“You are missing the subtle nuances, Merry,” Jasper said, a smile still brightening his face. “Everyone knows a rake is a connoisseur of women and, given the opportunity, will chase nearly anything in skirts, even a woman who is firmly on the shelf.
“To win our wager, the woman must be the one who pursues the gentleman. She must be the one who initiates the kiss. That is the essence of the challenge.”
Jason leaned closer to her. “And it must be a real kiss, lips firmly locked upon each other. A full, passionate embrace, given freely and with no regret.”
“It appears you have given this a considerable amount of thought,” Meredith stated dryly. “ ’Tis a most frightening notion knowing that men of wealth, rank, and privilege spend their nights concocting these outrageous wagers. I can assure you almost no one else cares in the least about spinsters and rakes kissing each other. Passionately or otherwise.”
“There were some that felt far more physical involvement was necessary to prove our point. However—”
A fierce glare from his twin abruptly ended Jason’s confession.
Meredith gritted her teeth, having a fair idea of what her brother had nearly revealed. “So you believe I should commend you for your restraint in limiting this wager to a single kiss?” Meredith asked, her brow raised.
“It is just a harmless bit of fun that won’t hurt anyone,” Jasper insisted hastily, glowering over her head at his twin.
“I’m not sure your poor, unsuspecting spinster will feel that way,” Meredith retorted sharply.
She had always heard the betting book at White’s was filled with absurd, ridiculous wagers concerning just about anything—the color of the coat worn by the third gentleman to enter the room, the exact time it began to rain on a particular afternoon, the number of flies on the wall. This preposterous wager her brothers had accepted amply demonstrated that point.
“No one will be harmed,” Jasper said in a smooth tone. “Especially if you agree to help us.”
For an instant Meredith was struck dumb. Then angry color flooded her cheeks. “You expect me to find and then persuade some unfortunate, unsuspecting woman to aid you in winning this ridiculous wager? For the love of God, have you lost all sense of decency?”
“You have misunderstood us completely,” Jasper yelped as he sprang to his feet. “We would never think of, let alone ask you to perform, such a distasteful task.”
“Never,” Jason stated emphatically as he stood beside his brother.
Meredith stared at them for a long, hard moment. When she concluded the expressions of surprise, shock, and indignation on her brother’s faces were genuine, her anger slowly disappeared.
“Then what are you asking of me?” she asked with a puzzled frown.
Jasper’s eyes suddenly had great difficulty meeting her own. Meredith swung her gaze toward Jason. She saw his finger creep up to his cravat and tug insistently at it, attempting to adjust the fit around his neck. A nagging suspicion snaked through her mind.
“ ’Tis me,” she said in a voice of soft wonderment. “I am to be the spinster.”
“Don’t look so distressed,” Jasper admonished. “It’s a clever, flawless plan. Dardington will never suspect you.”
“Never,” Jason repeated enthusiastically. “In fact, I’m not even sure he realizes you are our sister.” Jason rubbed the palms of his hands together gleefully. “The best part is that everyone in Society knows what a beautiful woman you are, so Dardington will have to pay out on the second half of the wager and give us the horses, too.”
“Is that how you see me? A beautiful spinster-” Meredith choked off her words, unable to continue.
“For pity’s sake, Merry, we would never call you a spinster,” Jasper said, his expression suspiciously innocent. He moved the tip of his polished boot back and forth across a small section of the carpet. “However, you are well past the age when most women marry, and it seems unlikely you will form a union anytime soon.”
A chill skittered along her spine. True, she was twenty-six years old and unmarried, with no immediate prospects to change that situation. But that washerchoice.
Over the years she had lost count of the men whose marriage proposals she had rejected. Why, only last year the Earl of Monford had offered for her. He was a well-established nobleman in his early fifties, possessing an important title and an adequate income.
She had been both kind and gracious when refusing his offer, mentioning neither his lack of personal hygiene nor his inclination for conversation so boring it could be classified as mind-numbing as her main reasons for refusing his suit.
Meredith had always known she was different from other women of her class. At first the difference had confused her, but over the years she had learned to embrace and even celebrate her independence. She said it often and believed it totally—the opinion of others did not matter to her.
Yet why did it hurt so much to discover her brothers thought of her as a woman firmly on the shelf? A spinster!
“We thought you might find the wager amusing,” Jason said. He glanced worriedly over her head at his twin.
Concern flickered in Jasper’s eyes. “Your helping us win was meant to be a bit of fun. A lark.”
Meredith suppressed the exasperated reply that sprang to mind and instead searched her heart to find the humor in this situation. Yet she was still feeling too ruffled to find any.
