snapped.
Victoria could only ascertain, from the high color in the other girl’s face, that she was in some sort of
physical discomfort. Accordingly, Victoria asked solicitously, “Are your stays too tight? I warned
Mariah—”
“No!” Rebecca grew even more red-faced at the mention of her corset. “Good heavens, Vicky, are you
completely dense? Can’t you see what’s happening?”
Victoria blinked. “I guess not,” she said. “I suppose you’d better tell me.”
Rebecca stamped a slippered foot. “Oh, you are the most infuriating girl! Can’t you see? He’s in love
with you!”
Victoria blinked some more. “Who is?”
“Captain Carstairs!”
CHAPTER FIVE
Victoria let out a merry laugh.
“Oh, Becky,” she cried. “You are droll. Stop joking now, and let’s go watch the captain and your
father. It’s sure to be diverting.”
“I’m not joking,” Rebecca said, tightening her fingers on Victoria’s arm so that her grip actually began to
hurt. “Captain Carstairs is in love with you!”
“Becky.” Victoria, seeing now that her cousin was perfectly serious, tried her best not to smile. It
wouldn’t do, she knew, to laugh too hard at Rebecca, who was a serious sort of girl. Still, it was
amusing. The idea of Captain Carstairs, who could never seem to look at Victoria without seeing—and
then commenting upon—a fault, being in love with her! La, what a joke!
What wasn’t a joke, however, was how Becky seemed to feel. The older girl was angry—really
angry—and Victoria supposed she couldn’t blame her. The captain’s behavior was infuriating…
especially because it was so peculiar. Jacob Carstairs didn’t care for her a jot.
But Victoria supposed she could see how Becky might misinterpret his motivation. Which only made her
more convinced than ever that she needed to find a gentleman more deserving of her cousin’s ardor than
the horrid Jacob Carstairs.
“Captain Carstairs is hardly in love with me,” Victoria explained patiently. “If anything he despises me,
and has made his contempt perfectly well known.”
“If he isn’t in love with you, why does he care so much about whether or not you marry?” Rebecca
wanted to know.
“Captain Carstairs doesn’t care whether or not I marry,” Victoria replied as calmly as she could. Really,
but romantic, imaginative girls like Rebecca were such a lot of work. Victoria was quite glad she had no
imagination to speak of, and could turn her mind to practical things, like financial planning and household
management. “He just doesn’t want me to marry Lord Malfrey.”
“Because he’s jealous!”
“Because Captain Carstairs has some sort of absurd prejudice against Lord Malfrey,” Victoria said. “I
don’t know why. It has something to do with poor Lord Malfrey not having any money. He went so far
as to call him a rogue.”
Rebecca looked suitably shocked. “He didn’t!”
“He did. Which, if that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black, I don’t know what is.”
“Oh, Vicky,” Rebecca said, her blue eyes wide as forget-me-nots. “Captain Carstairs is as far from
being a rogue as… well, as Papa is!”
“Suit yourself,” Victoria said, unwilling to raise her cousin’s ire any more than it already was by
strenuously disagreeing, as she would have liked to. Really, but she would have to find a nice young man,
and soon, for Becky to fall in love with, or she would never hear the end of Captain Carstairs. “Honestly,
Becky, you really needn’t bother your head about Captain Carstairs and me. We are quite thorough
enemies. Why, I believe he hates me every bit as much as I hate him.”
This mollified Rebecca only slightly.
“It does seem as if he hates you,” she admitted grudgingly, “the way he is always criticizing you. Like last
week at dinner, when he laughed at your idea that women should be allowed to run military operations
from Whitehall.”
“There,” Victoria said,
Victoria could only ascertain, from the high color in the other girl’s face, that she was in some sort of
physical discomfort. Accordingly, Victoria asked solicitously, “Are your stays too tight? I warned
Mariah—”
“No!” Rebecca grew even more red-faced at the mention of her corset. “Good heavens, Vicky, are you
completely dense? Can’t you see what’s happening?”
Victoria blinked. “I guess not,” she said. “I suppose you’d better tell me.”
Rebecca stamped a slippered foot. “Oh, you are the most infuriating girl! Can’t you see? He’s in love
with you!”
Victoria blinked some more. “Who is?”
“Captain Carstairs!”
CHAPTER FIVE
Victoria let out a merry laugh.
“Oh, Becky,” she cried. “You are droll. Stop joking now, and let’s go watch the captain and your
father. It’s sure to be diverting.”
“I’m not joking,” Rebecca said, tightening her fingers on Victoria’s arm so that her grip actually began to
hurt. “Captain Carstairs is in love with you!”
“Becky.” Victoria, seeing now that her cousin was perfectly serious, tried her best not to smile. It
wouldn’t do, she knew, to laugh too hard at Rebecca, who was a serious sort of girl. Still, it was
amusing. The idea of Captain Carstairs, who could never seem to look at Victoria without seeing—and
then commenting upon—a fault, being in love with her! La, what a joke!
What wasn’t a joke, however, was how Becky seemed to feel. The older girl was angry—really
angry—and Victoria supposed she couldn’t blame her. The captain’s behavior was infuriating…
especially because it was so peculiar. Jacob Carstairs didn’t care for her a jot.
But Victoria supposed she could see how Becky might misinterpret his motivation. Which only made her
more convinced than ever that she needed to find a gentleman more deserving of her cousin’s ardor than
the horrid Jacob Carstairs.
“Captain Carstairs is hardly in love with me,” Victoria explained patiently. “If anything he despises me,
and has made his contempt perfectly well known.”
“If he isn’t in love with you, why does he care so much about whether or not you marry?” Rebecca
wanted to know.
“Captain Carstairs doesn’t care whether or not I marry,” Victoria replied as calmly as she could. Really,
but romantic, imaginative girls like Rebecca were such a lot of work. Victoria was quite glad she had no
imagination to speak of, and could turn her mind to practical things, like financial planning and household
management. “He just doesn’t want me to marry Lord Malfrey.”
“Because he’s jealous!”
“Because Captain Carstairs has some sort of absurd prejudice against Lord Malfrey,” Victoria said. “I
don’t know why. It has something to do with poor Lord Malfrey not having any money. He went so far
as to call him a rogue.”
Rebecca looked suitably shocked. “He didn’t!”
“He did. Which, if that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black, I don’t know what is.”
“Oh, Vicky,” Rebecca said, her blue eyes wide as forget-me-nots. “Captain Carstairs is as far from
being a rogue as… well, as Papa is!”
“Suit yourself,” Victoria said, unwilling to raise her cousin’s ire any more than it already was by
strenuously disagreeing, as she would have liked to. Really, but she would have to find a nice young man,
and soon, for Becky to fall in love with, or she would never hear the end of Captain Carstairs. “Honestly,
Becky, you really needn’t bother your head about Captain Carstairs and me. We are quite thorough
enemies. Why, I believe he hates me every bit as much as I hate him.”
This mollified Rebecca only slightly.
“It does seem as if he hates you,” she admitted grudgingly, “the way he is always criticizing you. Like last
week at dinner, when he laughed at your idea that women should be allowed to run military operations
from Whitehall.”
“There,” Victoria said,
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