Meg Timmons. He knew Meg Timmons. She was Sarah’s closest friend, the daughter of his father’s mortal enemy, and a woman with whom Hart had experienced an incident last summer that he’d been seriously trying to forget.
CHAPTER THREE
Meg knew precisely whom she needed to enlist in support of her mission. The perfect person. The ultimate strategist. One Lucy Hunt. The young, dashing Duchess of Claringdon was a favorite of theton. She was rich. She was beautiful. She was outspoken. And she was master of planning plots, the sort of plots that ended up matching couples together and ensuring weddings took place. Theexactsort of plot that was in order if Meg was to have any chance at Hart. Meg had met Lucy through Viscount Berkeley, who was thick as thieves with the duchess and her set.
Yes. A visit to the duchess was necessary. Immediately. The Season was about to begin, and Hart might well find his bride at the first ball of the Season.
Meg dressed in her best day gown, did what she could to clean her old kid gloves for the hundredth time, and put on her paste jewelry. She called for thewell-traveled family coach and took her severely underpaid maid—one of the few servants her parents kept employed—with her to the duchess’s town house during calling hours the next day.
The duchess greeted her warmly and welcomed her into the stunning mansion. Lucy was dressed in a gorgeous emerald gown, her curly black hair piled high atop her head, her unusually colored eyes—one was blue, the other green—sparkling. They settled in one of the glorious drawing rooms, where Meg and Lucy consumed tea and cakes and shared idle gossip.
“You wouldn’t believe it,” Lucy said. “One of the housemaids was missing for the better part of two hours last week before we got the notion to check the silver closet. Turns out she’d been accidentally locked inside.” Lucy clucked her tongue. “The door has a most unfortunate tendency to stick.”
“That’s positively outrageous,” Meg replied with a laugh, trying to ignore the nerves bubbling in her stomach as if she’d drunk too much champagne.
“Isn’t it, though?” Lucy took a sip of her heavily sugared tea. “I’ve asked one of the footmen to repair it, but he’s had little luck. We’re afraid we’ll have to replace the entire contraption. None of the housemaids will go near the thing. I cannot blame them.”
Meg took a deep breath. She pressed her shaking knees together.
One. Two. Three. “Your Grace,” she began.
“No, no. We’ll have none of that, Meg.” Lucy gave Meg a sharp glance. The two had long ago established the informality with which they addressed each other. Meg had forgotten due to nerves. She nodded and gaveLucy a tentative smile while bringing her shaking teacup to her lips. “Yes, of course, Lucy. There’s something I need to ask you.”
A catlike grin popped to the duchess’s lips. She moved closer to the edge of her seat and leaned slightly toward Meg. “Ooh, what is it? You know I adore it whenever anyone asks for my assistance.”
Meg closed her eyes briefly and took another fortifying deep breath before she launched into her tale.
“And so you see,” Meg finished after relating her entire story—minus the part about what had happened between her and Hart the night before Sarah’s wedding. “I am greatly in need of your help, and time is of the essence.”
The duchess stood and paced. Meg anxiously watched her from the settee. Lucy took another turn about the room and tapped her cheek.
“To begin with.” Lucy came to a stop in front of Meg, “I applaud you for coming to me first. As you may know, I’ve helped many people, but so few of them haveaskedto be helped. Such a pity. It’s a credit to you that you’re wise enough to know when you’re up against seemingly insurmountable odds and require skilled assistance.” Lucy grinned at her.
“Do you truly think you can help me, Lucy?” Meg asked breathlessly. She had leaned forward so far she’d nearly toppled off the settee. Her knee was bouncing, her teacup was jittering on its saucer in her hand, and she felt as if she might cast up her accounts at any moment.
Lucy resumed both her pacing and her cheek tapping. “It won’t be easy. You’re dealing with a serious imbalance in station, a long-standing family feud, and a highly unfortunate lack of dowry.”
Meg worried her bottom lip. She set the teacup on the table beside her so the telltale jittering would stop. “Yes. I know. I am prepared to—”
“However,” Lucy interrupted, still tapping her cheek, “you are adorable. You are clever, and you are determined. Not to mention.” Lucy paused, and the catlike smile resumed its spot on her lips. “You havemehelping you. There are two questions I must ask you. Two exceedingly important questions.”
Meg held her breath. If Lucy would only agree to help her, she’d do anything, try anything, say anything. “What are they?” Meg asked, her stays biting into her too-full lungs.
“First.” Lucy turned to face her and folded her arms over her chest. “I must know why you love him. Or at least why you think you do.”
Meg blinked rapidly. She had not been expecting such a question. Why did she love Hart? She just did. It was a fact, like how the sun rose every morning and set every evening. No one had ever askedwhybefore. Sarah was the only other person who knew Meg’s feelings and Sarah had certainly never questioned them. Sarah loved him, too. She understood.
Meg cleared her throat. “Well, let’s see. He’s handsome, he’s charming, he’s witty, he’s friendly, he’s good at absolutely everything he does.”
“Yes, those are all true, dear, but there must be something deeper.”
Deeper? Deeper? “He’s impossibly good to his sister, he treats his servants like treasured friends, and I’ve never known him to pass by a beggar without tossing along whatever coins are in his pocket.” She sighed. Who wouldn’t love Hart Highgate?
“All outstanding qualities,” Lucy agreed. “But there must be some reason why you fell in love with him. Out of all the men you’ve ever met. Whyhimprecisely?”
Meg bit her lip. “I’ve loved him since I was sixteen,” she offered lamely.
The duchess crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes, you said as much, dear, but I still need to knowwhy.”
