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She didn’t know what she had done to deserve all the gifts and attention.

Should I really be rewarded because I looked pretty at one event and wore a nice dress? The men who visited me today barely know me. Lord Fairfax only met me for a few minutes in the park.

“Oh, Eleanor!” Margaret gushed. “You are the talk of the town already. I knew you would be. Oh, what fun this is!”

“This is fantastic, Ellie,” Charlotte told her. “I say that with no jealousy whatsoever. This will be a wonderful Season for us both.”

Eleanor nodded.

Her mind was muddled. With the exception of Lord Fairfax, who was at least humorous when he visited, she had engaged in small talk with most of the lords and answered the same questions over and over. The Season was fun in many ways, but in others, it was hard work.

“I need some fresh air,” Eleanor said.

“There may be more visitors,” Margaret told her.

“I shan’t go far. This is a lot to take in.”

“Do you need company?” Charlotte asked.

Eleanor rose from her chair and grew a little faint. She thought about returning the gift Lord Fairfax had brought, but she headed for the door instead.

“I need a moment alone,” Eleanor told her friend.

She left the room but found the hallway just as stuffy, so she walked through the house toward the rear and the garden, where she could walk among the trees and flowers.

It wasn’t only the visiting lords that she had to think about, but Gabriel’s unusual behavior. He had remained outside the room for most of the time, but as soon as Lord Fairfax arrived, he had made sure to be in the room with her.

Eleanor exited into the gardens, and when she took in a deep breath, she felt free again.

Going to the ball was a lot of fun, but I didn’t expect to have to do all of this today. Is this what it is really like to go through the Season?

Eleanor walked from the house as if she were walking away from her responsibilities.

She wore one of her good summer dresses, a long, flowing, floral outfit, but that didn’t register when she saw the large oak tree.

Eleanor ran straight for the tree and grabbed the lowest limb, hoisting herself up until her stomach was resting on the branch. She kicked with her legs and hoisted herself up until she could place her knee, and then she pushed herself until she was standing on the branch with her hand against the trunk.

Eleanor took a breath and looked back at the house. She smiled. She stood on the branch with her hand pressed to the rough bark for some time, and she felt more like her old self.

After a minute on the lower branch, Eleanor crouched down, grabbed the branch, and then swung herself back down to the ground before heading back toward the house.

She stopped when the duke emerged from the same door she had used and came toward her. Eleanor stopped and waited, and her heart began beating faster again. She did not know if it was intentional, but he was coming straight for her, and when he reached her, they would be completely alone again. Perhaps visible from one of the rear windows, but anything could happen.

Oh, stop it, Eleanor! That is not what I want!

“Your mother told me that you needed some air,” Gabriel growled as he got closer.

“Yes. I’m fine,” she told him. “I was just returning.”

“Are you not well?” Gabriel asked.

Eleanor was taken aback by the concern. She had expected him to order her back to the house, but he was asking about her health.

“No, no, I only needed some fresh air,” she assured him. “I didn’t expect so much of...” She waved a hand toward the house. “That.”

“You must get used to it,” Gabriel told her. “From the moment I saw you, I knew you would have many suitors.”

Oh, please don’t say things like that; you are only muddling my mind.