The Irresistible Rogue (Playful Brides #4)(4)
Daphne twisted her finger and pointedly ignored the eyebrow waggling. “I suppose I must.”
“I suggest you take your time making your way down to the green drawing room,” Delilah said.
“Why?” Daphne furrowed her brow.
“You should keep a man waiting. They positively j’adore it. Though they’d never admit it.”
“Delilah Montbank! Who told you that nonsense?”
Delilah fluttered a small hand in the air with practiced nonchalance. “Oh, Cousin Daphne, everyone knows you should keep a man waiting.”
“Everyone, you say?” Daphne eyed the girl warily. Just how much did her scamp of a cousin know about Daphne’s love life?
Delilah cleared her throat. “Next, you should peer into the looking glass and ensure you have color in your cheeks.”
Daphne narrowed her eyes on her cousin. “I don’t even want to know how you know about such things.”
“Do it,” Delilah ordered, pointing toward the looking glass.
Daphne reluctantly turned toward the glass and did as she was told. Her cheeks pinkened immediately.
“I’m told a stiff bit of liquor helps if you can’t manage enough pink with the pinching. But it looks as if you’ve succeeded.” Delilah clapped her hands.
“Good heavens, Delilah. How do you know anything about drinking?”
Delilah shrugged. “I heard the vicar talking about it.”
“Why, the very idea…”
“It’s quite all right,” Delilah said with a sigh. “Just the pinching will do.”
Daphne took a deep breath and looked in the mirror, studying her reflection. “Captain Cavendish told me I was beautiful once.”
Delilah’s smile widened. Daphne could see the girl’s face behind her in the mirror. “What I wouldn’t give for someone as handsome as Captain Cavendish to tell me I am beautiful.”
“You are lovely, Delilah. You’ll have a string of suitors after you when you come of age. I have never thought of myself that way, though. I suppose I am passably pretty.”
“You are, Cousin Daphne, so pretty. Why, quite one of the prettiest young ladies in town, I should say.”
Daphne frowned at her reflection. “No doubt that scoundrel Cavendish only said it as part of the other pack of lies he fed me.”
“He could feed me an entire plateful of lies, as long as he did it with that roguish smile of his on his face.” Delilah sighed. “What sort of lies did he tell you, Cousin Daphne?”
“Consider that more of the mystery, Delilah. And I needn’t tell you that Mother’s not to hear a word about any of this.”
“I may be young, but I can keep a secret. Besides, you’re not likely to tell me more if I go spouting off about what I already know, are you?”
“You make a good point.” Daphne continued to stare into the looking glass. “I wonder if Lord Fitzwell thinks I’m pretty. He’s never said so.”
Delilah wrinkled her nose. “Lord Fitzwell doesn’t say much that isn’t about Lord Fitzwell.”
“Oh, Delilah. Lord Fitzwell is perfectly respectable. He’s handsome, eligible, and titled.”
“And more interested in your family lineage than your beauty, Cousin Daphne. Not to mention a dead bore.”
Daphne turned to face the girl and waved a finger at her. “He is far from boring. And as for him being interested in my lineage, gentlemen like Lord Fitzwell take a wife to secure a better place in Society and gain riches through her dowry. I’m interested in his lineage, too, you know.”
Delilah’s nose remained wrinkled. “Sounds entirely unromantic. I could not j’adore a man who was only interested in my family’s ranking in DeBrett’s Peerage.”
Daphne shook her head. “Just wait until you’re my age.”
“I cannot wait. That’s what I’ve been telling you. It’s going to be a sheer lifetime before I’m old enough to go to balls and dance with handsome gentlemen. And I don’t care what you say about Lord Fitzwell. I much prefer Captain Cavendish.”
Daphne pressed her palm to her belly. She needed to get downstairs and confront Rafe. She’d been using this discussion with Delilah to calm her nerves and afford her time. But the reckoning would be upon her soon. “Captain Cavendish couldn’t be more unlike Lord Fitzwell if he tried. He’s not a bit interested in lineage or money or anything of the sort. He’s a mere captain in His Majesty’s army.”
And a spy. But she wasn’t about to admit that to Delilah. The girl already knew far too much.
No, Rafe hadn’t wanted her for lineage or money.
“He may have no title to speak of, but he couldn’t be more handsome,” Delilah replied.
Daphne gritted her teeth. She couldn’t argue with Delilah there, but she’d learned her lesson when it came to Rafe Cavendish. Daphne had married him last year. A grievous mistake and one that needed to be rectified posthaste. At the time, she’d been under the mistaken impression that he had some feeling for her. She’d thought their marriage could be more than a business arrangement set up for the Crown. Rafe had insisted on the marriage, hadn’t he? Fine. The mission may have been a part of his assignment for the War Office. But Rafe had been the one to insist that he would not allow her to accompany him unless they were man and wife. And Daphne had seen her chance. Not just her chance to marry the man she’d longed for for years, but also a chance to prove herself a benefit to the war cause. Both her brothers, Donald and Julian, had served. Julian had nearly died fighting Napoleon at Waterloo and Donald had given the ultimate sacrifice when he’d left for an assignment in France, accompanied by Rafe. Daphne wanted to prove that though she might be a female, she, too, could be of service to her country. Like all the Swifts before her.