seen—" Once again Cece's elbow jabbed into her ribs.
"We've seen the palace from the street." Cece said quickly, "but we've not yet had the chance to venture inside. And Emily, especially, loves art."
Emily cast a swift glare at her sister and forced a smile to her lips. "I love art."
"It's decided then," Jared nodded sharply, turned and hailed a cab.
Cece tossed Emily a look of apology. Emily sighed to herself and tried to discover a ray of hope in the long afternoon that stretched before her.
Jared helped them both into the cab and Emily settled beside Cece. She glanced at her sister. She did not relish the idea of tagging along after Cece and Jared, although she suspected a chaperon would be an excellent idea.
A chaperon.
Abruptly, her mood brightened. The hours ahead no longer seemed quite so bleak. In fact, they could well be quite amusing. She beamed a smile at her sister. Cece's brows drew together in a curious frown. Emily chuckled to herself.
After all of Cece's convoluted plans and schemes, it was so wonderfully ironic to realize she was more than likely in love. And in this man Cece might finally have met her match.
"Darling, are you certain it's all right to leave you alone?" Worry colored Phoebe's voice.
"It's fine, Mother." Cece called weakly from beneath the bedclothes. "I just have a headache. I didn't want to go to the opera anyway. No doubt I'll be asleep in a few moments."
"Still..." Phoebe said, "I hate to go without you."
"Go, Mother, really." Cece struggled to keep the impatience from her voice. "I prefer to be alone. I'm sure I'll be fine after a good night's rest."
"If you're certain ..." Phoebe did not sound at all convinced.
"I'm sure, Mother." Would she never leave? "Now, please. I must get some sleep."
"Very well." Phoebe placed a motherly lass on her daughter's forehead. Cece closed her eyes in a feeble gesture of suffering.
"Emily, hurry and collect the rest of your things or we shall surely be late. Your father and I will meet you in the lobby. Cece, I shall check on you when we return."
"Mother, please don't worry." Cece said quickly. "I'll be fine in the morning."
An indecisive pause followed her words. Finally her mother sighed in surrender. "All right then: good night, darling."
"Good night, Mother." Cece resisted the urge to grit the words through her teeth. Phoebe's heels clicked across the floor. The door to the parlor that separated Cece and Emily's hotel room from their parents swished open and closed. Silence fell in the bedchamber for one ... two ... three seconds.
"Is she gone?" Cece said cautiously.
"She's gone," Emily said. "But the real question is, what are you up to?" Cece threw back the linens and bounded out of bed. Emily's eyes narrowed warily. "I suspected as much. Where are you going?"
"Out." Cece pulled a dress from the wardrobe.
"Help me get into this, please."
Emily shook her head stubbornly. "Not until you tell me what you're planning."
Cece threw her an impatient glare. "It's really none of your concern."
"Oh?" Emily's voice was deceptively casual. "Then I suppose you won't mind if I tell Mother and Father you're going out?"
"Don't be ridiculous." Cece snapped. "Of course you can't tell."
"If you expect me to keep yet another of your endless secrets." Emily smiled sweetly, "then you'll have to take me into your confidence. Otherwise ..." The threat hovered in the room.
"I thought you were tired of keeping my secrets."
"I am. But since you are bound and determined to act the way you do. I feel someone in this family ought to know exactly what mischief you're getting into." Emily released a forebearing sigh. "And I suppose it might as well be me."
"What a wonderful sister you are," Cece grinned and stepped into a modest gown, far more suitable for daytime than evening wear. "Help me with these buttons."
Cece turned her back to her sister and Emily worked on the long row of tiny mother-of-pearl studs. "You still haven't told me where
"We've seen the palace from the street." Cece said quickly, "but we've not yet had the chance to venture inside. And Emily, especially, loves art."
Emily cast a swift glare at her sister and forced a smile to her lips. "I love art."
"It's decided then," Jared nodded sharply, turned and hailed a cab.
Cece tossed Emily a look of apology. Emily sighed to herself and tried to discover a ray of hope in the long afternoon that stretched before her.
Jared helped them both into the cab and Emily settled beside Cece. She glanced at her sister. She did not relish the idea of tagging along after Cece and Jared, although she suspected a chaperon would be an excellent idea.
A chaperon.
Abruptly, her mood brightened. The hours ahead no longer seemed quite so bleak. In fact, they could well be quite amusing. She beamed a smile at her sister. Cece's brows drew together in a curious frown. Emily chuckled to herself.
After all of Cece's convoluted plans and schemes, it was so wonderfully ironic to realize she was more than likely in love. And in this man Cece might finally have met her match.
"Darling, are you certain it's all right to leave you alone?" Worry colored Phoebe's voice.
"It's fine, Mother." Cece called weakly from beneath the bedclothes. "I just have a headache. I didn't want to go to the opera anyway. No doubt I'll be asleep in a few moments."
"Still..." Phoebe said, "I hate to go without you."
"Go, Mother, really." Cece struggled to keep the impatience from her voice. "I prefer to be alone. I'm sure I'll be fine after a good night's rest."
"If you're certain ..." Phoebe did not sound at all convinced.
"I'm sure, Mother." Would she never leave? "Now, please. I must get some sleep."
"Very well." Phoebe placed a motherly lass on her daughter's forehead. Cece closed her eyes in a feeble gesture of suffering.
"Emily, hurry and collect the rest of your things or we shall surely be late. Your father and I will meet you in the lobby. Cece, I shall check on you when we return."
"Mother, please don't worry." Cece said quickly. "I'll be fine in the morning."
An indecisive pause followed her words. Finally her mother sighed in surrender. "All right then: good night, darling."
"Good night, Mother." Cece resisted the urge to grit the words through her teeth. Phoebe's heels clicked across the floor. The door to the parlor that separated Cece and Emily's hotel room from their parents swished open and closed. Silence fell in the bedchamber for one ... two ... three seconds.
"Is she gone?" Cece said cautiously.
"She's gone," Emily said. "But the real question is, what are you up to?" Cece threw back the linens and bounded out of bed. Emily's eyes narrowed warily. "I suspected as much. Where are you going?"
"Out." Cece pulled a dress from the wardrobe.
"Help me get into this, please."
Emily shook her head stubbornly. "Not until you tell me what you're planning."
Cece threw her an impatient glare. "It's really none of your concern."
"Oh?" Emily's voice was deceptively casual. "Then I suppose you won't mind if I tell Mother and Father you're going out?"
"Don't be ridiculous." Cece snapped. "Of course you can't tell."
"If you expect me to keep yet another of your endless secrets." Emily smiled sweetly, "then you'll have to take me into your confidence. Otherwise ..." The threat hovered in the room.
"I thought you were tired of keeping my secrets."
"I am. But since you are bound and determined to act the way you do. I feel someone in this family ought to know exactly what mischief you're getting into." Emily released a forebearing sigh. "And I suppose it might as well be me."
"What a wonderful sister you are," Cece grinned and stepped into a modest gown, far more suitable for daytime than evening wear. "Help me with these buttons."
Cece turned her back to her sister and Emily worked on the long row of tiny mother-of-pearl studs. "You still haven't told me where
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