She had conceded. Forgotten all about her quest to locate the book and circumvent him. Instead, she had wilted like a flower in the summer heat. She had run from him. Run from herself, as well. Because she had been terribly close to touching him. To throwing herself in his arms.
To kissing those rakish lips.
Pru cast her a sidelong glance as they walked along the wall of books. “Do you suppose Dev will be fooled?”
Grace swallowed. This was the part of the plan she disliked the most—deceiving her brother. Because she loved Dev with all her heart. He was a wonderful brother, and he had devoted his life to caring for them all. He only wanted what was best for them.
What he deemed was best for them, in some instances.
But his heart was pure, his motives true.
He simply wanted happiness for them all. Lying to him would not be easy.
“I suppose we shall have to see how successful Lord Aylesford is at persuading him,” Grace said.
The viscount was smooth and charming. He was also the heir to a wealthy dukedom. Convincing Dev of the wisdom of a betrothal between himself and Grace would probably be easy. But their brother was also adamant that none of them would wed without agreeing to the match.
Which meant she would have to conduct an interview of her own with her brother. And hope he would not see through her deceptions.
“Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fall in love and marry?” Pru asked as they reached the end of the wall of books and paused.
There was no point in pretending either of them was searching for reading material. They had only sought out the room so they could have a moment of privacy to discuss the question ofthebook.
She gave her sister a searching glance. “Haveyouwondered?”
Pru averted her gaze. “Of course not.”
“You have,” Grace accused. “I can see it on your face.”
“Oh, very well,” Pru admitted. “I confess, I have found myself contemplating such a notion. Only with the right man, of course.”
“Is there such a paragon in existence?” Grace could not help but ask.
For some reason, Viscount Aylesford rose in her mind. His handsome face. His dark hair, those blue eyes of his glinting in the candlelight as he had stripped off his shirt…
Foolish mind. The word paragon should never even occupy the same sentence as Lord Aylesford’s name. He was a wicked rakehell. An arrogant oaf. He knew precisely how his masculine beauty affected all females in his presence.
“I think with the right man, it could not be as awful as I once supposed,” Pru said then, her tone contemplative.
Grace raised a brow, considering her. “Has a gentleman in attendance changed your mind? Lord Ashley Rawdon, perhaps?”
The handsome Lord Ashley had been paying a marked attention to Pru. All the sisters had taken note of it.
Color rose to Pru’s cheeks. “Of course not. Lord Ashley is trying to match me with his brother, the duke.”
“Coventry?” This news surprised Grace even more. “Has he even spoken a word to anyone since he arrived at the house party?”
The new duke was painfully shy. Lord Ashley, however, was decidedly not.
“Scarcely a word to me,” Pru said, “but I must admit, I find myself wondering…”
“Lord Ashley is making you wonder,” Grace predicted.
Pru frowned. “Perhaps Lord Aylesford is makingyouwonder.”
“Do not be silly,” she said, waving a dismissive hand. “I am only agreeing to this madcap plan soThe Tale of Loveis safely in our possession once more, without Dev ever being the wiser.”
“If you insist, sister dearest,” Pru said, sounding unconvinced.
