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with you.”
    Elisabeth was shaking her head. “But I—I cannot bear to meet him,” she said softly. “ I am not ready . I think it is my fate never to be ready.”
    â€œFate?’ But what is fate?” Lillian lowered the lavender dress, and Elisabeth hesitated only a moment before stepping into it. “Resistance is all you’ve ever known, so of course it seems like the only path. What have I always said? There. Is. More. ”
    â€œ More may be a risk I am not willing to take,” she whispered. “I have the inheritance. I have my work at the foundation. With or without a . . . man in my life, these mean freedom. Not everyone has the opportunity to fall in love, like you.”
    â€œWell, certainly no one who refuses to try.”
    Elisabeth scoffed, “I’ll consent to try to fall in love when you consent to tell the world that you are in love.”
    She knew it was wrong the moment she said it. Behind her, Lilly went still and then her diligent hands fell away from the back of the gown. Silence settled in the room. It was not unfair to invoke her aunt’s relationship with Quincy, the coward’s way out. Hastily, she added, “When you are ready.”
    The countess was quiet a long moment, and then she said, “Now ’tis you , my dear, who speak of things that you do not know.” She turned away.
    Elisabeth was unaccustomed to motherly rebuke. Her aunt chided her and teased her, but rarely, if ever, did she scold.
    â€œThat was exceedingly rude of me,” Elisabeth said softly. “I’m sorry, Lilly. I . . . I know you have your reasons. Aunt Lillian?”
    She would not respond.
    Elisabeth tried again. “We all have secrets.”
    The countess turned to her. “Yes, but only you bear yours alone. Come.” She returned to Elisabeth and took up the loose sides of her dress and pulled the bodice together. “And this is why I am forcing you to dine with the viscount.”
    â€œSo I will no longer have secrets?”
    â€œSo you will no longer be alone!” She attached the tightest hook with a yank, causing Elisabeth to gasp at the constriction of the gown.
    â€œYou are too ambitious,” said Elisabeth. “A surprise meeting? How could this possibly work?”
    Lillian sighed impatiently, smoothing the closed bodice over Elisabeth’s spine. “We will not know until we try.”
    â€œEven better, we could never kno—”
    â€œAh, ah, ah,” interrupted the countess coming around to smile at Elisabeth’s appearance in the lavender gown. “Too late for that, darling. It’s finally too late for that.”

C HAPTER S IX
    I f the distinction of viscount did not allow Rainsleigh to leave a party early, the notoriety of being Frankie Courtland’s son certainly did. His parents routinely left parties early, arrived late, refused to leave, or didn’t attend at all. Boorish rudeness was a Courtland family tradition.
    It was also precisely the sort of bad behavior that Rainsleigh worked so hard to expunge, but he’d be damned if he would remain in the presence of an unknown niece who, clearly, could not bear the sight of him.
    He hadn’t even known the countess was in possession of a niece. And now this young woman would reject him ? According to Beecham, she was an on-the-shelf spinster who rarely left the house.
    Rainsleigh scanned the salon, looking for the baron and his wife. He’d make some excuse. He had no idea what. I lost my head and behaved like an idiot in front of a pretty girl would obviously never do, but he’d think of something.
    What lunacy had taken possession of his brain? He had conditioned himself over the years to ignore the distraction of females in general and beautiful women in particular. He was an active, virile male, well in his prime, but temptation could be (and had been) locked down for the sake of productiveness. And his reputation.