Free A Matter of Honor by Nina Coombs Pykare

honor!
    She wiped futilely at her wet eyes. Yes, fate had been doubly cruel to her. Not only had it forced her back into contact with the man who had broken her heart, it had also constrained her to admit the painful truth -more painful than ever now that she saw his dishonorable motives - broken as her heart was, the pieces still yearned for him.
     

Chapter Six
     
    The day of Cecilie’s come out finally arrived. Aggie, surveying the great ballroom that occupied the entire fourth floor of the house, had to give the invisible Lady Bakistoncredit. The masses of fresh flowers gave the room a festive appearance and the delicacies being prepared in the kitchen should please any palate.
    Cecilie was suddenly rather nervous, begging Aggie to go have a look and be assured that the great barren room had been made presentable. Actually, the flowers and palms made a great deal of difference. Aggie sighed; it was in just such a ballroom that she had whirled in blissful joy in the arms of the then Viscount Acton. Hurriedly she pushed the memory aside. Those days were over. All she could expect from the Earl now were possible attacks on her virtue, such as that which had occurred a few days ago. She felt herself grow warm at the thought. She would have to be very careful. Now that she knew that his attraction for her was as strong as ever she must keep herself under control.
    Thankfully he had not spoken to her about the matter again. Perhaps he had taken her icy words to heart. But it was quite disconcerting to feel his eyes upon her. She tried to avoid meeting those eyes that had once been the instruments of her betrayal, but she could not always do so. And when, perforce, her eyes met his, what she discovered there left her bewildered. If she had not known that it was entirely illogical and impossible, she would have sworn that his eyes spoke of hurt and pain.
    She shook her head. The Earl had been quite formally polite and businesslike, and under the circumstances that was quite the best thing. It made life easier for all of them. The question was: how long would he remain that way? The terrible yearning inside herself... If there was anything like that inside him ...
    She turned away and hurried back down the stairs to reassure Cecilie and supervise her dressing. One could never tell what madcap stunt the girl might decide upon. And this night was crucial to her future. This was her f i rst public appearance in the world of the ton. Nothing must spoil it - for Cecilie’s sake and her own.
    When she entered their rooms, Cecilie swung around from the bed where she was playing with Dillydums . “Does it look all right, Aggie? Really?” she asked anxiously.
    “It looks very nice. Lady Bakiston has done a good job.”
    Cecilie made a face, but said nothing.
    “I believe we should start dressing soon. It will take some time for Millie to do your hair.”
    “Yours , too,” said Cecilie.
    Aggie frowned. “I’ll wear mine in its usual knot.”
    Cecilie sprang from the bed, causing the monkey to jump up and swing from the hangings in agitation. “Oh, Aggie, you mustn’t. You’ll spoil the whole thing. You’re to wear the peach silk, of course. And it needs your hair done in a softer way. Maybe in the antique Roman style. Please, for me?” she begged.
    Wearily, Aggie nodded. The strain of the last few days was beginning to tell on her; she simply did not have the energy to argue about unimportant things. “All right, but you must dress first.”
    Cecilie sighed. “I’m getting scared, Aggie. Why do people have to go through all this?”
    Aggie smiled. “It’s the custom, dear. The young men get a chance to see you and you get a chance to see them.”
    A glimmer of mischief lit Cecilie’s eyes. “My husband will have to be a young man,” she said. “Not old like the Earl.”
    “The Earl is hardly old, ” Aggie found herself replying, and was dismayed by the fact that her mind had just presented her with a picture of