He could not appear in society without attracting a mighty tide of attention—the fawning ladies and the obsequious gentlemen, each eager in their own manner to secure his interest and attention. It was one reason he had long kept himself from such gatherings. The men sought his acquaintance and the possibility of business, not because he was likable, but from any fondness of his person, but for advantage. And the women—most of them encouraged, if not outright directed, by his mother—hoped for his hand in marriage or, at the very least, an affair.
It always surprised him how Lady Wilmot could command such a multitude, even most times without being present.
However the evening was different. With Madelyn at his side, the usual advance had faltered. The gentlemen held their enthusiasm long enough, while the ladies, most remarkably, steered clear altogether. He suddenly realised that the contract was proving far more favourable than he had thought.
