How to Capture a Countess (Duchess Diaries 1) by Karen Hawkins Page B

thank you!”
    Margaret instantly thought, So, my dear Sin, is this what you saw that intrigued you so? Or is there more to her even than this? She smiled. “You’re welcome, my child. MacDougal, pray show Miss Balfour the library on your way to her room. She may wish a book to pass the time before dinner.”
    Miss Balfour set Weenie back on the floor, stood, made her curtsies, and followed the butler to the door.
    Margaret watched the girl leave, absently patting Randolph’s gray head as he pressed against her hand.
    As soon as the door closed, Charlotte said, “Well. That was interesting.”
    “Very.” Margaret leaned back in her chair, pulling Randolph into her lap. “She’s very thin and brown.”
    “From riding, I daresay. Her eyes are well enough, but her hair—” Charlotte shook her head. “She looked a bit like a milkmaid. I quite thought Sin’s flirt would be beautiful.”
    “Well, she’s not beautiful,” Margaret said. “She’s passingly pretty, if that. I’ve never known Sin to pay attention to the horsing set, either.”
    “She’s not very fashionable, either. That gown—” Charlotte scrunched her nose. “She strides rather than walks, too.”
    “Yes, as if she didn’t give a flip for convention.” Margaret tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair and then looked down at Randolph. “What do you think, love?”
    Randolph’s little tail wagged hard.
    “You liked her, didn’t you? And so did Meenie.” She looked at her foot, where Meenie lay. The dog perked up when she met Margaret’s gaze. “You don’t normally take to strangers, either.”
    Meenie sniffed the air, which made her look as if she were nodding.
    “Miss Balfour definitely has a way with animals,” Charlotte agreed thoughtfully. “Perhaps that’s the key.”
    Margaret laughed. “Perhaps it is. If anyone were close to the animal state, it’s Sin. Perhaps this Rose knows how to soothe the savage beast. We won’t knowuntil we see them together—and that, my dear, makes me look forward to the next three weeks.”
    “If he doesn’t lead her astray first.”
    Margaret’s glee faded. “Astray?”
    “She doesn’t strike me as very worldly. And Sin . . . You know what he is.”
    “I suspect she’s far smarter than that, but we will keep an eye on them. I refuse to allow that poor gel to be importuned under my own roof.”
    “Really?” Charlotte said in mild surprise. “I rather thought you’d hoped Sin would do just that.”
    “Only to a certain point. I won’t have her ruined. I am her godmother, you know. Still, we will make certain they spend a fair amount of time together. More, perhaps, than either plans on.” Margaret put Randolph onto the rug. “Come, Charlotte, let’s walk the dogs in the garden. We can discuss the situation there, where the servants won’t overhear.”

Three
    From the Diary of the Duchess of Roxburghe
When one is charged with assisting a beloved family member with their love life, it is important to know the wishes of that family member. This can be tricky, especially when one is working from a position of Stealth and Greater Knowledge.
    I don’t yet know exactly what qualities Sin saw in Rose Balfour that sent propriety tumbling to the wayside all those years ago, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m about to find out . . .
    So close, and yet so far. Rose grasped the ladder railing and leaned forward. She had to stand on her tiptoes, but she was rewarded when she managed to barely—just barely—reach the book she wanted on the shelf.
    The small, slim tome was bound in soft red leather and looked like a journal. It had caught her eye when she was on a lower rung looking up in awe at the shelves upon shelves of books. The vibrant color coupled with a lack of a title on the spine had madeher itch to peek between the covers, so she’d rolled the ladder over, gathered her skirts, and climbed to the top.
    She looped an arm through the ladder to steady herself and