When Amelia and Margaret arrived at their aunt Charlotte’s town house later that morning, Amelia was troubled by what she’d learned of Lady Sarah. Though Margaret had insisted that Amelia should not worry about their enemy’s sister, she didn’t like the thought of a young woman being blamed for her brother’s actions.Lord Strathland had indeed caused their family nightmares, but Lady Sarah had nothing to do with that.
The footman took their pelisses, and the butler greeted them. To Amelia, he said, “Miss Andrews, these arrived for you.” He held out two sealed notes and a small posy of lilies.
“Thank you,” she said, accepting the notes and flowers. The bundle of lilies held a heady aroma, and she opened the first note, feeling a rush of excitement when she saw that the flowers were from Lord Lisford. She was careful to keep the name hidden from her sister, and then she unfolded the second note. When she saw it was a list of appropriate and inappropriate men, she bit back a laugh. So the earldidhave a sense of humor, in spite of his melancholy nature.
“Who are the flowers from?” Margaret asked as they continued walking up the stairs.
Amelia waved the note at her. “I’ll show you when we’re alone.” She wanted to avoid any discussion regarding the earl until they reached their shared bedroom.
Once they were inside, she handed Lord Castledon’s note to Margaret. “See for yourself.” While her sister was busy reading through the names of appropriate and inappropriate men, Amelia saw that Viscount Lisford had also invited her to accompany him driving through the park in the morning.
She hid her smile, resisting the urge to spin around like a giddy adolescent. If she told Margaret about the second invitation, her sister would undoubtedly forbid it.
“Why would the Earl of Castledon recommend the names of gentlemen to you?” Margaret queried.
“Because I’ve agreed to help him find a suitable wife. He thought it would be amusing to send me a list of names in return.”
Margaret handed back the note and shrugged. “I suppose. But what was the other note?”
Amelia felt the color rise into her cheeks as she tried to act as if it were nothing. “Oh, it was an invitation to go out for a morning drive.”
Really, she had to learn how to hide her feelings. For she suspected Margaret could read the anticipation on her face, though she had only spoken the truth.
“Fromwhom?” Her sister’s gaze narrowed, as if she already suspected the answer.
Amelia didn’t want to lie, but she didn’t want to tell the truth, either. Her stomach tightened. Why did this have to be so difficult? If only Margaret hadn’t been engaged to Lord Lisford, she could share her excitement without fear of hurting her sister’s feelings. Instead, she had to choose her words carefully, as if stepping around shards of glass.
She stared at the note and offered, “The earl wants to discuss the ladies I’ve chosen for him.”
Which might be true, though it had nothing to do with the morning drive. It was the best she could manage.
“If the earl wrote both notes, then he would have written his invitation inside the same letter.” The narrowed gaze suggested that Margaret was well aware of the lie.
It was at times like these that Amelia wished she were better at hiding the truth. Instead, she shrugged and pretended as if it didn’t matter. “How should I know why there were two notes?”
“I think I should come along as your chaperone,” Margaret suggested.Because you’re lying to me, her gaze seemed to say.
There was only one way to avoid her sister’s interference, and Amelia seized it. “Youcould. Except, we’re probably going to discussyou, since I put your name down on the list for him. And that might be awkward.”
Her sister was aghast at the idea. “You had no right to put myname on any sort of list, Amelia. It’s humiliating, and I don’t need you to play matchmaker.”
And now Margaret would have little desire to chaperone. Although it was exactly what she wanted, Amelia couldn’t hold back the guilt at lying to her sister. She much preferred a straightforward approach. But if she admitted that she wanted to get better acquainted with the viscount, Margaret wouldn’t hesitate to tell their parents.
It made her feel sixteen years old, all over again.
She took a deep breath, wanting to soothe her sister’s wounded feelings. “You’re unhappy,” Amelia said, softening her voice. “I know you want to be married and have a family of your own. Why not the earl?”
Margaret shook her head. “Lord Castledon is a kind man, but he’s not interested in me.”
“He could be, if you’d only try.” Amelia guided her to sit down. She studied Margaret’s severe updo and reached out to loosen several strands around her sister’s face. “You may be older, but so is he. He doesn’t want a young girl out of the schoolroom. He wants a woman.”
“I don’t know about that.” Her sister stared at the opposite wall. “He never looked at me before.”
“Only because you never gave him a chance. He’s a kind man, even if he is a bit too boring for my tastes.”
Liar, her conscience chided.You didn’t find him at all boring on the night when you danced with him.
She could never have imagined the strange response that his simple touch had awakened. If she could feel that way with a man who didn’t interest her, what would it be like to kiss a man she was in love with?
