Rosalie blinks. “She thinks that when we’re togetherIam the one coming out on top?”
“Well,” Catherine says, her hands sliding around to cup Rosalie’s arse.
Rosalie laughs and Catherine’s face blooms into a bright grin. “Tease,” Rosalie says. “And she’s wrong. Next to you, I’m nothing.”
Catherine’s grin falters and she stares up at Rosalie, almost frozen. “That might be the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said.”
“We can’t get into a ‘No, you’re prettier’ contest. It’s too juvenile. And I’d win.”
“Yes, you would,” Catherine says.
“Oh, we’ll be here all day,” Rosalie says, stroking the hairs at the nape of Catherine’s neck.
“Right, and we need to figure out how to do this again. Mother’s determined that you and I not spend much time in direct comparison—however irrationally,” Catherine says as Rosalie frowns at her. “Mother and Father actually quarreled over the trip to Blaise Castle, and they never fight.”
“Really? My parents squabble all the time.”
Catherine shrugs. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to convince Mother into letting me go on any other trips or outings that include youandMr.Dean. We may get away with just your brother.”
Rosalie sighs, and then sits up, a flutter of excitement coursing through her. That’s exactly it.
“Then we make sure you keep bumping into Christopher while you’re out with Mr.Dean.”
“What will that accomplish, exactly?” Catherine asks.
“Well, I’d be with him,” Rosalie says simply. “And, we’ve told our mother that Christopher should court you to ‘distract’ you and your mother from Mr.Dean and make him feel like he doesn’t have a chance, so it’s a win-win with my mother.”
“You and your brother are rather wily, aren’t you?”
“Exceedingly. You’ll fit right in,” Rosalie says happily. “And, because Christopher got permission from your father for the trip, I think he should start writing you lots of letters, so you can let us know where you’ll be with Mr.Dean. Then he’ll distract him, and you and I shall have a lovely time together.”
Catherine smiles, nodding excitedly. “Perfect.”
She leans up and captures Rosalie’s lips again and Rosalie grins against her mouth. Now that they’ve ironed that out, there’s no reason they can’t spend the whole afternoon kissing. Rosalie lets her hands slide back down to Catherine’s lovely, wonderful breasts. Maybe there actually is enough time for them to—
There’s a creak outside the door and they wrench apart. Rosalie nearly falls off the settee as she scrabbles off Catherine’s lap, landing on the seat beside her and managing to get her skirts back down just as someone knocks on the doors.
“Come in!” Rosalie calls, looking wide-eyed at Catherine, who looks very freshly kissed.
She can’t look much better.
The doors open and Christopher strolls on through, hair still a little damp from the misting drizzle outside, cheeks pink. He takes one look at them and his face splits in a delighted grin.
“I knew it!” he says, spinning to close the doors while Rosalie groans. He nearly flies across the room to bounce down onto the opposite settee. “Tell me everything,” he demands gleefully.
Rosalie glances at Catherine and finds her sitting very straight, looking between them uncertainly.
Something clenches in Rosalie’s chest. Something painful but at the same time utterly, wonderfully free. She reaches out and takes Catherine’s hand, smiling at her as Catherine turns wide eyes to look at her. “I promise, Christopher is entirely Team Catherine and Rosalie.”
Which makes Catherine gasp out a laugh and Christopher chortle across from them. After a moment, Catherine nods, squeezing Rosalie’s hand. Together they look back at Christopher’s eager face.
He leans forward, rubbing his hands together. “All right, so, what’s the plan?”
Chapter Fourteen
Catherine
The light is just fading when they arrive at Blaise Castle House. The rain has let up and the last of the sunlight breaks through the clouds, casting the verdant, well-trimmed trees and manicured green rolling lawns that lead down to the edge of the forest in a beautiful orange hue.
