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“Hmm.” Kalina did not appear entirely convinced. “So. Sebastian proposed?”

“Shh,” Mei said again automatically. Needlessly. There truly was no one close by enough to hear, although Astrid was eyeing her and Kalina as if contemplating abandoning her current conversation and coming over. “He… yes. We have been, um, spending some time together. Privately. Only for a few days. It was only supposed to be for a few days.”

“But he wants more?”

“Yes.” Mei shoved her hands into her wide sleeves, rather than wringing them in front of her the way she wanted to. She gripped her forearms, the tight hold helping to calm her a bit. “Tiffany believes he loves me.”

“Ah.” Kalina blinked and then, to Mei’s shock, nodded. “Yes, I could see that.”

“You can?” Mei was still struggling with the notion, despite her feelings for him. The ones that had grown so quickly and so unexpectedly that she felt as though she was still running after them, trying to catch up. Her heart was on a racetrack, speeding toward the finish line while the rest of her had not even known she would be running.

“Yes, of course. There has always been some tension between the two of you, but it was obvious he admired you.”

“It was?”

“Well, yes. I understood why you kept your distance from him, though.”

“You did?” That seemed rather miraculous considering Mei had not realized she kept her distance from him, nor had she realized that he admired her.

The amused look Kalina gave her did not help. Mei was already feeling foolish on top of all her other chaotic emotions.

“Yes,” Kalina said carefully. “For one, it made sense you would be cautious about receiving a dishonorable offer from a duke, though I did not believe Sebastian would do so. If only because it would greatly upset Tiffany and Lady Astrid. Secondly, the attraction between you would be hard to ignore, and the idea that he might make an honorable offer would be highly unusual.”

“Highly unusual, indeed.” Mei snorted. “I told him no.”

Kalina stared at her, studying her face.

“What?” Mei asked. “I did. I cannot marry him. I would never be accepted by the ton.”

“That might have been true at one time,” Kalina said slowly, “but you cannot believe that our friends would not stand by you.”

“They should not have to!” Why did no one understand this? She did not want to inconvenience her friends. She did not want to be a burden they had to bear as a price of friendship. A social climber. Someone who used their positions within Society to benefit herself. There were names for people like that, and none of them were kind.

Kalina gave her an odd look.

“Why not? You stood by me, did you not?”

“That is different. I am no duchess. It is not as though it cost me anything to stand by you.”

“I am a duchess… exactly what would it cost me to stand by one of my friends?” Kalina arched her brow at Mei. “My fortune? Hardly. My social position? Is as secure as it could be… in large part because of those friends who stood by me.”

“I…” Mei opened her mouth and closed it, her mind going blank.

“If you were to marry Sebastian, and a friend with a lower social position—Rose perhaps—found herself in a position where she needed us to stand by her… what would you want her to do? Would you want her to turn away from something wonderful because she did not want to burden you by asking for your support?”

“I…” Pressing her lips together, Mei gave her head a little shake. Of course, she would want to be able to support Rose.

“You are, and have been, a wonderful friend to all of us,” Kalina said gently, reaching out to place her hand over Mei’s. “Why do you find the idea of someone being a friend to you so abhorrent?”

“I do not.”

“Then let us support you. As friends should. Do not use us as an excuse to refuse something just because it scares you. Let us be your friends and choose your future for yourself.” Kalina gave her a stern look. “If there is one thing I have learned, it’s that happiness is worth fighting for. We only get one life to live.”

“I think my chance may have passed.” Mei glanced across the room at where Sebastian was. As if sensing her regard, he immediately lifted his head and met her gaze, and it felt like her heart stopped in her chest. Her entire body froze, skin tingling, and a blush rose in her cheeks.

“Methinks there will be a second chance,” Kalina murmured. “Do not let it pass by lightly.”

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