raced. Some way. There must be some way out of this.
“I’ll wager that by tomorrow—”
“That’s it!”
He almost missed a step. “That’s what?”
“Can you say it was a wager? That you dared him to do it?”
He considered this for a moment. “It just might work.” His smile warmed her. “I congratulate you , Miss Dudley. You have a felicitous turn of mind.”
She shrugged. “Devious is perhaps a better word. But when one is Mama’s child, one learns to be inventive.”
He nodded. “I can well believe that.”
The dance was soon finished, and he led her back to the sidelines. “Now,” he said, “you must laugh and smile.”
She tried but it was not easy, since what she most wished to do was run away and hide. First the Celestial Bed and now this. Would the embarrassments never stop?
His eyes gleamed. “A little more glee, please. We have indulged ourselves in a caper and must look like we’re enjoying it. I’m going to find that pea-brained nephew of mine. You seek out Dezzie immediately and tell her what has transpired. Do you think she can carry it off?”
“I don’t know. But I’m sure she’ll try.”
She found Dezzie almost immediately and drew her aside. It took only a few moments to tell her what had been decided on and to instruct her about what to do.
“Yes, of course,” she said. “I shall do it for my Lockwood. I shall not waver.”
Licia sighed. Dezzie was still a scatterbrain. But she was obviously in love. Now they had only to stand up under attack.
Chapter Six
The attack did not come until the next morning. Licia had lain awake long into the night, her mind busy with the events of the evening, reliving time after time the pleasure of those dances with the duke.
And Dezzie had tossed and turned, filling the night with endless, unanswerable questions.
But now, with breakfast behind them, they faced Mama and Aunt Hortense in the library. “Wager or not, that was a stupid thing to do,” Aunt Hortense said. “The Countess Lieven and all the others . . . they will be simply scandalized by this.”
“And why,” interjected Mama, “did you have to break the rules with that boy?”
She fixed an accusing eye on Licia. “And you! What were you doing spending so much time with the duke? You know Dezzie means to marry him.”
“Mama, I don’t!”
Mama shifted her gaze to Dezzie again. “Quiet! I’m the one to say whom you’ll marry.”
Dezzie subsided with a sniffle. If only she didn’t lose her resolve, Licia thought.
Then help came from another direction. Penelope said, “Perhaps Dezzie lost count. Aunt Dorothea. When one has danced every dance, all night long, how can one be expected to remember?”
Mama’s face brightened at this reminder of Dezzie’s triumph. But Dezzie almost spoiled it by crying, “Oh, I re—”
She stopped, warned by Penelope’s sudden cough. “Cousin Penelope is right, Mama. It was a marvelous evening. Thank you, Mama. Thank you so much.”
Mama’s expression remained softened for a moment, but then it grew stern again. “It will all be to no avail if you insist on behaving so poorly.” She frowned. “The next time the duke comes to call, you must make it up to him.” She turned to Licia. “And you . . . you must refuse to see him.”
Licia felt as though the whole room had suddenly been tilted sideways. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. “Mama, the duke is Penelope’s friend. I cannot be rude to him. It’s true, the wager was wrong. But it was meant as a jest. I cannot refuse to see him, unless Aunt Hortense means to bar him from the house.”
Mama stamped her foot. “She can’t do that, you ridiculous girl. Dezzie has to be able to see him.”
“Then so must I. To do otherwise would be very rude.”
Mama stamped her foot again, so hard that the delicate Sevres porcelain on the mantelpiece quivered. “You are making me extremely angry.”
“Really, Aunt Dorothea,” Penelope intervened.
“I’ll wager that by tomorrow—”
“That’s it!”
He almost missed a step. “That’s what?”
“Can you say it was a wager? That you dared him to do it?”
He considered this for a moment. “It just might work.” His smile warmed her. “I congratulate you , Miss Dudley. You have a felicitous turn of mind.”
She shrugged. “Devious is perhaps a better word. But when one is Mama’s child, one learns to be inventive.”
He nodded. “I can well believe that.”
The dance was soon finished, and he led her back to the sidelines. “Now,” he said, “you must laugh and smile.”
She tried but it was not easy, since what she most wished to do was run away and hide. First the Celestial Bed and now this. Would the embarrassments never stop?
His eyes gleamed. “A little more glee, please. We have indulged ourselves in a caper and must look like we’re enjoying it. I’m going to find that pea-brained nephew of mine. You seek out Dezzie immediately and tell her what has transpired. Do you think she can carry it off?”
“I don’t know. But I’m sure she’ll try.”
She found Dezzie almost immediately and drew her aside. It took only a few moments to tell her what had been decided on and to instruct her about what to do.
“Yes, of course,” she said. “I shall do it for my Lockwood. I shall not waver.”
Licia sighed. Dezzie was still a scatterbrain. But she was obviously in love. Now they had only to stand up under attack.
Chapter Six
The attack did not come until the next morning. Licia had lain awake long into the night, her mind busy with the events of the evening, reliving time after time the pleasure of those dances with the duke.
And Dezzie had tossed and turned, filling the night with endless, unanswerable questions.
But now, with breakfast behind them, they faced Mama and Aunt Hortense in the library. “Wager or not, that was a stupid thing to do,” Aunt Hortense said. “The Countess Lieven and all the others . . . they will be simply scandalized by this.”
“And why,” interjected Mama, “did you have to break the rules with that boy?”
She fixed an accusing eye on Licia. “And you! What were you doing spending so much time with the duke? You know Dezzie means to marry him.”
“Mama, I don’t!”
Mama shifted her gaze to Dezzie again. “Quiet! I’m the one to say whom you’ll marry.”
Dezzie subsided with a sniffle. If only she didn’t lose her resolve, Licia thought.
Then help came from another direction. Penelope said, “Perhaps Dezzie lost count. Aunt Dorothea. When one has danced every dance, all night long, how can one be expected to remember?”
Mama’s face brightened at this reminder of Dezzie’s triumph. But Dezzie almost spoiled it by crying, “Oh, I re—”
She stopped, warned by Penelope’s sudden cough. “Cousin Penelope is right, Mama. It was a marvelous evening. Thank you, Mama. Thank you so much.”
Mama’s expression remained softened for a moment, but then it grew stern again. “It will all be to no avail if you insist on behaving so poorly.” She frowned. “The next time the duke comes to call, you must make it up to him.” She turned to Licia. “And you . . . you must refuse to see him.”
Licia felt as though the whole room had suddenly been tilted sideways. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. “Mama, the duke is Penelope’s friend. I cannot be rude to him. It’s true, the wager was wrong. But it was meant as a jest. I cannot refuse to see him, unless Aunt Hortense means to bar him from the house.”
Mama stamped her foot. “She can’t do that, you ridiculous girl. Dezzie has to be able to see him.”
“Then so must I. To do otherwise would be very rude.”
Mama stamped her foot again, so hard that the delicate Sevres porcelain on the mantelpiece quivered. “You are making me extremely angry.”
“Really, Aunt Dorothea,” Penelope intervened.