He watched her in silence. She drummed her fingers on her skirt. Sebastian sensed she was nervous and that he was the cause. A tension emanated between them. She turned her head, looking out the window and he studied her hair so tightly bound to her head. He clenched his hand, itching to unbind it. Unbind her hair, what was he thinking? She turned and raised a brow. Did she feel the tension too?
“How are you, Diana?” he asked.
She stiffened at the use of her given name, but Sebastian didn’t care. They were participating in this crazy plan together. He wouldn’t spend the next two months calling her Lady Hensley.
“Fine. Thank you,” she responded primly.
Diana excelled at playing the proper lady. He wondered what she would be like alone. How quickly would her pristine bearing fade away? Sebastian hated that she was friends with Lilah andthat they’d discussed him. He could admit to himself it was because he was attracted to her. He wanted to bed her but he wouldn’t.
Sebastian wasn’t interested in fucking any woman who considered him beneath them, no matter how casual the encounter was. Naively, he’d not seen that Lilah held that opinion until it was too late. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
“I can tell already you will become great friends,” Addie said, interrupting his thoughts as she joined him on the sofa.
Sebastian and Diana’s eyes flew to each other, perhaps feeling the only kinship they ever would. All centered on the fact that Addie had somehow lost her mind.
“We have finalized the contracts with theLondon Illustrated Chroniclesand theBritish Tattler. They believe your accounts of the trip will be wildly successful. They love how different the two of you are. To stay in good standing with the papers, you will both need to send updates back at every stop. It is imperative that you spend as much time together as possible. The papers are looking to see the same excursions and sights from two unique perspectives. Are there any issues I should be made aware of before moving forward with our plans?”
Sebastian remained silent, waiting for Diana to respond. If she was going to back out, now was the time. The lady’s eyes darted over to him and lingered. She frowned as if trying to work something out in her head. Finally, she turned back to Addie. “No concerns but I do have a question. How will we get our updates back to you?”
“Captain Monroe of theSS Larkmentioned he could assist with this. It isn’t uncommon for travelers or the crew to send letters at the ports.”
Diana nodded. “I will also have my Aunt Winifred with me. She will be my companion on the trip.’
Addie grinned. “Lovely. It just highlights how wonderfully proper you are.”
A grimace flashed across Diana’s face. The lady did not like this title Addie kept bestowing on her, Sebastian realized. To needle her, he said, “Yes, Diana, you are the picture of propriety.”
A pink hue touched Diana’s cheeks. “I try my best.”
“I can’t wait to receive your first letters,” Addie said, her voice filled with excitement.
“How will we know what we should write about or what we should go see?” Sebastian asked.
“I will need to rely on the two of you to identify that. The planned port stops for theSS Larkare brand new for the ship. They are trying them out to determine if they can create a new route for leisure cruises. I have possibly convinced Captain Monroe that lady leisure cruises are a missed market. Diana, you will need to find excursions that will keep ladies entertained.”
“And the captain is supportive of these types of sailings?” Sebastian asked skeptically.
He didn’t know Captain Monroe very well and had only spoken with him in passing, but the man didn’t strike him as someone who spent a lot of time catering to ladies.
“Well, no, not quite, but he did say that we could try.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes, but Addie ignored him. “Diana, I believe, is more than up for the job.”
Diana appeared unsure, but then she glanced his way and suspected he doubted her. It seemed to increase her determination. She tilted her chin up. “I will do my best not to fail the club.”
Addie beamed. “The readers will adore learning about your adventures. Your perspectives will be drastically different.”
Shocking Sebastian, Diana frowned. “Will they?”
He cocked a brow at her, incredulous. “Come, Diana. You don’t have to be polite. We are not the same.”
She tilted her head and studied him. “How?”
“I own a gentlemen’s club, and I am a lord’s bastard,” he answered bluntly.
He’d intentionally been crude. If his father was alive, he would give him a sound thrashing for describing himself in such words. She flushed but glared at him. “My point is you are successful and own a home in Mayfair. We are not so different.”
What game was this lady playing? Addie shook her head. “No fighting you two. And Sebastian, don’t use such appalling language around us.”
