Free An Exquisite Marriage by Darcie Wilde

interested in at this moment.
    â€œWhy would you want to know about Lady Helene?” Aunt Kearsely interrupted his thoughts. His aunt seemed to have a score to settle with her own fish and was cutting it into mincemeat.
    Marcus shrugged. “When a woman faints in my arms, I think it perfectly natural to wish to know how she does.”
    â€œI saw you dancing with her,” Adele remarked, somewhat too knowingly for Marcus’s taste. “You two looked surprisingly comfortable together.”
    â€œShe dances very well.”
    â€œSo do you, Marcus,” remarked Aunt Kearsely. “I’d quite forgotten. You do it so seldom. One could wish you’d settled on a more inspiring partner than Helene Fitzgerald to display your skills with. Mrs. Pollerton said her daughter was quite smitten by your charms.”
    â€œMrs. Pollerton should thank Helene,” said Adele.
    â€œ
What?
” cried Aunt Kearsely.
    â€œOh yes,” said Adele. “Helene was the one who made sure that Marcus danced with Miss Pollerton.”
    Aunt Kearsely’s eyes narrowed. Having reduced her fish to shreds, she seemed determined to make hash of her bacon. “Well. I wouldn’t have expected Lady Helene to be so delicate in her understandings. You must be having a good influence on her, Adele.”
    Patience rolled her eyes.
    Marcus cut another piece of chop and dragged it through the sauce. He had the distinct feeling of losing control over the conversation. “I may take it then, Adele, that Lady Helene is quite recovered?”
    â€œOh yes,” said Adele. “She was up immediately the next morning.” There was something she wasn’t saying. He could tell in the way she kept glancing at both Patience and Aunt Kearsely. “She got your note,” Adele went on.
    Patience groaned. “You sent her a
note
? Oh Lord, Marcus, you’re not thinking of courting the Fitzgerald, are you?”
    â€œOf course he’s not,” snapped Aunt Kearsely. “Why on earth would he? What attraction could such a girl hold for the Duke of Windford?”
    â€œOh, none at all,” said Adele. “She’s only extraordinarily intelligent, competent beyond average, well-read, witty in that same particularly cutting way Marcus is. She’s also musical, and, of course, she’s beautiful, although I will admit that’s not the first thing people notice about her . . .”
    â€œMarcus is not in the least interested in Lady Helene,” declared Aunt Kearsely.
    â€œThank goodness for that,” said Patience. “I’d have to go to Switzerland to escape the shame.”
    â€œI don’t suppose any of you would do me the courtesy of allowing to decide for myself who I am and am not interested in?” said Marcus, irked, and annoyed at being irked.
    â€œApparently not,” said Adele. “But that’s quite normal, you know.”
    â€œAdele!” cried Aunt Kearsely. “That it not a ladylike comment.”
    â€œThat’s also quite normal,” said Patience.
    Which lead to Aunt Kearsely admonishing Patience, which lead to another barbed comment, which spread out into the light bickering and scolding that was a fairly routine accompaniment to breakfast with three strong-willed females. It was not the conversation he enjoyed most, but it was better than unwarranted speculation about his interest, or lack thereof, in Lady Helene.
    Especially as he had been unusually worried not to receive a reply from her. Girls fainted; it was a normal occurrence. The combination of heat and overexcitement made the physiological response inevitable, but this had been different. First of all, Lady Helene was not a girl fresh out of the schoolroom. She was a mature young woman, both in her age and her outlook. Secondly, no one could accuse Lady Helene of being easily overexcited. He’d not had much time to form an impression, of course, but from what