none of these are his.”
“Hmm.”
Adela eyed her curiously. “What is so surprising about that? He is not courting me, no matter what anyone believes. In fact, I am certain he is amusing himself at my expense. I’m sure he will howl with laughter when he hears of all the gentlemen he has bamboozled into thinking I am a diamond.”
“You are a diamond.”
She gave Eloise’s hand a light squeeze. “You are genuinely wonderful. I know I am notondiamond and never will be. I would much rather be known as a bluestocking. This is truly who I am. I will not give up the essence of myself just to please some pompous lord.”
“I wonder if Huntsford will join us today,” Eloise mused.
“Oh, I doubt it. He might come by once he has my stolen research papers in hand in order to deliver them to me, but that is all. He does not strike me as the sort of man who would get in line to court anyone, much less me.”
“I suppose you are right.”
