She told the voice to go to the devil. For there was no such thing as true love. She did not believe it. There was only the incessant need to convince one’s self of a deeper purpose, she was sure.
She had no such need.
Her purpose was already true: she was going to collect her funds and live the rest of her life as…
Well, she had not decided that part yet. But shewoulddecide it. She would find what made her happy, and she would do more of that. She would stay far, far away from dashing rakehells with black, wavy hair and sky-blue eyes. Rakehells who made her heart race with their mere presence. Who made her weak. Who stole her book.
The conniving bandit.
“Our lady’s maids will be here at any moment,” Pru said, interrupting Grace’s wildly veering thoughts. “All this talk of love aside, something must be done.”
“Aboutthebook,” Christabella added. “It is so delightfully wicked. That volume, in particular, is a favorite of mine.”
“It is a favorite of everyone’s,” Eugie agreed. “The pictures…”
“Oh, my yes,” Bea chimed in on a sigh of her own. “Is that the volume that contains the story about the gardener and the lady?”
“It is,” Grace confirmed, for she had been similarly mesmerized by the tale.
“I shall never think about a rose in the same fashion after reading that story,” Christabella said. “What he did with the rose petals…”
“Was indecent,” Grace interrupted sternly.
In truth, she had not found the subject matter of the book nearly as objectionable upon further examination. Indeed, she had caught herself envisioning similar scenes to those depicted. Scenes containing herself and none other than Viscount Aylesford.
“I was going to say it was intriguing,” Christabella corrected, frowning at her. “Tell me you did not find it fascinating, Grace.”
Of course she had.
Her ears went hot.
But she was not about to admit it aloud. Not to any of them, and certainly not to all her sisters at once.
“That is neither here nor there,” Grace dismissed. “What matters is that the book is forbidden to us. It should not be in our possession, and if our brother knew it was, he would not stop until he discovered how we had managed to procure ourselves copies.”
“Watson ought not to be punished,” Christabella said, referring to her lady’s maid. “She is delightfully enterprising, and she managed to gather the copies for us at great risk to herself.”
“Watson cannot suffer for your carelessness, Grace,” Pru said, pinning her with a distinctly unimpressed look. “If you had listened to me and kept it in your chamber, you would not be currently finding yourself in such a predicament.”
“None of you shall suffer for my actions,” she assured them, for she knew precisely what she had to do. She had to getThe Tale of Loveback from one thieving viscount. This very night. “I will make certain that nothing goes awry. I will have the book in my possession once more by tomorrow morning.”
Eugie’s brows snapped together. “Just what do you intend to do?”
Sneak into his chamber and steal the book back.
But she did not say that aloud, for she was no fool.
Instead, she gave all her sisters a reassuring smile. “I will convince him of the necessity of behaving as a gentleman. I will remind him he is our guest. Make him feel guilty in whatever sense I must.”
“You are going to accept his plan to become his feigned betrothed,” Christabella predicted with an air of firm conviction.
Why, oh why, did the mere suggestion make her pulse quicken and heat slide to her core? Why did the suggestion make her want him in a way she had never yearned for another man? Blast him. Was it his looks? His knowing air? Whatever it was, it could be ignored and dismissed. It had to be ignored, else she would become far too embroiled within it.
“I will do no such thing,” she vowed. “It may have seemed appealing once, but I see the viscount for who and what he is. I shall have no part of his plans, and he will return our book to us if forcing him to do so proves to be the last action I take.”
The subtle knock of their lady’s maids at the door heralded the conclusion of the conversation. But Grace’s determination was renewed. She would get her hands on that book tonight. Whilst he was occupied with whatever it was that kept the gentlemen of the house party up all night, she would simply creep into his chamber, find the volume she was searching for, and leave.
Yes, she thought to herself, feeling quite pleased, this would be the proper way to regain control of the situation. All she had to do was hope nothing went wrong.
