Instead, she took two steps forward. "Lady Harrowden said she will come directly."

She thought she saw a flash of disappointment on Sir Lucius’s face as he dropped his arms to his side. "Tell me, what has you in such a panic?"

“But I’ve told you,” Selena said in astonishment. “Rebecca is gone, and it is my fault."

"How is it your fault?" Sir Lucius asked, his voice rising a notch. "What have you to do if a flighty damsel will not stay put?"

He did not understand. Selena's frustration sent tears to her eye, which she blinked away, digging her fingernails into her palms to make her tears stay put. She must not show weakness. And if he did not know that it was his kiss that sent Rebecca off in a jealous rage, she certainly did not wish to spell it out for him.

“Of course it's my fault. I will be blamed for everything, and I will not be able to secure another position."

"Surely Lady Harrowden will not blame you for decisions made by a young woman who has no character, one who has been left to an indifferent upbringing, and who has had no time to have a sense of decorum properly instilled by you? It is ridiculous. You are worrying for nothing, Selena."

There was truth in what he said, but he didn’t understand that she would pay for it with her position if she made no push to retrieve Rebecca. When she was able to respond, it was in a voice subdued with emotion. "You are wrong. Lady Harrowden has already told me she holds me responsible. I will not be given a letter of character, and I will not be able to find another post.”

Lucius waved it off impatiently. “What does it matter whether Lady Harrrowden gives you a glowing reference? There is surely some other position for you to hold besides governess."

"And who will give me such a recommendation?" Selena challenged. "You? If the ton does not easily forgive a member who belongs to it, how much less will they forgive somebody whose rank is beneath them?"

A muscle twitched in Lucius's jaw, already tense with emotion. "I do not know to whom you are referring, Selena. You are not beneath them. You are a gentleman's daughter."

"It matters not," she cried. “My family is shrouded in scandal. They take one look at your dress and they know of your financial situation. They know who has cut you and what connection still exists. Even if you are a hanger-on—and I refuse to be one—there is no future for an impoverished female with no references.”

Lucius raised his own voice. “You are lumping everyone in Society together. Not everybody thinks that way. Not everyone has such a prejudice. Some people look beyond outward appearances and judge the inside worth."

Selena shook her head. "Impossible. You have not been in my shoes. It is the same everywhere."

Lucius took two steps forward and took Selena by the arm. "No, it is not." His voice came out in a growl of frustration. "I have been trying to find a way to tell you that I love you, but you have not let me get close enough."