Page 31 of Tutoring a Lady into Sin
She careened toward the pathway that wound down by the roses his mother so carefully maintained and had her gardeners curate.
Ah…I shall swing around the other side and…
Phineas dashed around the beds of flowers, being careful not to trample any of them, knowing that if he should be caught doing so, his age be damned, there would be no saving him from receiving a tongue-lashing from his mother. He sprinted to the far end of the garden, then circled back, knowing that if he’d read Christianna’s trajectory correctly, she should be coming down the garden path right…now.
They nearly smacked into one another.
“Phineas!” Christianna cried as she stumbled two steps backwards. “I thought you were behind me. How did you…?”
“I am sorry, Christianna,” he huffed as he fought to catch his breath. “I saw what happened in there, and I just could not let you wander about on your own.”
“But this…this is what I feared most,” Christianna cried as she spun away from him and collapsed onto one of the nearby stone benches. “I have made an effort with His Grace, and I thought…the toast he gave tonight…it made me think he was interested in me now, too.” She looked up at Phineas and sighed deeply.
“What am I to do? I have employed all the tricks you have taught me, Doctor Radcliff. I have tried to make myself pleasing and affable. But I did not even turn my back, and he was off galivanting with other women. Right in front of me!” Her voice raised to almost a shrill cry. “What am I doing wrong?”
“Nothing,” Phineas assured her as he dropped onto the stone bench, occupying the seat by her side. “You have done nothing wrong, my lady. It is Percy who is behaving like a dolt. He cannot see what he has right in front of him.”
“No,” she said as she shook her head furiously. “It must be me. It has to be. Doctor Radcliff, I need you to tell me earnestly. Do not spare my feelings because I truly need to know…What do all the other women have that I do not?”
“I…I…” Phineas could not think of a single thing. She had worn a white silk gown that night, and with the moonlight frosting the tips of Christianna’s soft blonde hair, she looked almost like an angel. He was tempted to reach out and brush his fingertips along the smooth line of her cheek, but refrained, knowing that the last thing she needed from him right now was to confuse their situation further.
Chapter 13
“Why do you not speak?” Christianna demanded. “Why do you leave my questions unanswered?”
Phineas hesitated. He had this perplexed look on his face as his eyes were narrowed, and he stared at his hands, which were resting in his lap. “I…I…”
“I will tell you, Doctor Radcliff, what I think is the matter. You have something to say. You have noticed a deficiency on my behalf or a mistake I am making, but you are reluctant to share it with me because you wish to spare my feelings.”
“No,” he hurriedly assured her. “That is not it at all.”
“Then, what is it?” she prompted testily. “What am I doing that is driving His Grace into the arms of other women…allthe other women? Even my dearest friend, Bianca, was taken in by his pleasing smirks and soft whispers. And what could he have said to make Miss Fitzroy blush in such a manner?”
“You saw that, did you?” Phineas asked.
“I saw everything,” Christianna snapped, but then, she regretted being so harsh with him. “I am sorry for behaving thusly, but I am confused. I see all that unfolds before me, and yet I am blind to my own faults. Why can I not whisper and flirt and lean forward and…?” She rocked back and forth, moving her shoulders, trying to mimic the motions she had seen the other young ladies do so proficiently.
“Well,” Phineas said quietly, “that is not such a very difficult challenge to master. If you wish to behave as the others and Percival did just now, I can show you a trick or two.”
“Oh yes, please,” Christianna said as she scooted nearer to Phineas. “Show me what to do.”
“The first thing you must do is edge back a little. You were in a good position where you were before.”
“We are to be farther away from each other then?” she asked dubiously. “That does not seem right. The duke was so close to Lady Constance at one time that I thought he might sit right in her lap.”
Phineas shook his head. “The key to this particular seduction technique is to get as close to the other person as you can without ever actually touching them.”
“How does one do that?” Christianna queried.
Slowly, Phineas lifted his hand and let it hover in the air between them. “I want you to close your eyes, my lady.”
“Close my eyes?” she whispered as she watched his hand, which he continued holding perfectly motionless.
“Yes,” he returned. “Close your eyes. In just a moment, I want you to tell me what you feel.”
“All right,” Christianna replied slowly as she shut one eye. “But I do not see how this is helpful.”
“You will,” Phineas said as a playful smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Just close your eyes and tell me everything you feel.”
