but Victoria almost felt sorry for Jacob Carstairs. He was not taking
the information that his little scheme of ruining her future had failed at all well. Victoria, herself a habitual
schemer, had learned to take her own foiled plots in stride. “But I don’t need their permission to marry. I
am of age, and can do as I like. They don’t approve, but they can’t stop me.”
“Then you are still engaged to him?” Jacob demanded. “And intend to remain so?”
“Indeed,” Victoria said. “Why shouldn’t I?”
“Because Hugo Rothschild,” Jacob Carstairs blurted, “is a rogue!”
Slander! Victoria had never heard such a blatant lie in her life. And she doubted that Almack’s had ever
played host to such libel, as well, at least if the way everyone was staring at them as they stood
nose-to-nose—well, Victoria’s nose to the captain’s chest, to be perfectly truthful—in the center of the
room was any indication.
“A rogue!” Victoria echoed scathingly. “I like that! If that’s true, what, pray, do you call yourself,
Captain?”
“A concerned friend,” Jacob replied from between gritted teeth.
“Ha!” Victoria laughed in his face. “And what kind of friend, Captain Carstairs, goes about trying to
destroy another person’s one chance at happiness?”
“If Hugo Rothschild is your one chance at happiness,” Jacob said in a snarl, “then I’m a hurdygurdy
man!”
Victoria narrowed her eyes at him. “In that case, your monkey seems to be missing,” she informed him.
“This,” Jacob Carstairs said, suddenly turning away from her and striding from the dance floor, “is
intolerable. Where is your uncle?”
Victoria, aware of all the stares they were attracting, hurried after the captain, having to run a little in
order to keep up with his long, manly strides.
“What do you want my uncle for?” she asked curiously. “I already told you, he can’t stop me from
marrying whom I like.”
“Ha,” Jacob Carstairs said with a certain amount of scorn. “We’ll see about that.”
Very interested in this turn of events, Victoria trailed after him, not noticing that Rebecca was tagging
along as well until she heard her call her name.
“Vicky!”
Victoria turned her head and saw Rebecca tripping along beside her.
“Oh,” Victoria said. “Hello.”
“What is happening?” Rebecca wanted to know. “What were you and the captain arguing about out on
the dance floor? Everyone was looking! I was so embarrassed for you.”
“Just Lord Malfrey,” Victoria informed her cousin with a shrug.
“Lord Malfrey?” Rebecca, resplendent in another gown she’d borrowed from Victoria, looked more
beautiful than ever, in spite of the wilting heat of the crowded room. “Oh, dear. Captain Carstairs dislikes
him so.”
“I know it,” Victoria said. “He is going to have words with your father. He thinks there is something
Uncle Walter can do to prevent my marrying Hugo.”
Rebecca reached out to grip Victoria’s arm, keeping her from flying after the agitated young ship
captain.
“He what?” Rebecca demanded rather loudly.
“He thinks he can stop me from marrying Lord Malfrey,” Victoria explained. Heavens, but her cousin
was slow to understand the simplest things sometimes. “Come along, Becky. If we don’t hurry, we’ll
miss all the fun!”
“Fun!” Rebecca looked as stunned as if Victoria had pinched her. “Is that what you think it is? Fun? ”
Victoria, eager as she was not to miss a moment of what promised to be an amusing spectacle—Captain
Carstairs rebuking her uncle, that is—could not help but notice a spark of anger in her cousin’s blue eyes.
“Why, Becky,” she said, wondering what on earth could have upset her cousin now. For Rebecca,
Victoria had discovered during her weeklong sojourn with the Gardiners, had a volatile temper, and was
somewhat prone to dramatics. “Whatever is the matter?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Rebecca
the information that his little scheme of ruining her future had failed at all well. Victoria, herself a habitual
schemer, had learned to take her own foiled plots in stride. “But I don’t need their permission to marry. I
am of age, and can do as I like. They don’t approve, but they can’t stop me.”
“Then you are still engaged to him?” Jacob demanded. “And intend to remain so?”
“Indeed,” Victoria said. “Why shouldn’t I?”
“Because Hugo Rothschild,” Jacob Carstairs blurted, “is a rogue!”
Slander! Victoria had never heard such a blatant lie in her life. And she doubted that Almack’s had ever
played host to such libel, as well, at least if the way everyone was staring at them as they stood
nose-to-nose—well, Victoria’s nose to the captain’s chest, to be perfectly truthful—in the center of the
room was any indication.
“A rogue!” Victoria echoed scathingly. “I like that! If that’s true, what, pray, do you call yourself,
Captain?”
“A concerned friend,” Jacob replied from between gritted teeth.
“Ha!” Victoria laughed in his face. “And what kind of friend, Captain Carstairs, goes about trying to
destroy another person’s one chance at happiness?”
“If Hugo Rothschild is your one chance at happiness,” Jacob said in a snarl, “then I’m a hurdygurdy
man!”
Victoria narrowed her eyes at him. “In that case, your monkey seems to be missing,” she informed him.
“This,” Jacob Carstairs said, suddenly turning away from her and striding from the dance floor, “is
intolerable. Where is your uncle?”
Victoria, aware of all the stares they were attracting, hurried after the captain, having to run a little in
order to keep up with his long, manly strides.
“What do you want my uncle for?” she asked curiously. “I already told you, he can’t stop me from
marrying whom I like.”
“Ha,” Jacob Carstairs said with a certain amount of scorn. “We’ll see about that.”
Very interested in this turn of events, Victoria trailed after him, not noticing that Rebecca was tagging
along as well until she heard her call her name.
“Vicky!”
Victoria turned her head and saw Rebecca tripping along beside her.
“Oh,” Victoria said. “Hello.”
“What is happening?” Rebecca wanted to know. “What were you and the captain arguing about out on
the dance floor? Everyone was looking! I was so embarrassed for you.”
“Just Lord Malfrey,” Victoria informed her cousin with a shrug.
“Lord Malfrey?” Rebecca, resplendent in another gown she’d borrowed from Victoria, looked more
beautiful than ever, in spite of the wilting heat of the crowded room. “Oh, dear. Captain Carstairs dislikes
him so.”
“I know it,” Victoria said. “He is going to have words with your father. He thinks there is something
Uncle Walter can do to prevent my marrying Hugo.”
Rebecca reached out to grip Victoria’s arm, keeping her from flying after the agitated young ship
captain.
“He what?” Rebecca demanded rather loudly.
“He thinks he can stop me from marrying Lord Malfrey,” Victoria explained. Heavens, but her cousin
was slow to understand the simplest things sometimes. “Come along, Becky. If we don’t hurry, we’ll
miss all the fun!”
“Fun!” Rebecca looked as stunned as if Victoria had pinched her. “Is that what you think it is? Fun? ”
Victoria, eager as she was not to miss a moment of what promised to be an amusing spectacle—Captain
Carstairs rebuking her uncle, that is—could not help but notice a spark of anger in her cousin’s blue eyes.
“Why, Becky,” she said, wondering what on earth could have upset her cousin now. For Rebecca,
Victoria had discovered during her weeklong sojourn with the Gardiners, had a volatile temper, and was
somewhat prone to dramatics. “Whatever is the matter?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Rebecca
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