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incredible liberties with his home and his staff.
    â€œThis must be a misunderstanding, Miss Woodward. Lady Laughlin was my wife’s friend many years ago, so she enjoys a degree of informality with this family that might be unusual elsewhere.”
    Miss Woodward didn’t look convinced. In a way, he almost liked her more for it. There was something about her that was strong and stubborn, as though she didn’t brook any argument. She was the sort of woman who gave off the air that she knew her mind even if propriety meant that she couldn’t say exactly what she thought. Asten got the impression that she didn’t care a whit about his title or his money except that it allowed him to ensure that he had enough to pay her for her work educating his daughter. In a city full of people dazzled by rank and wealth, it was refreshing.
    â€œYou asked me to teach Lady Eleanora and hopefully find some way to help her overcome her shyness, sir. Your daughter is quiet and sweet, but after spending just a morning with her, I don’t believe she’s naturally inclined toward shyness.”
    â€œYou think something else is responsible for her change in behavior outside of this house?”
    She seemed to weigh her next words carefully. “I believe Lady Laughlin is enjoying the importance of bringing out an earl’s daughter, but she likely believes Lady Eleanora is a threat to Miss Laughlin’s or Miss Cordelia’s marriage prospects and so she’s doing her best to dominate her. I’d be surprised if Lady Laughlin hasn’t found some way to undermine your daughter when she’s out in order to bolster her own daughters’ chances of attracting attention. As strong as Lady Eleanora is, she doesn’t have the aggressiveness to stand up to that sort of behavior.”
    He didn’t know what to say. Now that he thought about it, Eleanora always seemed her most reserved when they were out with the Laughlins, but surely that was a coincidence. It had to be. The very idea that Lady Laughlin—a family friend—might actively try to sabotage Eleanora’s chances at happiness was incredible. Slanderous even. Lady Laughlin was pushy and demanding, but she wasn’t cruel.
    Was she?
    Doubt began to creep into his thoughts. Could that really be the reason why Eleanora had been so unhappy these past months? He couldn’t deny that her change in personality coincided neatly with Lady Laughlin’s reappearance, but could a woman who’d spent a mere morning with his daughter already know so much about her? He was Eleanora’s father—the man who lived with her—and yet he sometimes felt as though he barely knew her anymore. It seemed impossible that Miss Woodward—fairy godmother or not—would’ve figured out the puzzle of his daughter so quickly when he found it such an impossible task.
    â€œMiss Woodward, I trust your letters of reference, and I also trust my own judgment in hiring you. You clearly care about my daughter’s future, and I thank you for that. However, this theory about Lady Laughlin is just wild conjecture. You have nothing to substantiate it.”
    She folded her hands in her lap, those dark eyes never leaving his. “I’m sorry to shock you, my lord.”
    She hadn’t shocked him. She’d shamed him, implying that he was the most ignorant father in all of London.
    â€œLady Laughlin is my daughter’s chaperone, and she is vital to Eleanora’s success this season,” he said, his voice a little sterner than he’d intended. “I can’t do everything alone, as you know. There are times when she must have a woman’s guidance.”
    Silence stretched between them. He hated the unreadable look on Miss Woodward’s face, but he also loathed the idea that he might be neglectful enough to place Eleanora in the care of a woman who was actively hurting her chances at happiness.
    Miss Woodward