Lina smiled nonchalantly. "No, I'm just asking."
In truth, she had only wanted to sound out the Duke of Champagne's feelings about the Duchess of Westminster. The previous day, she had used a combination of sweet talk and subtle persuasion to plant doubts in the duchess's mind, and her efforts had been quite successful. The duchess was beginning to question the circumstances surrounding her marriage and the motives of her relatives. If Lina could persuade her to cooperate, exchanging Julian for a wealthy and influential ally would be an excellent deal.
Of course, everything depended on Julian's willingness. If he firmly refused, Lina couldn't very well force him into marriage. He was still a valuable subordinate, and she had no intention of sacrificing a useful political ally merely to solve someone else's romantic troubles.
