“You are considerate of your page,” Mlle Lavoul had said softly.
“Those who work for me would not always say so,” the Duke replied, “but the boy is a cousin of mine and I promised his mother I would treat him lightly. A mistake, I think, boys should be hardened.”
“But not girls surely?” Mlle Lavoul had asked. “Or women?”
“No, indeed,” the Duke said, playing the game because he was certain that it was expected of him. “Girls should be cosseted and protected. Women too. For where would we men be without their gentle influence, their sweetness and, of course, their generosity?”
There was a meaning in his words, which Mlle Lavoul understood and then, as he had expected, he saw her glance quickly at their host before her eyes dropped before his and her mouth pouted petulantly.
“It is not a
