Eliza stifled a laugh. “I hardly think that Lord Montrose is a rake, Titania. If this were true, he would not behave as he does.” She smiled at the thought of Lord Montrose behaving like a rogue, knowing that he would not have treated her with such respect and consideration if he truly were such a man. “And if he has been so in the past, then what does that matter to me?”
Titania’s mouth fell open and she stared at Eliza in horror. Eliza did her best to ignore this expression for some moments, forcing herself to stare blankly at the books on the shelf in front of her, although she did not even read their titles.
“Titania,” she hissed, when it became too much. “You must stop.”
“Stop?” Titania breathed, still sounding horrified. “I cannot stop, Eliza. I am deeply concerned for you.”
Eliza closed her eyes and let out a long, slow breath. “I do not need your concern nor your guidance, Titania,” she stated, firmly. “I am well able to take good care of my own heart and my own future also, with whomever that it is to be with.”
Titania shook her head, her expression troubled. “I think, Eliza, that you are allowing your upset with Lord Avondale’s return to cloud your view of Lord Montrose,” she replied, sending a wave of irritation crashing down over Eliza. “You are so set against even listening to Lord Avondale that you have decided that Lord Montrose must become everything to you.”
“It is in his past, whatever it is!” Eliza exclaimed, rounding on her sister. “Do you not understand that, Titania? Lord Franks said so himself! He stated that he was glad that Lord Montrose had chosen to fall into respectable company, that he appeared to be considering his obligations and the like.” This was not precisely what Lord Franks had said, Eliza knew, but she dearly wanted her sister to stop thinking about what had been said about Lord Montrose, so that Eliza could, in her own time, begin to consider it carefully.
“And you believe that one’s past can never influence one’s future,” Titania murmured, not looking at all chastised. Her eyes bored into Eliza’s, sending a flurry of frustration and guilt into Eliza’s belly. “You truly believe that the way one has behaved for years has no bearing on what that same person may do in the future?”
Eliza lifted her chin, knowing what Titania was trying to say but refusing to let it enter her heart. “I will not pretend that my own past has not influenced the lady I am this very day, nor the decisions I have made, but the difference is, Titania, I have ensured that I will not allow Lord Avondale’s presence nor his past behavior to be a part of my life now.”
Titania considered this, whilst Eliza turned back to study the book assiduously.
“You think, therefore, that there is no merit in pursuing these particular comments about Lord Montrose, because, to your mind, they are a part of his past and should not be considered to have any bearing on the gentleman he is today.”
Eliza nodded, not removing her eyes from the books. “That is it precisely.”
“Then I may look into such comments myself.”
Spinning around to face her sister, Eliza shook her head fiercely, her hands gripping tightly to the book in her hands. “No, you will do no such thing, Titania!” she exclaimed, her voice garnering her looks from some of the other occupants of the shop. Flushing with embarrassment, she lowered her voice but did not remove her stern gaze from her younger sister. “That is not required of you.”
Titania arched one eyebrow, a faint smile dancing about her lips. “I did not suggest that it was required of me, now, did I?”
Eliza glared at her, a deep twist of anger and frustration growing in the pit of her stomach. “I do not need your help, Titania.”
“And yet, I am to give it regardless,” Titania said, steadily. “For if you will not take care to warn yourself of whatever dangers might await you, then I must be diligent enough to do so myself. After all, I would be greatly distressed if some harm came to you that I could have prevented.”
For a few minutes, Eliza battled with her turbulent emotions, wishing to goodness that she had never agreed that Titania could accompany her to the bookshop, or that they had not met Lord Franks, Lord Hollard and Miss Stapleton. She did not want Titania to seek out further information about Lord Montrose’s past, not when she was not the one to be courted by him! It was entirely in Eliza’s hands, was it not? And yet, no matter how much she argued with Titania, Eliza knew that her sister would not bend. She was entirely unyielding, fierce and determined. If Eliza continued to argue with her, Titania would only stake her claim all the more, determined to do precisely what Eliza wished her not to.
“Very well,” she said, stiffly, trying to pretend that it did not matter to her. “Do as you wish, Titania, but know that I shall not set any store by what you tell me thereafter. I wish to get to know Lord Montrose in my own way and in my own time and I will not be swayed simply because you think that there might be something about his past behavior that has some bearing on his current character.” She sniffed and turned away, ignoring Titania’s wide, triumphant grin. “Do as you please.”
“I shall,” Titania replied, her voice carrying towards Eliza as she moved away from her sister, wanting desperately to have a few moments alone to regain her composure. “And it shall be done out of my love and concern for you, Eliza.”
Eliza closed her eyes and leaned heavily against the end of a bookshelf, where her sister could not see her. It was the kindness of Titania’s words that was beginning to tug the anger away from her, leaving her standing almost breathless as she tried to come to terms with what her sister was intending to do.
Titania was, in her own way, trying to show Eliza the same kindness that she had attempted to show each of her sisters upon their entry to London some weeks ago. That could not be faulted, Eliza knew, for Titania clearly wanted to do all she could to ensure that Eliza was not falling in love with another gentleman who would treat her as cruelly as Lord Avondale had done.
Yet, Eliza was quite certain that Lord Montrose was not in any way similar to Lord Avondale. If he had a past filled with misdemeanors and roguish behavior, then that was one thing, but if he no longer displayed such behaviors, then did that not say something about his change in character? About his determination not to behave so any longer? Eliza considered that to be more important than to ask questions about his past, to worry herself that a gentleman could not change, for surely how he behaved now was evidence that he could turn from his past.
“And most gentlemen throw themselves into society with wild abandon,” she reminded herself aloud, pushing herself away from the bookshelf and feeling a sense of determination fill her again.
Titania could do as she wished. It would not matter to Eliza. She would not allow even a single word spoken against Lord Montrose to influence her heart. As she had planned, she would continue to get to know Lord Montrose and see whether or not they could be truly compatible, as she hoped they might. What a happy future could await her then!
Chapter Four
“Lord Avondale!”
Jeremy tried to smile as he walked into Lord Porter’s townhouse, feeling as though he were a veritable stranger instead of a gentleman who had only been absent from town for two short years.
“Good evening, Lord Porter,” he replied, bowing as he greeted a gentleman he had once considered to be a good friend. “Thank you so much for your invitation to your musicale this evening. I am truly touched by your kindness.”
Lord Porter – short, round and almost always jolly, laughed and shook Jeremy’s hand firmly, his cheeks already a little red which, as Jeremy recalled, always betrayed that his friend had been at his port. “No, no, it is my pleasure to have you here! May I present my wife?”