The Unlikely Lady (Playful Brides #3)(12)

It was too bad, really. Miss Lowndes might be attractive—pretty even—if she wasn’t such a know-it-all with a razor for a tongue. She was of medium height and looked as if she might be very well formed indeed from what he could tell. Which wasn’t much because she’d never deigned to wear a ladylike garment. Instead, she insisted on dressing herself in serious-looking blue wool morning and day dresses that left everything to the imagination. What was it about bluestockings and their complete lack of femininity? Would it kill her to reveal a bit of skin once in a while?

Garrett shook his head. This was not a good thing to be thinking. Miss Lowndes had a round face, bright, intelligent brown eyes that sparkled with mirth—usually brought on by a joke at his expense—and were only to be seen behind a pair of silver-rimmed spectacles she never removed. She also had rich, dark brown hair that was always pulled into a severe knot on the top of her head. It was as if she thought a bit of her intellectual superiority would seep out if a hair was out of place.

He had the sudden urge to pull the pins from her topknot and watch her hair spill over her shoulders. Wouldn’t that make her run for her smelling salts? No. She was more likely to slap him across the face. He rubbed his cheek as if she’d done it.

Dragging his thoughts from the queen of the bluestockings, Garrett turned his attention to the other occupants of the room. Not all the guests who had been invited to the prewedding festivities had arrived yet, but there was a large crush. Cassandra, Lucy, Miss Lowndes, and Garrett had managed a few moments alone before going in to dinner with the other guests. Cassandra had insisted Garrett join them instead of having drinks in the study with the other gentlemen.

Cassandra blushed. “Thank you for saying I’ll be a beautiful bride, Garrett.”

“Only stating the truth, Cassandra,” he replied with another bow. He glanced up. Had Miss Lowndes rolled her eyes at his comment?

“It’s too bad Mrs. Bunbury is under the weather this evening,” Miss Lowndes said with a laugh.

Lucy clapped her hands. “Yes. Let’s discuss.” She entwined her arm through Miss Lowndes’s and made as if to take her off into the corner to have a private discussion.

Garrett gave Cassandra a questioning stare. She winced.

Garrett narrowed his eyes on his cousin and Miss Lowndes. This was his chance to get to the bottom of this ludicrous scheme. He held up a hand. “Just a moment. Did I hear you say ‘Bunbury’?”

The two stopped their journey across the room. “Yes, what of it, Upton?” Miss Lowndes gave him a look that could melt marble.

Garrett cleared his throat. “Isn’t Miss Bunbury the name Cassandra used last autumn when she was pretending to be a nonexistent person?”

Lucy’s eyes shifted back and forth. “Yes, it was.” She turned again.

Garrett blinked at Cassandra. She winced for the second time.

“Would this Mrs. Bunbury be any relation to Miss Bunbury, then?” he asked.

Miss Lowndes sighed heavily and pushed up her chin. “Of course they aren’t related, Upton. Neither one of them exists.” She gave him a look that clearly indicated she thought him an imbecile.

Garrett turned to Cassandra, the only one of the three who could be counted on to explain this nonsense adequately. He arched a brow in her direction.

“Mrs. Bunbury is Jane’s chaperone,” Cassandra said simply, as if that explained it.

“That’s right,” Lucy offered.

“But she doesn’t exist?” Garrett clarified.

“Of course not,” Miss Lowndes replied. “What is the use of a nonexistent chaperone if she existed?”

Garrett put one hand on his hip. “I’m going to regret asking this, but why do you want a nonexistent chaperone?”

Miss Lowndes pushed up her spectacles and gave him a tight smile. “The better question is, of course, why would I want an existent chaperone?”

Lucy seemed completely at ease with that answer and the two ladies continued to chat until Garrett cleared his throat again. “Why do I have the feeling that one of Lucy’s schemes is at work here?”

Cassandra folded her hands and searched the room as if desperately looking for something to do other than meet his eyes.

“Don’t worry about it, Upton,” came Miss Lowndes’s tight reply.

“On the contrary, I cannot help but worry about it if Lucy is doing something she ought not to.”

Lucy turned to face him this time. “Garrett, you may relinquish your role as the sensible one for the remainder of the house party. As my husband, Derek is only too willing to see to it that I don’t get up to too much trouble. He knows all about Mrs. Bunbury.”

Garrett clasped his hands behind his back and allowed the hint of a smile to pop to his lips. “Yes. I know. He told me.”

Lucy’s eyes went wide. “You already knew?”

“A bit,” Garrett replied. “But with all due respect to the duke, I don’t think Claringdon is fully aware of the extent of trouble you can get up to, dear cousin.”

“Isn’t he?” Lucy batted her eyelashes.

“Be that as it may,” Miss Lowndes interjected, “it’s none of your concern, Upton.”

Garrett turned back to Cassandra. There was little hope of getting Lucy or Miss Lowndes to crack, but Cassandra, Cassandra would only take a bit of prodding. “Cassandra?” He drew out her name.