The Accidental Countess (Accidental #2)(10)

Cass buried her face in her hands. Why was it becoming increasingly difficult to come up with reasons to say no? “My parents still haven’t forgiven you, Lucy,” she offered lamely.

Lucy shrugged. “They may not have forgiven me, but they very much appreciate that I am a duchess and can introduce you to eligible gentlemen.”

Lucy had her there. Cass’s parents were still distraught because Cass had allowed a duke to slip from her grasp, but they were mollified a bit knowing the new duchess was Cass’s closest friend. They hoped the alliance would help to secure a fine match. But still, Cass mustn’t allow Lucy to confuse the issue. “Fine. But what about the fact that you just told Julian that Penelope would be at the house party? Do you expect Penelope to arrive at a party if she knows Julian will be there, and play along with this farce? She made it up to get away from him.”

“Of course I don’t expect Penelope to attend.” Lucy rolled her eyes. “That would ruin everything.”

Cass splayed a hand in the air. “Then why did you tell Julian she would be there?”

Now Lucy was giving her an I’m-speaking-to-an-imbecile look. “So he would come, of course.”

Cass shook her head. “This makes no sense.”

“It makes perfect sense. We’ll tell him Pen was waylaid along the road or had to turn around because she forgot something. Who knows? I’ll think of something.”

“That’s your plan? Are you jesting?”

“Yes, it’s my plan. And no, I’m not jesting. Honestly, Cass, you act as if we’ve never done anything like this before.”

Cass groaned. Oh, she remembered only too well. “If you’re speaking about your little stint behind the hedgerow last summer, might I remind you that that didn’t work?”

Of course Lucy was speaking about the hedgerow incident. When the Duke of Claringdon had returned from battle last June, he’d taken an immediate interest in Cass. Alarmed, Cass had asked her blunt friend Lucy to be her voice and discourage the duke. That had ended with Lucy hiding behind a hedgerow in a garden and feeding Cass lines to say in an effort to discourage him. Later, Lucy had hidden atop a balcony pretending to be Cass, and, well, there had been a great deal more egregious behavior before it had all ended in the obvious conclusion that Lucy was perfect for the duke herself.

However, as usual, Lucy remained undaunted. “Yes, but it all worked out in the end, dear, and that is what’s important. Be bold!”

There they were, Lucy’s two favorite words. Cass had known her friend would say them before long. Lucy used be bold as her reasoning for doing everything she shouldn’t do. In fact, the tenet had got them both into a great deal of trouble. Cass sighed. Yes, boldness spelled mischief. Though Cass couldn’t deny that her friend was now happily married and madly in love with her duke of a husband as a result of being quite bold, indeed.

Cass placed her hands back on her hips. “What precisely do you think will come of this little scheme, Lucy? What do you hope to be the result after it’s all over?”

Lucy grinned. “Now who’s being ridiculous, Cass? Why, I expect that Julian will fall madly in love with you, of course.”

Cass closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Even if that were true, are you forgetting that he’d be falling in love with Patience, not me?”

Lucy nodded. “Yes, Patience whom he is already very much infatuated with.”

Cass gave her a look that indicated she was quite certain the duchess had lost her mind. “What are you talking about? He was in my company for only a few minutes.”

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her fingers along her elbows. “There is one thing you’ve failed to realize, my friend. I saw the way Captain Swift looked at you when he walked in the room, the way his face fell when he realized you weren’t Pen. That’s when I made my decision. I had to wait to ensure he didn’t recognize you first, though, of course. I’m telling you, Cass, he’s half in love with you already.”

Cass bit her lip, gazing at the pattern of the carpet. “It would be nice to visit with him, dance with him, and pretend. For just a day or two.”

Lucy’s smile grew even wider. “That is the spirit.”

“But what if—?”

“Oh, Cass. Don’t worry so much. You’ve always been a worrier.”

Cass wrinkled her nose. “That’s quite funny, actually, because I don’t think you worry enough.”

“Nonsense. Besides, you worry enough for both of us. We’ll have this party and you’ll pretend to be Patience. It will all work out in the end. You’ll see. Be bold!”

Cass groaned.





CHAPTER FOUR


Fifteen minutes later, Julian was ushered into Derek Hunt’s town house. His encounter with the two ladies at Penelope’s parents’ house was still replaying itself in his mind. Lady Worthing? He’d never met her before, but she seemed a lovely young woman. She was pretty, high-spirited, and had the most unusual eyes he’d ever seen; one was blue, the other green. But the other young lady, Patience Bunbury, why, she’d nearly taken his breath away. He’d never been so instantly physically attracted to a woman before.

It was as if lightning had struck him in the head the moment he saw her. He’d never quite been at a loss for words before, either, but he’d been unable to coherently form a sentence. He’d been immediately enchanted by her dark honey-colored hair, her bright blue eyes, her high cheekbones, and long dark lashes. Nothing in all his experience had prepared him for the reaction he’d had to her. He’d obviously been away at war and without the company of a woman for far too long. And like a complete idiot, for a moment, a horrible, confused moment, he’d actually wondered if she was Penelope.