" I think we might strike up a proper friendship if given the chance." She smiled, looking both shy and eager for his acceptance.
He had to look away, lest he reveal how much he wanted her. They could be very good friends. He could see that easily. She was charming and intelligent, with a sensible logic that belied her years. To be fair, she was not at all how he expected she would be. His interest before had been almost purely physical and mercenary- even then something else about her had appealed- but now... at some point during the past couple of days a fondness for her had taken root. "

― Harper St. George , The Devil and the Heiress (The Gilded Age Heiresses, #2)