They were standing so close together. If her family had not been present, would he kiss her? Posy poked her head between them, and Montagu immediately stroked the Dane.

Eleanor grinned. He was fitting in very well. “I’ll be back soon.”

She reached her bedchamber, changed shoes, donned a spencer, then grabbed her gloves and bonnet. When she walked into the corridor, Alice and Madeline were there. Alice held their list of requirements. “I think he has met all the qualifications.”

“All except one.” He had not told Eleanor he loved her.

Madeline nodded slowly. “Love.”

“Yes. Although, I am hopeful that will come.” At least Eleanor thought it would. That was how things were supposed to work. “I am going back down to the morning room. Are you coming?”

“I have a book I want to finish,” Alice said.

“Harry is picking me up for a carriage ride,” Madeline said. “I shall be down soon.”

Montagu did tell Eleanor not to hurry. “I will wait for you.”

“Very well.” Madeline flashed a smile. “Give me a moment.”

Alice stalked back to her room, and Eleanor wondered if her twin was upset because she and Madeline had been invited for rides and she had not. Madeline joined Eleanor in the corridor. “Do you think Alice is upset with us?”

“No. She refused St. Albans’s offer of a carriage ride.”

Alice was Eleanor’s twin. How did she not know what was going on with her? “When did that happen?”

“When you were with Lord Montagu.”

“Today?” It would have been rather insulting for him to have waited until the last minute.

“No, yesterday.” They had reached the bottom of the stairs, and Madeline linked her arm with Eleanor’s. “She will be fine.”

“I suppose so.” Her twin needed to find someone to love as well.

Love? Do I love Montagu?

Yet even if she did, that was only half of the equation. He had to love her too. And he had to say the words.

* * *

John was still petting Posy after Eleanor and her sisters had left the morning room. He’d been surprised when Posy licked his face. That hadn’t happened since he was a child. He remembered Eleanor saying she wanted one of the Dane’s puppies. He glanced at Worthington and realized he was the only one left in the room with John. “Lady Eleanor said something about puppies.”

“We plan to breed her during her next heat. That will be toward the end of June.” The man’s lips twitched. “Daisy, our last Dane, kept threatening to have the puppies during the latter part of the Season. A time or two it was a close call.”

“Lady Eleanor was raised with large dogs in the house?” If that was the case, she would insist on having at least one.