Unconventional Suitors 01 - Her Unconventional Suitor Read Online Free PDF Page A

and so far, she was not disappointed. Her modiste, Madame Gillrey, had fashioned a plethora of irresistible gowns for her, mostly in white and other pastels as was fitting a debutante, and she and her mother had spent countless hours shopping for the perfect accessories to complete each ensemble. Her mother even lent her some of her most stunning jewels for the events she attended, causing Gillian to take great pride in her appearance.
    And it was apparent that her dance partner, Lord Stephen, did the same.
    As soon as the dance ended, Lord Stephen hooked her arm in his and slowly began circling the room. “I must compliment you on your excellent taste in fashion, my lady. You are the envy of every lady present.”
    “Thank you, my lord.”
    A long silence ensued and Gillian was unsure of what to say to break it. Her mother was constantly warning her to give careful consideration to what she said, something she had been trying, mostly without success, to do her whole life. Sometimes, as was the case when meeting Lord Straton’s friends, she couldn’t seem to help herself, but other times, she found that her mind couldn’t think of a single worthwhile thing to say.
    Walking around the outer edge of the ballroom with Lord Stephen seemed to be one of those times. Perhaps it was because he was just the type of man she had always envisioned her self marrying. He had a commanding presence and was confident and very pleasing to behold. For a moment, however, she wondered if he suffered from the same plight as she, for it seemed he couldn’t think of any matter upon which to converse either.
    As the silence stretched on, it went from being comfortable to just plain awkward. Gillian searched her mind trying desperately to come up with a polite topic of conversation. She finally settled on the most mundane topics of all—the weather.
    “I find that I am growing rather fond of the sunshine that we have been enjoying lately. How about you, Lord Stephen? Are you enjoying the warmer weather as well?”
    “I can’t say that I’ve really noticed it, my lady.”
    “Truly?” she asked in shock.
    “Truly. There are other more pressing matters that have occupied my time as of late.”
    “Such as?” she asked, honestly curious as to what could have consumed him so fully that he had been completely oblivious to the weather.
    He looked down on her and gave her a pitying look. “Lady Gillian, a true lady never asks a gentleman about his business. It’s none of her concern. You should be occupying your time with the frivolous pursuits of the fairer sex, such as they are.”
    Gillian felt her ire rise at his condescending tone of voice. Obviously her favorable first impression of him hadn’t been quite on target. “And what, pray tell, would you consider the frivolous pursuits of the fairer sex to be?”
    “Well, shopping for starters, which I can see you already excel at. Then there are dinner parties to plan, needlework to be done, with the occasional painting thrown into the mix.”
    No matter that he had just described several occupying pursuits of her gender, it galled Gillian to think that Lord Stephen expected nothing more out of a woman. “How shameful if you think that is all a woman is good for,” she huffed with disgust.
    One eyebrow arched as a wicked grin splayed on his face. “Oh no, my lady, I can assure you that I think a woman is good for at least one more thing.”
    Gillian’s cheeks flamed at his insinuation. “How dare you!” she stammered, feeling highly uncomfortable by his bold and inappropriate response.
    “You, my lady, were the one who asked. Do not look so stunned that I was courteous enough to answer your inquiry.”
    Gillian was fuming by the time Lord Stephen returned her to her mother’s side. She needed to dance and converse with a proper gentleman now, so as to dispel the vile feeling Lord Stephen had left her with. How had she judged his character so incorrectly?
    ***
    “Well that went