Lady Cecilia Is Cordially Disinvited For Christmas

by Jeane, Sheridan

  “It would appear so,” Devin said, grinning. “He seems quite pleased with it.”

  Douglas held his wooden blade in a perfect fencing pose and leaned forward to skewer his sister’s new doll in the chest. His twin let out a shriek of anger and shoved Douglas away. She clutched her doll protectively to her chest as her brother toppled onto his bottom. He sprang immediately to his feet and brandished his weapon.

  “I think he’s delighted with the gift,” Devin said with a wry chuckle.

  “Hmm. Perhaps not what I would have chosen to give a child while visiting your mother. I foresee the confiscation of a sword in that boy’s future.”

  An instant later, Lady Vincent snatched the sword from Douglas’s hands and shoved it toward his father with a fairly loud, “Please keep custody of this until you return to your own home.”

  Devin chuckled. “I didn’t know you could foretell the future.”

  “All I did was read your mother’s thunderous expression.” She glanced at the small box he still held. “Aren’t you going to open it?”

  “Impatient?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Devin. Don’t be coy. Open it.”

  “As you wish.” He flipped open the lid on the small brown velvet jewelry box.

  She held her breath.

  He lifted his gaze to meet hers and grinned. “Is this Iustitia?”

  “The Roman goddess of justice. They’re cufflinks. I thought they suited you.”

  He extracted one from the box and peered more closely at the tiny robed woman. “It’s the perfect gift. Thank you.” He glanced down at the still unopened present in her hand. “Your turn.”

  Her hands trembled slightly as she lifted the lid of her gift. Inside she found a silver, oval-shaped pendant etched in filigree. “It’s lovely.”

  “Open it.”

  She took it from the box and fumbled with the catch. When the locket fell open, she discovered he’d already put two pen and ink drawings in it so they faced each other. She and Devin were there, staring into one another’s eyes. She gave a gasp and touched his image with the tip of her finger. “Devin. It’s perfect. How did you manage it?”

  “That young man drew them for me yesterday while you were trimming the tree,” he said, gesturing toward a man she’d barely noticed. Even now he sat with a sketchpad on his lap while he made quick sweeping strokes on it. “I’m quite pleased with how it turned out.”

  She closed it and tightened her fist around it, then sniffled.

  Devin’s eyebrows drew together as he leaned down to peer into her eyes. “Are you crying? Did I do something wrong?”

  She shook her head. “You did something very right. This is perfect. I’m happy to know I’ll have this to look at during these next months we are forced to spend apart.” She sighed. “Are you certain we should wait so long to get married?”

  “I am. I want to have the freedom to devote time and energy to my new wife, and I won’t be able to do that until the fall. I’m sorry I have to ask you to wait so long.”

  “I can manage— as long as you remember to write to me.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  Epilogue

  And they all lived happily ever after, until the night Cecilia’s father auctions off her mother’s jewelry collection and everything goes wrong!

  Do you want to learn more about Cecilia and Devin? Will they ever manage to get married?

  Read more in

  It Takes a Spy…

  It's a perfect London night... until everything goes wrong

  Cecilia is celebrating her engagement the night before her mother's jewels are to be auctioned off to fund both her and her sister's dowries... when disaster strikes and the jewels are stolen!

  Things go from bad to worse when her fiancé is framed for the crime!

  She knows Devin Montlake is innocent. It's up to her to find the real thief and clear his name.

  Adhering to society’s strict rules for propriety won’t solve this particular problem

  Devin has to rely on the inventiveness of the irrepressible Cecilia to catch the thief as the pair embark on a rollicking chase to recover Cecilia's dowry before time runs out.

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  Acknowledgments

  I’m not sure why, but it took me years to decide to write Lady Cecilia and Devin Montlake’s engagement story. The idea came to me in a flash one day, and I knew this was exactly the story I needed to write at that moment.

  Thank you to Xan Alexander for your help in plotting this book. You always help me find the plot holes.

  Thank you to Amanda Sumner for your excellent copyediting.

  Thank you to Wendy LeCapra for your superb beta reading skills. Your comments and suggestions helped me make it a much better story.

  Thank you to Heather Knight for your kind assistance in preparing my final books for distribution. You’re a godsend and an amazingly awesome roommate when we attend conferences together.

  Thank you to my good friends in the Sunshine Critique Group for your feedback regarding my book cover and to Su at Earthly Charms for creating it.

  Thank you to the members of the Three Rivers Romance Writers chapter of Romance Writers of America (TRRW). The chapter’s monthly meetings help keep me motivated, and you lovely writers keep me grounded.

  Next to last, I want to thank Madhu Wangu. The amazing Mindful Writers groups you started in Pittsburgh have been so immensely productive for me. We go in, we meditate, then we write in silence for four hours. This is where I complete the majority of my writing.

  Most of all, I want to thank you, my reader. I can’t express how much it means to me that you picked up this book and read it. You’re even reading this acknowledgement!

  You’re why I do this.

  Thank you.

  About the Author

  Sheridan Jeane is an award winning author of historical and contemporary romance novels. She grew up in Huber Heights, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, and now lives just outside of Pittsburgh.

  When not reading or writing romances, Sheridan can be found learning how to salsa dance, falling downhill on skis, or taking part on a local fundraiser to support kids in need in southwestern Pennsylvania. Sheridan has always been an avid reader and a dedicated writer. She earned a bachelor's degree in computer science with a minor in English.

  I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to share my stories with you. Please visit me at SheridanJeane.com. and drop me a line! I’d love to be your new friend!

  Find Sheridan on:

  www.SheridanJeane.com

  www.Facebook.com/SheridanJeane

  instagram.com/SheridanJeane

  Thank You For Reading

  Check out the official website:

  www.SheridanJeane.com

  In order, the Secrets and Seduction books are:

  Lady Cecilia Is Cordially Disinvited for Christmas

  It Takes a Spy…

  Lady Catherine’s Secret

  Once Upon a Spy

  My Lady, My Spy

  Gambling on a Scoundrel

  is also available as a standalone romance (it isn’t part of a series).

  Buy it on Amazon

  Lucien is about to inherit an earldom he never expected after both his uncles died leaving no children. He’s obliged to sell his London high-stakes gambling house and assume control of his extensive holdings. The last thing he wants is a fiery reporter getting in his way. Temperance’s fiancé dumped her— via letter. She’s determined to win him back while she writes an article for Charles Dickens’s newspaper on the evils of gambling.

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  It Takes a Spy…: Excerpt

  It Takes a Spy…

  A Secrets and Seduction book

  Mivart’s Hotel, London, September 1851

  A sister who liked to spy on people could be unbearably irksome.

  Lady Cecilia Paring glanced up from fastening her leather dancing boots and caught her fifteen-year-old sister, Evangeline, peering at her.

  Evangeline quickly glanced away, hiding her face, but Cecilia caught her pinched expression. Had she been examining Cecilia for flaws? The thought was both irritating and unsettling.

  “Can’t you content yourself with spying on the guests instead of me? Mivart’s Hotel has plenty of spots where you can conceal yourself and watch the evening unfold.” As soon as the words were out of Cecilia’s mouth, she regretted them. After all, she knew exactly what it was like to be excluded from a ball. She’d been in the same position only a year ago.

  Evangeline rolled her eyes in a way only an adolescent would. “Do be sensible. What makes you think you’re worth spying on? Besides, this is my room, too.” She stewed for a moment.

  Cecilia instinctively knew Evangeline had something more to say. Three, two, one…

  “And I feel compelled to point out,” Evangeline continued, “that accusing me of being a spy is like the pot calling the kettle black. You’re the one who first showed me how to sneak around our house undetected.”

  Cecilia remembered crouching on the balcony above the entryway next to her sister as they watched Mother and Father’s guests arrive for one of the many events that used to take place in their elegant London mansion. She’d loved seeing each gown revealed as the women shed their cloaks. Unfortunately, both the mansion and the country estate had been entailed and upon their father’s eventual demise it would pass to a distant male cousin. For want of a son, their home would be lost.

  “Don’t make me regret it.” At her sister’s startled look, she softened her tone. “You’ve far surpassed me as a spy. I plan to try to catch you out tonight. After all, ‘it takes a thief to catch a thief,’ or in our case, it takes a spy to know a spy. But I doubt I’ll spot you. You’re one of the best spies I’ve ever seen.”

  Evangeline cocked an eyebrow in disdain. “Well, if you saw them, then they weren’t very good, were they?”

  Cecilia chuckled. “Good point.” She sat down to face the mirror above the dressing table so she could return to preparing for the evening’s ball.

  She needed to do something with her hair. Mother’s lady’s maid would have been extremely helpful just now, but Mother needed her at the moment. Mother tired so quickly of late, and she needed her maid to prepare for tonight’s event. Cecilia could manage on her own.

  “I can help you with that.” Evangeline was still watching her.

  “I’m sure I can manage on my own.” Cecilia brushed and pinned her hair, but after a few minutes, she sighed at her reflection. Her hair was a disaster, and the glittering necklace she wore of square-cut rubies rimmed with diamonds made it look laughable in contrast. Her head looked lopsided, and she could tell that as soon as she stepped onto the dance floor, the entire mess would come tumbling down.

  “Will you let me help you now?” Evangeline asked. “I can hardly do worse.”

  Cecilia grimaced. Evangeline was right. “Go ahead. It has to be an improvement over this fright.”

  As Evangeline crossed the room to the dressing table, she paused to open the doors leading out to the tiny balcony. A cool breeze swept into the room and caused Evangeline’s pale-green hoopskirts to sway. She looked quite fetching tonight, and she’d managed to arrange her own light-brown hair in a simple style. Cecilia knew Evangeline thought her nose was too long, but Cecilia had always believed it made her sister look elegant. She’d been a pretty child, but at fifteen, it was obvious that she would become a lovely woman. Much to both sisters’ irritation, Mother had the habit of describing Evangeline as being a paler, younger version of Cecilia.

  Evangeline stepped behind her and then deftly plucked the hairpins from Cecilia’s tresses, placing them all on the dressing table. She gently brushed out Cecilia’s mass of medium-brown hair.

  “Your hair is much thicker than mine,” Evangeline murmured. Her features wore a look of intense concentration. She pulled a lock of hair from Cecilia’s eyes and tucked it behind her ear. “That’s probably why those hairpins looked as if they were about to fall out.”

  Cecilia watched her sister’s movements in the mirror. Evangeline deftly made a neat bun at the back of Cecilia’s neck and then pulled a few curls free to frame her heart-shaped face.

  Evangeline firmly secured the hairpins in place and said, “You know, if you place a second hairpin over the first one to form an ‘x,’ they’ll stay locked in place.” She patted the bun with a satisfied nod. “There. That should stay put.”

  A tight-chested sigh escaped from Cecilia. “Thank you.” She’d need to remember how to do that hairpin trick with the ‘x.’ She’d miss her sister. It was hard to believe she’d soon be gone.

  “Cece, what’s wrong?” Evangeline asked, using a pet-name she hadn’t trotted out in months. “I can tell when something’s bothering you.”

  Cecilia let out a surprised snort as she turned to face her sister. “What’s wrong? Let’s see…” She tapped her finger against her lower lip as she made a show of intense concentration. “Tonight I’m attending a ball where I’m supposed to help convince everyone that our family isn’t low on funds and that we’re quite happy with all the changes we’re about to make to our lives. Then tomorrow I’m obliged to attend an auction where we’ll be selling off all Mother’s jewelry to the highest bidder.” She touched the necklace she wore. It would soon be gone. “Father made certain that everyone knows the proceeds will be used to fund our dowries. He isn’t mentioning that he also plans to use the money to pay for all that property he purchased in Cannes. It galls me that he intends to use us to play on people’s sympathies. It’s humiliating.”

  “You must admit, it will probably work.”

  “Not you, too! How could you approve of that sort of manipulative behavior?”

  “Because it will fund my dowry as well. I’m only being practical.”

  “Turncoat. Maybe it’s good that you’re all moving to the south of France as soon as I’m married. You can deal with Father’s wild schemes and finally leave me out of it. I can’t wait to be alone.” She covered her mouth with her hand, wishing he could take back the words. Only when she listed her problems had she realized it was the last one that troubled her most. Losing her family. “You know I didn’t mean that. I’ll miss you.”

  “You won’t be alone. You’ll have Devin.” Evangeline shot her a reproachful look in the mirror. “How could you forget about him? Haven’t you dreamed of marrying him for years?” Sometimes Evangeline sounded more like Cecilia’s older sister than her younger one. It could be quite off-putting.

  Cecilia’s hands, primly folded in her lap, clenched. “Nothing seems to take the romance out of a romance the way planning a wedding does.” She bit at her bottom lip and then met her sister’s gaze in the mirror. “Honestly, I was much happier pining away for Devin and dreaming about him while he was gone. Now that he’s about to become my husband, I’m petrified.”

  “Don’t be foolish.”

  “Haven’t you noticed how much he’s changed?” She glanced out the window at the darkening sky. She’d need to go down to the ball soon. “Being away at university altered him. I’m shocked that he still wants to marry me.” She shifted uncomfortably on her stool. “I think he regrets making the offer.”

  “Of course he still wants to marry you.” Evangeline stared at her in astonishment. “Why wouldn’t he?”

  “Now you’re the one being foolish. Don’t you realize I’m not the right kind of wife for him? He’s self-contained and orderly
, where I’m disorganized and spontaneous.” She waved her arm toward the dresses piled on one of the beds. “Just look at the mess in here. How can I expect him to tolerate such chaos?”

  “Now really, Cecilia. That’s going too far. If Mother’s lady’s maid hadn’t been needed elsewhere, the room wouldn’t be in such a state.” Still, Evangeline frowned at the mess. “Our financial situation will improve tremendously once the auction is over. Mother’s jewels are worth a fortune. We’ll be able to afford a second lady’s maid again. Even an entire army of lady’s maids.” She let out a deep sigh. “I suppose Devin will adapt to your rather careless manner. After all, I did.”

  “Will he?” Cecilia stood up, plucked one of her discarded dresses off the bed, and hung it in one of the wardrobes, shoving her other dresses aside haphazardly. “He isn’t the type of man to lower his standards. He expects me to raise mine and conform to what society expects a barrister’s wife to be. And I’m trying. Truly I am. Did I tell you he wants me to take comportment lessons?”

  “What?” At Evangeline’s look of outrage, Cecilia’s self-doubt ebbed. “But I thought he loved you…why would he want to change you?” Evangeline looked genuinely worried.

  “Why indeed?”

  “I know he’s always been a bit stiff-necked. It’s just his way. As I recall, his parents are exactly the same, aren’t they?”

  “They’re even worse. Maybe I’ll be lucky and tomorrow’s auction will be a failure and Devin will break our engagement.”