“Alex is a York heir. Even though the Yorks have great values and are open-minded, I can’t bring myself to indulge in fantasies about him falling for me.

“I don’t want to flatter myself. It’s best if we stay friends. His cousins and brothers took wives from wealthy and powerful families, and we don’t belong in that category. Since the women were good matches, the Yorks have no reason to object.

“Our family has some standing in society, but we don’t play in the big leagues. We aren’t compatibl