Lady Be Reckless (Duke's Daughters #2)(34)

Perhaps he would consider all that when he wasn’t reeling from the impact of that kiss.





Chapter 11




Be reckless.

Lady Olivia’s Particular Guide to Decorum



“Olivia, let me come in.” Pearl accompanied her words with a few sharp taps at the door.

Olivia twisted up her face as she thought about having to tell Pearl. Because she knew that she would, even though she had tried to pretend she wouldn’t, dashing up to her room by herself after dinner was finished. Of course Pearl would know something was wrong, because Olivia never let an opportunity to sigh over Bennett—Lord Carson, that is—go.

Until now. Until she had kissed him. Not the him who was Lord Carson, no. The him who was Mr. Wolcott, bastard son of the most merchantiest person she had ever met.

It would be something out of one of the novels she read in secret if it wasn’t her real life. What had she been thinking?

She hadn’t been thinking, that was the problem.

“Olivia!”

Pearl’s tone was sharper now, as though her twin were worried about her. And well she should be, but not for the reason Pearl might think—she should worry because Olivia hadn’t spent a single second thinking about the gentleman she loved. Who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with doing good things and righting wrongs and having well-bred children.

No, she was spending all of her time thinking about the other one. The Other One. The one who was playing havoc with her mind and her capitalization.

She got herself up off the bed and walked to the door, turning the key in the lock and opening up just enough to allow Pearl to slip inside.

“What are you doing in here, hiding like that?” Pearl looked worried. As she should.

Thinking about kissing the Other One. The One who is not Lord Carson.

“Uh, I was tired?” Olivia winced at how weakly she replied.

Pearl rolled her eyes. Good. At least one of the twins was behaving as usual.

“You are never tired. You are indefatigable, except when it comes to shift making. Speaking of which, I finished the last one, we can take them around to the society tomorrow.” Pearl waved her hand in dismissal. “But that is not what is important at the moment.” She planted her hands on her hips and squinted balefully at Olivia. “What happened when you ran out into the hallway? Mr. Wolcott dashed after you, and then when you returned, you looked—well, you looked . . .”

“Like I’d been kissed?”

She might as well admit it.

Pearl’s eyes went wide, and she reached out and took Olivia’s arm, moving them both over to the bed. She pushed Olivia down onto it, then clambered up beside her.

“Mr. Wolcott kissed you? How dare he! I know Father has business dealings with his father, but we cannot keep this quiet. Unless—oh no, do you suppose you’ll have to marry him? Maybe you shouldn’t say anything about it. I promise to stay close to you anytime we might meet him in public. He won’t dare do something so terrible again.”

It wasn’t so terrible. And she should make certain Pearl knew the truth. “He didn’t kiss me.”

Pearl’s expression showed her confusion.

“I kissed him,” Olivia clarified. “On the mouth and everything.”

She still felt wobbly, even though it had been well over an hour ago. Her mouth was tender, and she would have sworn she could still feel the pressure of his hands at her waist. The way she’d swayed toward him, her breasts brushing his jacket.

Her fingers finally getting to dive into those riotous black curls.

“Oh,” Pearl said in a long, surprised exhale. “How was it? And what about Lord Carson?”

Olivia flopped back on the bed, spreading her arms wide. “I don’t know! I don’t know why I did it—it was just that Mother had said what she had, and he was there opposite looking at me with those dark eyes, and I ran out, and he followed, and he was concerned about me.”

And it hadn’t felt as though he’d pitied her. Or seen her as a nuisance or a bother or someone who was too loud, too opinionated, too—Olivia.

“I think this is a good thing.” Pearl spoke in her most decided tone. “I know you think you want to marry Lord Carson, but how will you know for certain unless you kiss other gentlemen as well?”

Not that she’d kissed Lord Carson in the first place.

Olivia lifted her head to look at Pearl, who was regarding her with that smug “I already told you this” look that made Olivia furious. Mostly because her twin was usually right. Not that Olivia ever admitted that, beyond the confines of her own head.

“So you’re suggesting I just go about kissing random gentlemen to ensure that Lord Carson is the one I should marry?” Put that way, it did sound rather enjoyable, but the first—and only—image that came to her mind was of her kissing the Other. Again. And again.

Pearl snorted and rolled her eyes. Quite a gift, to be able to do both simultaneously. “That is not what I am saying, for goodness’ sake, Olivia. Just listen to yourself. Kissing random gentlemen.” And then she snorted again, likely for some final auditory punctuation on the topic.

“Well, what is your suggestion?”

Pearl tapped Olivia on the leg. “I think you should get to know Mr. Wolcott, since it is apparent that you find him interesting.”