Daphne shook her head. Mrs. Bunbury was Jane’s fictitious chaperone, whom she’d used to fool her mother last spring when she’d attended Cass and Julian’s wedding house party. “I have no intention of employing Mrs. Bunbury. I don’t need her. It’s not as if I could marry Rafe. He’s completely unsuitable and—”
“I do believe you’re forgetting that you’re already married to him, dear.”
Daphne sighed. “Yes, but we’re notmarried,married. Not really. And Julian’s already agreed to help me with the annulment as soon as we—”
“As soon as you what, dear?”
Daphne leaned her neck against the settee and blew out a long breath. “I’m so confused.”
Lucy pushed another pin into place. “I know all about confusing kisses. Derek once punched a tree, climbed into my window, and kissed me. I had no idea what to do.”
Daphne pressed a hand to her still-warm cheek. “What? That seems ever so much more complicated than my little kiss in the library tonight.”
“It wasn’t little, my dear. And I might further point out that you kissed a man at your supposed engagement party. But you’re missing the point. What about Lord Fitzwell? Do you want him?”
Daphne thought about it for a moment. “I can’t say I’ve imagined kissing him. But I do want him to ask me to marry him. At least I think I do.”
Lucy’s hands fell away from Daphne’s coiffure again and Lucy eyed her closely. “You’re certain?”
“Yes.”
“Entirely certain?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then. Problem solved. Don’t get yourself alone with Captain Cavendish again and don’t kiss him again. Lord Fitzwell is sure to propose. He hasn’t done so yet so there is absolutely no harm done. Think of it as a last moment of being unattached. And your hair is set to rights again, by the by.”
For the first time since Lucy had entered the room, Daphne smiled. “Yes. Yes. That’s just what I’ll do. It meant nothing. It was completely harmless, really. Thank you, Lucy. Thank you!”
“It’s my pleasure, dear.”
Daphne tugged at her bottom lip. “I do think he only asked me to kiss him as a prank. It went too far, that is all. He didn’t believe I had the courage to do it.”
“I think he knows you well enough to know you have courage in spades, Daphne. But at any rate, clearer heads often prevail when one thinks things through rationally.”
“Yes. I quite agree. The good news is that now that I’ve kissed him, he’s agreed to leave.”
“Really?” Lucy arched a dark brow over her blue eye.
Daphne nodded. “That’s right.”
“Well, then. It’s all sorted.” Lucy patted Daphne’s hand again.
Sorted until Daphne was left alone with him on theTrue Lovefor a sennight. But that wasn’t the point at the moment and she wasn’t about to tell the Duchess of Claringdon about her scandalous mission. All of that could be sorted later. At the moment, Daphne was merely desperate for Rafe to leave so that she could progress with her engagement. It was true that she was normally not one to make plans or follow rules, but she had a plan at present, by God, and the man was disturbing it. Check one, get rid of pesky husband. Check two, ensure engagement to handsome, titled, eligible bachelor. Check three, help to exact revenge upon the men who killed Donald. Check four, secure annulment. Check five, return to Mayfair, marry said eligible bachelor, and live a long, happy life with a blue-eyed son and blond daughter. Both of whom would hopefully be considerably taller than their poor mother.
“Thank you, Lucy, for your help… and your discretion. I greatly appreciate it.”
Lucy stood. “Don’t mention it, dear.” She glanced around. “Now, I came in here to fetch a book for Jane. She said she left it on the desk.” She wandered over to the desk and picked up a tome. “Ah, here it is.The Long History of Ancient Greece. That’s Jane for you. Always reading something that would surely put the rest of us to sleep immediately.”
Daphne smiled at that. “I suppose I should be grateful that you found me instead of Jane.”
“Don’t be too certain about that. Before Jane and Garrett were married, they engaged in some antics in libraries that would make you blush.”
And with that astonishing pronouncement, Lucy turned and sauntered from the room.
Daphne counted ten, stood, smoothed her skirts, patted the pins in her coiffure, then straightened her shoulders and made her way to the door. Surely the fact that she’d returned to the festivities so long after Rafe’s reappearance would cause any suspicions about them leaving together to be overlooked.
She hoped.
