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Perhaps one of the boring gentlemen will be best for me. Lord Fairfax has many great qualities, but he will expect the marriage to be a certain way, and he will expect me to be a certain way. I must be with someone who will leave me be. A man who wants a wife, but who does not need a relationship.
“So?” Sebastian asked expectantly. “What am I to expect of you?”
“I enjoy nature,” Eleanor said, hoping to say something he might want to hear. “And reading. I enjoy children and animals.”
And I want to climb to the top of every tree and have a man tell me when I’m wrong, and not be threatened when I tell him he is being ridiculous. I want to be jumping in lakes, and eating lemon cakes all day, and still be left alone when I want to be. If I tell anyone what I truly want from a marriage, they will run from me.
Sebastian tapped her gently on the arm. “I think there is more in there that you are not sharing with me.”
Eleanor smiled back at him politely. She wished Gabriel were here. At least he knew what she truly wanted, and he could help steer her toward those who might fulfill that for her.
“Come,” Sebastian said. “I shall introduce you to Lady Whitmore.”
* * *
“Lord Bracken, Lord Sizemore, Mr. Beaufort, the Viscount of Wembley!” Margaret exclaimed. “Need I go on?”
The carriage bumped up and down on the bumpy track as Eleanor headed for home with her mother.
“Sure, mother,” Eleanor said, looking out of the window at the passing countryside.
“Eleanor,” Margaret scolded. “Are you aware of what any of this means?”
“Mmm,” Eleanor replied.
“Some have said that you might be the Diamond of the Season, but this is the evidence that you are. I wouldn’t be surprised if every eligible gentleman in the country wanted your hand in marriage. It’s a good thing His Grace will be around to protect you from some of them. Some men can be very persuasive when they want to be. Do you know that, Eleanor? Are you careful to guard against that?”
Eleanor continued to look out of the window.
Where were you today?
“You are one of the Season’s most sought-after debutantes,” Margaret continued, as if she were talking to herself. “Dare I say, the most sought-after. And I noticed you speaking with Lord Fairfax. He might be the most eligible of them all.”
There was silence as the coach rumbled over the dirt tracks.
“Eleanor?” Margaret said. “Lord Fairfax? He might be the most eligible bachelor in London, and I saw how much you two spoke today. There is still a lot of time to consider who will take your hand, but might he be the one?”
“I don’t know,” Eleanor muttered. “No, I don’t think so.”
Eleanor didn’t know why she felt so fatigued. There had been many men swarming around her, but Lord Fairfax had put an end to that. And when they spoke together, he had been charming and witty, as he always was. Yet, she wasn’t buoyed by the interaction. Something was still off.
“Oh, well,” Margaret replied. “It’s best to keep your options open, and there are a great many options. I was particularly impressed with Mr. Edwin Carlisle when I spoke to him. Did you get a chance to speak with Mr. Carlisle, Eleanor?”
“Carlisle?” Eleanor asked, her attention finally drawn from the outside world. “Lord Carlisle?”
“Edwin is his cousin, my dear. You must keep up with all of this, or you risk making a fool of yourself if you say the wrong thing. Mr. Carlisle is an impeccably respectable young man. He is handsome, of course; I would not dream of allowing you to wed someone who was not handsome, my dear. He is a sensible individual and wonderfully well-mannered. I really like him.”
Eleanor groaned.
“Oh, what is it now?” Margaret asked.
“They came to visit two years ago, didn’t they?”
“Yes, Lord Carlisle was my guest.”
Eleanor nodded. “I remember Lord Carlisle. He was a considerate man who took the time to ask me a lot of questions about what I wanted to do and be when I was older. I enjoyed talking to him very much.”
“Well, there you go,” Margaret stated.
