Chapter Seven

Aaron strode over and bowed the moment the footman announced Lady Crystal at the entrance to the drawing room. In the fading light, she had a wary look in her sea-green eyes, but he was pleased to see she had taken up the challenge of wearing his rose. His heart beat fast, and his loins tightened. “The rose in your hair is a very pretty touch, my lady.”

“One should know the qualities of a rose before one considers touching it,” she said, raising one eyebrow. “Some have thorns, you know.” She smiled.

Ah. It was a challenge she wanted. A pursuit. Well, he was certainly up to taming her.

“And here I was thinking you’d left your thorns in Edinburgh.”

He stepped closer. She smelled like a cloud of precious perfume. How he longed to explore her. It had been a long time since he’d been so affected by a lassie. Perhaps it was because she had not been forced on him. That was surely why.

“How little you know of roses, Lord Lyle. They are not easily separated from their thorns, and to do so without care is a dangerous thing,” she said, her tone grave.

“May I speak plainly?” he asked.

She nodded. “Of course.”

“Do you object to me courting you?” he asked.

Her eyes widened. “Courting me? Yes, I do object! You ask too much of me, and too soon,” she said, her gaze troubled. “I’m suspicious as to why. You know how I feel about being shackled. I shall not change my mind, my lord.”

He had an uncomfortable feeling she could see straight through him. He was glad she didn’t want to wed. It took the pressure off him. But if his father believed he was courting Crystal, Aaron would be left in peace…at least for a while. Until Lomond found out how outspoken she was.

However, if Aaron was honest, that was not his only motivation.

She was passionate. Very passionate. He was sure of it. And he wanted to taste that passion for himself.

“I’m not a patient man,” he told her quietly. “I know what I want, and I want you. I’m smart enough to engage your attention before other lords do so.”

“How many times do I have to tell you I’m not interested in marriage?”

He smiled. “I don’t believe I proposed marriage.”

A storm cloud crossed her face when his meaning struck her. “Step aside, for I have a great urge to slap you. You assume just because you ask, I will fall into your arms. But you are dead wrong.”

“Don’t be angry with me, Lady Crystal. Neither of us wishes to marry. Why can’t we explore our other options and see where this fascination with each other leads?”

She ground her teeth together. “Are you always this persistent?”

“Never. Before I met you, I had yet to meet a woman who wasn’t angling for a proposal. You fascinate me.”

“I am intrigued by you, as well, but I’m equally suspicious. Do not give the duke the impression you are courting me, because you are not. A lie cannae end well for any of us.”

She glided past him into the grand reception room and eyed his grandmother, the dowager duchess, who was standing in the far corner under the light of a large window, chatting to his brother, William. Two footmen holding trays stood at attention, one close by, another near the dowager duchess.

“The lie must first be told,” he murmured, following her, mesmerized by her swaying hips. She was prickly tonight, but he didn’t miss the heightened color in her cheeks, nor her sharp, shallow breaths. He swept two glasses off the footman’s tray, giving her a flute of pink champagne and keeping a whisky for himself.

She clinked her glass against his, took a sip of the champagne, and licked her lips. “Delicious.”

A bolt of heat shot to his groin. “Thank you.”

“I was not talking about you,” she said, but she gave him an amused smile.

He drank deeply of his whisky, his throat parched, his whole body on fire with longing as they parried words. He dropped his gaze to her lush lips and then farther down, just for a moment, to the tempting swell of her cleavage.

A deep flush across her pale skin, starting at her throat and rising to her high cheekbones, was his reward.

What he wouldn’t do to know this woman, to have her in his bed.

“Come, Lady Crystal. I wish to present you to my grandmother, her grace, Sarah, the Dowager Duchess of Lomond. Be careful to draw in those thorns, for she does not delight in receiving them…though she is not shy about giving them. But I’m sure she will like you because she doesn’t agree with forced marriage herself. She is a woman of great influence, supporting many women’s causes, and has the ear of powerful men.”

“I’ll do my best. Being well-connected is the only way to get things done in Edinburgh,” Lady Crystal said.

Aaron took her arm and escorted her across the room to his grandmother and Will, enjoying the sensation of having her close. “Your grace, I wish to present to you Lady Crystal, daughter of the late Earl Wilding, who bravely led the Scottish troops at Arlaban.” He nodded to his brother. “Lady Crystal, my brother, Lord William, who was also at the salon.”

Will bowed.

Lady Crystal curtsied low, and Aaron was enticed by the swell of her bosom and the neat curves of her body.

The dowager duchess looked her up and down as if inspecting her for market. “I have it on good authority Earl Wilding was inebriated, fell off his horse, and it killed him.”

Lady Crystal gasped and glanced from the dowager to Aaron with wide, shocked eyes.

“Your grace, the lassie only recently lost her father. Condolences would be in order, not insults.” He wouldn’t blame Lady Crystal if she ran sobbing from the room, as had several of the ladies the duke had invited home after his grandmother interrogated them to test their mettle.

“My condolences, Lady Crystal,” the dowager said, though her expression held wickedness. God help him, he never knew what would come out of her mouth next.

“Although the earl and his men were all fond of the drink, I never saw it affect him,” Lady Crystal said, her voice even, though he noticed her hand trembled a little holding her flute. She was clearly upset and trying to hide it.

A sense of protectiveness overwhelmed him. “Whisky is water to Highlanders, without the contagion,” Aaron said supportively.

“The only time a real Scot stops drinking is when he’s dead. Here’s to the honor of your lord father,” Will said, raising his glass to Lady Crystal in salute.

Lady Crystal blinked, then looked his grandmother in the eye with a steely gaze. “Perhaps the deliverer of the news was trying to save my feelings. I dinnae ken. I was told he took a musket ball in the chest. However, it is true his stallion completed the job.”

Aaron silently applauded her. “I’m sure your father will be greatly missed.”

“You may not be aware,” the dowager said to Crystal, “but the people on my mother’s side are Tulluchs—Highlanders. Your family is well-known to me. The Wilding earls have quite the reputation as fighters.”

Aaron took Crystal’s empty champagne glass, swept up two more from a passing footman, and moved in close to his grandmother. He narrowed his eyes in warning as he passed her a glass. “Behave,” he ordered sotto voce before stepping back and giving the other glass to Lady Crystal.

“Aye, we’re known for our wildness, hence the name,” Lady Crystal said evenly. “The first Wilding lord received the earldom in the thirteenth century for cutting off the head of the king’s enemy and presenting it to him. The Wildings have always fought for what they believed in, and while we would prefer a Stuart monarch on the throne, we are loyal to the king.”

“I recall your lot supported the fool Bonnie Prince Charles, who turned up with twelve fighting men and expected to take the English throne,” the dowager said, looking down her nose. “Luckily, my clan knew better.”

“Or were too afeared to support their rightful prince,” Lady Crystal said with a deceptive smile, her gaze strong with challenge.

After a tense moment of absolute silence, his grandmother’s expression relaxed, her shrewd eyes narrowed, and her normally pinched lips softened. “Those foolish Stuarts would listen to no one, and now we are saddled with a mad king and a regent as lascivious as he is fat.”

Aaron rubbed his temple, pained at his grandmother’s ungracious description of Prince George. Not that he disagreed…

“Lady Crystal, I’m sure we are about to be called in for dinner. Come and see the magnificent portrait the duchess recently acquired, hanging at the end of the hall.”

The dowager gave him a wicked smile as if she knew he was trying to get Crystal away from her.

He held out his arm, and, to his relief, Crystal linked hers through it. When they were safely out of hearing distance, he said, “I apologize for my grandmother. She has an unfortunate habit of interrogating young ladies, even though I told her you were not forced upon me by my father.”

“Seeing as I am not a contender for your hand, it is of little import what the Dowager Duchess of Lomond thinks. Though I do admit her manner is somewhat trying.”

He led her over to the George Romney painting of the beautiful Emma Hamilton. “Lady Crystal, your disinterest wounds me. Please say you like me just a little.”

She fixed him with a vexed stare. “Certainly not, for you already have an inflated opinion of yourself. Besides, the Dowager Duchess of Lomond is not the only member of your family who is a bit trying. Have you not noticed where you led me?”

“To the painting of the most beautiful and famous woman in England,” he said, puzzled.

“Infamous, you mean. The mistress of Lord Nelson,” she said, exasperated.

He blinked and looked from the painting to her, noticing a similarity in facial shape and luminosity. “Now, there’s a wonderful idea. The lady is a distant relative of Lady Hamilton, the woman who threw the fan in Sir Walter’s salon. Both are strong, entertaining women. You’d fit in well.”

She put her hands on her hips and started tapping her foot. “One more word from you on that subject and I’m leaving. I do not intend to be entertaining you!”

“But you’ve made up your mind that you’ve no interest in marriage,” he protested.

“And so have you, so do not insult me.”

“But you do feel something for me.” He looked at her intently, studying her beautiful face, needing the reassurance. “I know you do.”

“Irritation comes to mind,” she said, moving away from the mistress portrait.

He took her hands in his and kissed her knuckles, wishing they were alone so he could take her in his arms. “You inflamed my mind and my body with your speech last night. How can we move forward? I want to keep seeing you. You entrance me. Permit me call on you.”

“For what purpose? I keep telling you, I didn’t come to Edinburgh to find a husband or a lover. There is so much good I can do here for women.”

“You have many ideas, and I’m a good listener. I know Edinburgh well, and all the important people who could help you,” he said with fervor. He didn’t want to let her slip out of his life. And if his interest in her kept Lomond from pressuring him to find a wife, even for a short time, that was a major achievement. On paper, the daughter of the wealthy earl would appear very acceptable to Lomond.

Until his father found out more about her.

“Tell me. How will all this interest in me benefit you?” she asked, her eyes alight with suspicion again.

“Why, I’ll have the pleasure of your company.” He grinned. Until the point where his business interests paid off. Then his condition for rescuing the estate would be that forced marriage was off the table.

Meanwhile, a little fun with Lady Crystal couldn’t hurt.

Far from it. He could already feel pleasure flowing through him at the thought.

In his fascination with Lady Crystal, he didn’t notice his grandmother and Will approach.

“Your lassie is feisty,” the dowager said in his ear. “Far better than those silly, fluttering chits Lomond insists the family meet. We need strong blood in this family.”

Crystal snatched her hands from his, shooting him a deep scowl.

“I knew you would approve of my choice, your grace. Lady Crystal has the fortitude and temperament of a Highlander, and as you know, one should never cross a Highlander, for they are fierce.”

He looked from the dowager to Lady Crystal. There was a furious flush in her cheeks from being described as his choice.

“I can see that, Lyle,” his grandmother said. “You, young lady, I rather like. You’re not a bubbling idjit like the other lassies my son has forced poor Lyle to meet.”

“Thank you for your kind words,” Lady Crystal said politely, though her teeth were clenched. “But please be aware, Lord Lyle and I are not courting. That will never happen.”

“We’ll see about that,” he said benignly. “I’m glad you find Lady Crystal as lovely as I do, your grace. She does have some rather interesting ideas about women, which she explained to me recently.” Aaron smiled at the dowager duchess. “Ouch!” The little chit had just stamped on his foot.

Will laughed.

“I can see you are clever,” the dowager said to her. “You’d be good for Lyle.”

“At putting him in his place,” Will said with a grin.

“If only he would stay there. Please do not read anything into my visit. Lord Lyle and I barely know each other,” Lady Crystal said stiffly. “While we share a common background and some beliefs, we also differ on several fronts. After this weekend, we may not see each other again.”

Not if he had his way.

“Why on earth would you not?” his grandmother asked, clearly puzzled. “Are you precontracted to another?”

“No, your grace. My father has passed, and I am of age, so I control my own fate,” Lady Crystal said proudly. “I have committed myself to serve the cause of women in need rather than to find a husband.”

“A worthy goal,” the dowager said agreeably. “I do a lot of work in that area myself.”

“No brothers or male guardian, Lady Crystal?” Will asked, appearing nonplussed by the idea of a totally independent woman.

“None,” Lady Crystal said.

“Are you saying you dinnae wish me to call on you after this weekend? My lady, you wound me. I am used to a long line of lassies worshipping me,” Aaron said, slapping a hand over his heart, dramatically feigning hurt and sadness. He couldn’t resist pushing her, and he enjoyed it even more when she pushed back.

His grandmother gave him a fond smile. “Ignore him, Lady Crystal. He’s off his head thinking every lassie wants to marry him.”

“It’s good Lyle has finally come across a woman who isn’t falling for his dubious charms. I swear, we won’t be able to fit in this room from the size of his head. Thank you for taking him down a peg,” Will said.

Aaron laughed before turning back to Lady Crystal. “Come, my lady. The butler has announced dinner is served.”

She shot him a frosty look and gave a tight nod but did as he asked.

Gesturing to Lady Crystal to accompany her, the dowager led the way across the drawing room into the long hallway and toward the family’s small dining room used for less-formal occasions.

Aaron nudged his brother. “It seems the dowager approves of my choice of lassie.”

“Think your warnings to behave have worked?”

Aaron groaned. “Not so far. Good lord, she as much as called the late earl a drunkard. Lady Crystal responded well, though. She’s formidable. I’ve not met a lassie like her.”

Will nudged him back with a wink. “I noticed your lassie doesn’t seem so keen.”

“She has no interest in marriage, but I plan to get to know her better,” Aaron said, following the women. “Don’t you think she’s the loveliest lassie?”

His brother gripped his arm, his tone low and serious. “Be careful, Aaron, for this is the game of the heart. This lassie may consume you with her fire.”

…

Crystal was satisfied she had put Lord Lyle in his place. It was one thing to speak about desire, but quite another to take Lord Lyle to her bed. She was still a virgin, after all, but a reluctant one. There would be no visits to her bedroom, as much as she and Hilda had joked about it. But she wasn’t above wanting him…

That was the problem. The overwhelming attraction wouldn’t die, even though she didn’t need the encumbrance. Deep down, she knew he was up to something. What kind of game was he playing? It didn’t make sense.

Yet.

In the dining room, the duchess sat at the upper end of the table, and the duke at the base. Crystal was honored to sit to the right of the duchess as her guest. The Dowager Duchess of Lomond sat on the duchess’s left. Lord Lyle sat on the duke’s right, and Lord William on his left, next to Crystal.

A footman served wine while others brought in white soup, placing the tureen in front of the duchess to serve, as it was a small family gathering. Soon the table was graced with a great variety of other dishes as well.

Once the footmen had finished placing the filled soup bowls in front of them, the duke turned to her and raised his glass in a toast. “Welcome to our table, Lady Crystal. It is a delight to meet you. My son has not graced us with a visit from a lady guest before.”

“Thank you, your grace,” she said and tipped her head in acknowledgment, suddenly aware of a tension in the family she hadn’t noticed before.

“The lad is like a stallion paraded through a stable of well-bred fillies,” the dowager said to her son. “You need to allow him his own choice.”

“Thank you for your support.” Lord Lyle raised his glass to his grandmother. “And for the stallion comment.”

The Dowager Duchess of Lomond smiled so her eyes crinkled at the sides.

Crystal looked from one to another. No doubt, that was why Lord Lyle had brought her here: to appease his father. “I hope he hasn’t given you the wrong impression. Lord Lyle and I barely know each other. I have not been in Edinburgh long.”

“Knowing each other is not a requirement for marriage,” the duke said.

She gave him a tight smile. “My father was of the same mind. Fortunately, the war distracted him before contracts were signed,” she said in a pleasant tone, not wishing to anger the duke but nonetheless needing to get her point across. “I prefer making my own choices. Love is important in marriage.”

Lord Lyle nodded, and she smiled.

“Love is a luxury for our class,” the duke said bluntly. “Especially when one has a family lineage and an estate to keep up. I won’t have my heir choosing anyone willy-nilly.”

“Have you no one to guide you, Lady Crystal?” the duchess asked, leaning forward and drawing the subject away from Lyle.

Crystal said, “I lost my dear mother five years ago, and recently my father passed away from his war wounds.”

“Is there no one to arrange your marriage?” the duke asked with shrewd, narrowed eyes.

“Perhaps we should move on to something else,” his wife said gently.

“I don’t wish to marry,” Crystal said to the duke. “I have other interests. Perhaps I will feel differently when I’m older,” she added to soften the shock she knew her words would bring. She couldn’t resist glancing over at Lord Lyle, feeling oddly exhilarated, knowing her suspicions were correct and she had derailed his ploy.

Lord Lyle raised one eyebrow and looked at her with a penetrating gaze before taking a deep drink of his wine. “Unfortunately, Lady Crystal, we are not in agreement in this family on the subject of marriage. My father is all for marrying young.”

“I sired you at five and twenty. A man in your position must have an heir,” the duke said, glaring at Lord Lyle, who glowered back.

Her own father had thought to marry her to a cousin she despised, so she could sympathize. “A gentleman in Lord Lyle’s position should proceed with caution. A nobleman of means can be hunted like a carp in a pond by desperate mamas keen to snare the best catch for their daughters.”

The duke put his hands on his stomach and laughed, making her glad she had diffused the tense mood. “You are quite the jester, Lady Crystal. Tell us about your people. I know of Earl Wilding and his bravery. I have told my sons what a great regard I had for the earl. He was one of the last strong and courageous Highland lords. His battalion of Highlanders was legendary. Now there’s a man who knew how to discipline.”

“You’re right about that.” Crystal sneaked a peek at the Dowager Duchess of Lomond, but the woman didn’t meet her eyes. She was sure the duke knew all there was to be known about her father, but if it was true that her father had fallen drunk off his horse, the duke was too polite to mention it. “I have two older sisters: Lady Arbella, who is managing the estate, and Lady Lacey, who is thinking of starting a school.”

“Are your sisters married?” the duke asked, clearly not easily deterred from the subject.

“No, your grace. We are a family in mourning, and none of us are of a mind to seek a husband. In any case, I can’t marry before my sisters. I am the youngest.”

“My dear, you are making the young people uncomfortable with all this talk of marriage.” The duchess turned to Crystal. “Lyle spoke so highly of you, I thought you’d known each other longer.” She smiled and returned to her bowl of soup.

“Yes, let them enjoy their meal,” the dowager agreed.

The duke bowed his head and attended to his soup, though Crystal suspected this would not be the last word on the matter.

“Did you know the duchess has hired the best Scottish chef, who also trained in France?” Lord William commented, and his older brother shot him a look of gratitude.

Crystal dipped her spoon into the delicate china soup bowl filled with rich broth. She could tell they had a fine chef. “This is excellent,” she said.

“I am most proud of her grace.” The duke raised his glass to his wife. “She is the perfect hostess.”

The duchess bloomed under his praise. “We grow a vast range of vegetables in the kitchen gardens and the hothouse. I’m also an avid flower grower. I look forward to showing you the gardens tomorrow.”

“You’ll enjoy the exotic blooms in the hothouse,” Lord Lyle said with a bold grin. “I’m happy to point them out for you.”

Somehow, Crystal didn’t think he gave a fig about flowers, exotic or otherwise.

“Do you hunt, Lady Crystal?” he asked.

“I’m a Wilding. I was raised on a horse. My father didn’t have sons, so when I was young, he treated me like one, teaching me to hunt, ride, to stalk prey and finish it with a dirk. I had some talent as an archer, until my father banned me because I was showing up the men.”

Lord Lyle sat back and grinned. “Should I be afeared?”

“Only if you annoy me in the hothouse,” she said before scooping up the last of her soup.

The duke laughed and slapped his knee. “Spoken like a true Highland lass. Lyle wouldn’t dare step out of line with a lass like you.”

“I imagine you have found someone far more biddable for him to marry,” she said sweetly. “I’m sure a man of your standing would want a quiet, sweet lady for Lord Lyle’s wife.”

Lyle groaned. “Don’t encourage him.”

“You sound rather wild,” the Dowager Duchess of Lomond said in her priggish voice. “Surely, your mother had some say in how you were raised? Do you play or sing? Any accomplishments to speak of?”

“My mother insisted on me learning to play the piano and attending my lessons, but she had more success with my older sisters. I adored the outdoors. I’m very interested in herbal lore and spent long hours out collecting whatever I could find.” She brightened. “When it was winter, though, I loved listening to the bawdy ballads of my kinsmen in the great hall. Perhaps you’d like a song after dinner?” She fought to keep a straight face.

Shock registered in the older lady’s eyes. She looked down her nose. “I should think not.”

The duke laughed.

“Tomorrow, I shall call you on those skills, Lady Crystal,” Lord Lyle said, his eyes alight with amusement.

“The singing or riding?” she asked.

“Hopefully both, weather permitting,” Lord William said. “Lyle and I love a good ballad.”

“Aye, fair enough. I’ll admit I know some lovely ones, too,” she said, and even the Dowager Duchess of Lomond smiled, finally realizing Crystal had been teasing.

The servants cleared the soup bowls away, then offered up steaming roast lamb, chicken, tatties, peas, beans and stuffed tomatoes, fruit tarts and jellies. While Lord William assisted her in choosing from the closest plates, she noticed the dowager duchess staring at her.

“I’ve been thinking your name is familiar,” the Dowager Duchess of Lomond said. “Though I cannae recall why.”

Crystal saw Lord Lyle catch his brother’s eye across the table and shake his head.

She had no intention of shocking her hosts by mentioning her liberal views. Lord Lyle had asked her not to. She’d already shocked the duke by telling him she had no interest in marriage. Besides, her main interest was the need to educate women. It was important to build trust if she ever hoped to influence those who had the power to create change, as did this family. “I give talks on the role of women in society and the need for learning. I have been booked to speak at various private meetings and trade halls. Perhaps you have attended one?”

“I think not. What kind of education do you propose for a woman?” the dowager asked as Lord Lyle helped her to a tiny piece of roast lamb and vegetables. She was a thin, stringy woman who apparently ate lightly.

Crystal’s mind was whirring as everyone ate in companionable silence while the meal was hot. The cost of this dinner alone would educate many girls for a year. Such a waste! She picked at her meal despite its excellence. “Women need to know more than reading, sewing, and running a household. I believe all girls should have the same opportunities as boys. Nobles and commoners alike.”

“But if commoners are educated, they will rise above their station and want power,” the Dowager Duchess of Lomond said, looking at her accusingly. She ate the little on her plate before putting her knife and fork together with a click on the china. “Remember what happened in France when the peasants and bourgeoisie arose.”

Lord Lyle coughed and looked at Crystal, his eyes taking on an appreciative gaze before turning to his grandmother. “I think Lady Crystal is more concerned about the plight of many women. She does not seek to educate for the purpose of a rising, your grace.”

“Indeed not. I am concerned about women’s ability to find honest work when they cannae read or write,” Crystal said, nodding at him.

“What do you have in mind, my lady?” Lord Lyle asked.

“In Edinburgh, the parish schools find funding to educate boys, but girls, if they attend at all, are taught at a lower level.”

“Why spend the money on educating them?” the duke asked. “Girls can marry at twelve. The dame schools teach reading, sewing, and cooking. What need have they for writing?”

“We aren’t living in peaceful times. If women have no skills, how can they keep their families fed and sheltered in a time when so many men are injured and killed in the war?” she said.

“A fair point,” Lord Lyle said, his voice respectful.

His support warmed her heart, and she looked at him anew. Under his tall, strong build and dashing looks lay a good man.

“We do have huge losses,” the duke conceded, finishing his meal and sitting back, his hands resting on his stomach. “Thirty thousand men dead at last count.”

“The Dowager Duchess Sarah and I do a lot of charity work for the widows of fallen soldiers, but so many are affected. There is never enough to go around,” the duchess said with a frown.

“Indeed there isn’t,” the dowager said. “I like the idea of educating women to read and write. It’s a disgrace many cannot even sign their name in the church register when they marry.”

Crystal looked around the table, realizing Lord Lyle’s family was hanging on her every word. He smiled at her encouragingly, and something passed between them.

“I realize educating the young will not help women today,” she said, “but we must look to the future. Sewing and washing bring in little money. Why must women and children be reduced to such poverty by society? They have already made a great sacrifice when their husbands fall fighting for this country.”

“We have a large duchy. It would be possible to encourage our parish schools to teach girls and women to read and write. That would not entail much added expense,” Lord Lyle said. “If the duke gives the directive, of course.”

She shot him a look of gratitude. There was genuine concern on his face. He was as thoughtful as he was kind. She found herself enjoying his company more and more.

“This war has brought down too many brave men,” the duke agreed. “We have so many on the pension, which is little enough to provide for a family.”

“Which means many women and children are suffering. You are a man with influence, your grace. Would you consider helping my cause to educate women? I am often invited to speak at guildhalls and private meetings, but your support would help considerably,” she said, thrilled to the core that he and Lord Lyle considered her views worthy.

“I think it’s a good idea. I don’t like the poverty this war is causing our people. Let me think on it while I’m eating dessert,” the duke said. “The important thing to remember, Lady Crystal, is not to become involved with seditious groups when you are speaking. The government is quick to arrest those who speak against it.”

“Rest assured, your grace, that is not my intention. My sole focus is to assist women out of poverty through education. Men are not used to the idea that women should be educated, too, which is why I go out and speak on the subject,” she said.

The duchess nodded to the servants, who cleared away the plates and brought in platters with a selection of biscuits, nuts, cheese, and molded jellies. The footmen served sweet wines for the ladies and port for the men.

Lord William offered a platter to her, but Crystal had lost her appetite. Too much was resting on the duke’s answer. She could give endless speeches to the working class, but persuading a man with power like the duke to support the education of women and having Lord Lyle in agreement would make all the difference. She watched on tenterhooks as the duke took a biscuit, waiting for his answer.

“You should try one of these, Lady Crystal. They are filled with a nut all the way from America. My chef was very proud to have sourced something new. It’s called a peanut. I’m told it’s excellent, though I’ve yet to try one myself.” He bit into it, munching contentedly. When he finished, he opened his mouth to speak, but the Dowager Duchess of Lomond suddenly stood and pointed at her.

“I know who you are! You are the woman who insists that women feel desire like a man.”