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“I still don’t understand why we must call it a breakfast in the first place when we have it in the afternoon, but I can get past that. However, why must we use a French word to make it sound fancy when we have a perfectly good word in English?”

Eleanor turned her head to the side as if she were paying more attention to Lottie, when she was really looking past her toward Gabriel, who stood with his uncle on the other side of the tent, watching her, even though he hadn’t spoken to her.

“I have nothing against France or the language; some of my best dresses have come from France, but why must we call an event something that we have to mentally translate into something else?”

“Exactly,” Eleanor agreed quietly.

“You’re not listening to a word I’m saying, are you?” Charlotte asked.

Eleanor quickly drew her attention fully to Lottie. “No, no, I am,” she claimed. “It’s funny that some people use the French and others don’t.”

“Mmmhmm?” Charlotte folded her arms across her chest. She turned and looked over her shoulder to where Eleanor had been staring before turning back to her friend. “He’s all the way over there, and he hasn’t said a word to you since you both arrived separately.”

“So?” Eleanor replied with too much snap in her voice. “He’s only here to oversee me in my brother’s stead. Nathaniel is in France. I wonder if they have events over there and call them breakfast instead of déjeuner?”

“Oh, no, no, no.” Charlotte shook her head and smiled. “Don’t go trying to change the subject. Did he do something to you? Has he said something?”

“What? No!” Eleanor gasped.

“Something has annoyed you,” Charlotte pointed out. “I only want to help you, Ellie.”

“I don’t need help,” Eleanor replied, trying to sound convincing.

She couldn’t tell Lottie what had happened between them. As much as she wanted to explore why Gabriel had walked out on her, she would have to explain the kiss to get to that point, perhaps the first kiss also.

The feeling of exhilaration had been taken from her in a moment when the duke had suddenly stormed out, in apparent regret about their encounter. How was she supposed to look him in the eyes after that? He had kissed her passionately, and he had hated it so much that he couldn’t stand to be with her a moment longer.

Eleanor shook her head and tried to stave off the tears.

“Ellie,” Charlotte said, taking Eleanor’s arm. “You might not need help, but it’s clear that you’re suffering. Come with me.”

Eleanor was dragged from where she and Lottie had stood to oversee the initial proceedings. She wanted nothing more than to spill everything to her friend and lay herself bare, but to do that was to admit that she had been compromised. This was supposed to be her debut Season, and it had the potential to be ruined.

“Where are you taking me?” Eleanor asked.

“You need a distraction from your troubles.”

Eleanor tried to keep up with Lottie so it didn’t look like she was being dragged through the tent, which she was.

“I don’t have any troubles,” Eleanor claimed. “His Grace is very demanding, and I need to behave better.”

Charlotte stopped, and as she was still holding Eleanor’s arm, Eleanor stopped too. “He has said something to you,” Charlotte seethed. “You don’t deserve that.”

Eleanor glanced across at the duke, who was still watching her.

“We worked it out,” Eleanor told Charlotte. “I was in the wrong, and I apologized to him, and everything is fine now.”

“Is it?” Charlotte asked, looking intently at her friend.

Eleanor took in a deep breath through her nose. “Perhaps my ego was somewhat bruised, but I need to learn to have a thicker skin. Anyway, I’m not here to think about past mistakes, but to think about the future. I’m here to have fun.”

“You’re beginning to sound like your mother,” Charlotte jabbed.

“Oh, please don’t say that,” Eleanor moaned. “That’s the last thing I need. Though perhaps she is the one who’s right. Life is short, and she is out there having fun.”

“Yes, but she wed first,” Charlotte pointed out. “If you have too much fun first, you won’t find a man to take your hand.”

“So, I have to be married first, and then after it falls apart, I can start to have fun?” Eleanor raised her eyebrows at Lottie.