Page 28 of The Duke's Promise to Her Child
“There you are,” she said. “Pray, come in.”
“Oh no,” he said. “I dare say that will not do at all. Let us do that over again. Have Mary open the door.”
“I beg your pardon,” she said. “I am more than capable of answering the door on my own when Mary is busy.”
“Well, for one thing Mary is not busy. She is standing right over yonder.” He waved. “How do you do, Mary.”
“Very well, Your Grace,” Mary replied, and Helena heard the chuckle in her voice.
“And for another, you should always have somebody available to answer the door. When you know that somebody is coming to call, you must make sure that Mary is available to receive them. It will not do for a lady to answer her own front door.”
“Goodness gracious,” she said.
Without another word, Gideon shut the door again. He knocked. She was tempted to open it herself again out of sheer principle, but Mary pushed past her. “Allow me, my lady,” she said. She opened the door, and Gideon stood there. He was about to address her when he saw Helena still standing in the hallway.
“Now, you see, this will not do either. You cannot appear overly eager. You must await me in the drawing room. Mary will announce me.”
“I am perfectly aware of how house calls work.”
“It does not appear that way. Now, let us start again.” He grabbed the door and shut it once more. This time Helena rolledher eyes, but walked back into the drawing room, where she sat with her legs crossed at the ankle and waited.
She heard an exchange of pleasantries with Mary, and then Mary announced him.
“His Grace, the Duke of Blackthornw.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head, but before he could say anything about that being inappropriate, she put a smile on her lips.
“Good day, Your Grace,” she said, and curtsied — assuming that was what he was looking for.
“Very good. Now, after the gentleman sits, you will demonstrate your hospitality by pouring him a cup of tea. I already know that you know how to do that. Although I would say refrain from dropping the sugar from a great height. As you did when you served me tea.”
“You had demanded four lumps of sugar when I scarcely had any left.”
That wiped the smile right off his face. “I did not know things were quite so dire.”
“They have improved somewhat,” she said. “Surprisingly. I received a letter this morning from the current Lord Vale. Hesent funds. Not much, but enough to pay the rent for a few months and fill the larder. Our creditors were very pleased.”
A smile appeared on Gideon’s face. “Well, I am glad to hear that he has finally decided to do the right thing.”
“Indeed,” she said, although she had to admit she was not entirely certain what had changed Emmett’s mind. It could not have been any of her letters, as he had ignored them all. But whatever it was she was glad it had taken place.
“Good,” Gideon said. “Now that we have mastered welcoming a gentleman to your house and serving him tea, why don’t we try something else. Say that I take you to a public ball. Stand over there.” He pointed to the fireplace. “And I will approach you.” He walked across the room, pulled his shoulders back, and came toward her. She looked at him, her lips pursed as she looked him up and down.
“Now, you see, that will not do at all,” he said. “You must smile when a gentleman approaches. Do not glare at him as though he were a chimney sweep you cannot afford to pay.”
“Presently, I can afford to pay a chimney sweep,” she said.
“That is neither here nor there. Try smiling.” He demonstrated by beaming at her, running a hand beneath his chin as if to emphasize. She did her best to mimic his smile, but he shook his head. “No. Not quite like that. You look as though you are expecting to entertain a children’s gathering. A light smile. I have seen you smile before.”
“I smile when there is something to smile about,” she said.
“Well, imagine yourself marrying a grand wealthy gentleman and never having to worry about finances again. That is something to smile about, is it not?”
This at least elicited a smile from her — not because she was thinking of a grand wedding, but because he was amusing.
“There you go. Now, for conversation. It must be light and entertaining. Nothing too heavy. Do not give your opinions quite so readily. Wait until a gentleman already likes you before you let him know what you think.”
“So you expect me to change my entire personality for the sake of catching a husband.”
