To Bed a Beauty (Courtship Wars 2)
Page 92
His mouth pressed together at the irony. It disgruntled him that he had to woo Roslyn at all when he’d never had to trouble himself with wooing any woman before. But he was at least willing to hear what Eleanor had to say on the subject.
“So what is wrong with my wooing?”
“You are focusing on seduction, not romance. The two are not the same thing.”
“Romance?” he echoed. “What the devil are you talking about?”
“Miss Roslyn is not a doxy, Drew. She is a lady with well-bred sensibilities. You cannot rely on physical persuasion to make her love you.”
“I realize that.”
“So you need to romance her.”
His expression turned exasperated. “Very well, how do I romance her?”
“First of all, you must think of her as a person, not a possession or a prize to be won. Not a business transaction, either.”
“I think of her as a person.”
Eleanor looked skeptical. “Do you?”
When Drew didn’t reply, she went on. “You need to be honest with her as well. Honesty shows that you respect her. Along those same lines, you have to at least pretend you are not interested in any other women but her. You can’t keep a mistress while you are courting her.”
“I haven’t had a mistress for months.”
“Good. Then remain that way. I would imagine that after Roslyn’s experiences, fidelity is very important to her-just as it is to me.” Eleanor frowned darkly for a moment before continuing. “Listen to what she has to say.”
“I do listen.”
“But do you really hear what she says?”
Just today Roslyn had accused him of not hearing her, of not taking her complaint to heart. “What else?” Drew asked.
“You should ask about her dreams.”
He already knew about Roslyn’s dreams-and they didn’t include falling in love with him and wedding him. Rather they were all about falling in love with and marrying her neighbor.
“What else?” he repeated.
“Well, you could shower her with kindness. Small, thoughtful acts. It needn’t be elaborate. The simplest things are often the most romantic.”
“Such as?”
“Stroll with her in a meadow and pick a wildflower for her. She will appreciate a violet more than a hothouse rose. Take her for a drive, just the two of you.”
“I already have,” Drew said wryly. “We were caught in a ferocious thunderstorm.”
“Try something else, then. In romance, it is the tender moments that count most.”
“That isn’t the advice Fanny Irwin gave her.”
Eleanor looked at him in surprise. “I doubt Fanny knows much about romance, since she must earn her living pleasing her patrons.” She looked at him earnestly. “That is what I mean, Drew. You need to learn how to please Roslyn, but not in a physical way. In fact, I think you should have no physical contact whatsoever. Most assuredly you shouldn’t kiss her. Not even her hand. She will see the change in you at once.”
“You want me to ignore her?”
“Not ignore. Just don’t use your sensual powers to pursu
e her. It will confuse her if nothing else. She will start to wonder if you intend to make any advances toward her ever again-and she will start to long for it.”