Cursing God, fate, and Michael Beaumont, Will pulled his hands away. When Evie whipped around to face Beaumont, her bodice sagged below her stays. Will supposed he must be in some sort of shock, because the only thing he could seem to focus on was how voluptuous and tempting Evie looked in her pretty linen stays topped with pink lace ribbons.
“Michael, this . . . this isn’t what it looks like,” she stammered.
She still had failed to notice the epic disaster afflicting her bodice. Beaumont had, and his furious gaze snagged right onto Evie’s breasts.
Taking a step closer, Will tried to tug her dress back up from behind.
“Stop that,” Evie hissed, twisting around to slap his hands.
It was only then that she finally noticed the thoroughly debauched state of her clothing, and she sucked in a gasp of dismay that echoed through the room.
Beaumont remained nailed to the floor, his face frozen in a horrified mask as he studied her. His dark eyes held such a look of betrayal that Will had the impulse to toss Evie over his shoulder, throw open the French doors to the garden, and carry her off into the night.
Sadly, no such fortunate escape awaited any of them.
“Michael, I swear, it’s not what it looks like,” Evie said in a choked voice as she struggled with her bodice. The despair and panic in her normally sweet tones made Will’s throat close up.
She took a step forward but almost tripped over the hem of her sagging gown, prompting Will to reach out and catch her by the shoulders. So focused was she on Beaumont that she didn’t even seem to notice.
“Say something, Michael,” she pleaded.
Before anyone could say a damn thing, a swift clatter of heels heralded the arrival of another participant in their ghastly little drama. Any hopes Will had harbored of explaining the situation to Beaumont—taking all the blame, naturally—died when Lady Reese marched into the room.
“Mr. Beaumont,” she announced in ringing tones, “I specifically asked you—” She stumbled to a halt as her evening slippers slid over the polished floorboards and made contact with the thick Wilton carpet that covered much of the library floor. She pitched forward and was forced to grab Beaumont’s shoulders to keep from going down in an inelegant heap.
Not a drama, a farce.
“What in God’s name is going on in here?” Lady Reese screeched.
“Nothing, Mamma, I swear,” Evie said, still struggling with her bodice. Her hands trembled too badly to make much headway.
Heaving a sigh, Will reached around her, yanked the bodice up over her stays, and then pulled her ridiculous little sleeves back up on her shoulders. He mentally cursed those frivolous bits of fabric since they were responsible for his—and Evie’s—downfall.
Evie wrenched out of his grasp again. “Will was helping me look for Papa’s book,” she said. “And then we just started talking.”
“You call that talking?” Michael exclaimed, finally breaking free of the shock that had apparently held him immobile. He sounded almost as screechy as Lady Reese, and looked a great deal more upset.
Evie shook her head so hard one of the floral pins in her hair flew out and dropped to the floor. “It was nothing. I swear to you, Michael, it didn’t mean anything.”
Bloody hell.
Will did not like the sound of that. “Now, hang on just a minute, Evie—” He choked back his words when he realized how supremely stupid his intervention would be.
Holding his silence, he reached behind him to retrieve Evie’s spectacles then handed them to her. She put them on with trembling hands, looking dazed.
By that time, Lady Reese had shoved Beaumont out of the way, obviously recovered from her shock. In fact, if Will didn’t know better, he’d say that her horrified expression of a few moments ago had been replaced with one of infinite deviousness.
That tears it. We’re in for it now.
He waited for his doom to fall upon him. To fall upon both of them, since Evie would share it.
Lady Reese marched up to her daughter. “Evelyn, were you and Captain Endicott . . .” She declined to finish the phrase, instead waving her hand in a windmilling motion.
“It’s not as bad as it looks, Mamma,” Evie said, her voice breaking. “I swear.”
And that made Will’s heart break. He wanted to sweep her into his arms and soothe her, telling her that all would be well. That’s what he’d done when they were young, whenever her mother would tear a strip from her and Evie would flee to him for comfort. He’d always been able to make her laugh—to make her believe the sun would shine tomorrow. Damned if he didn’t want to keep playing that role in her life.
“Evelyn, you’ve been alone with William for a considerable time and your bodice was practically down around your waist,” her mother retorted in a strident voice. “How do you intend to explain away that unwelcome fact?”
Evie cringed and took a step back, bumping into Will’s chest. When he rested his hands gently on her hips to steady her, this time she didn’t pull away. He had a feeling, though, that her response was instinctive, seeking comfort from a familiar source. If Eden were there, she would no doubt have gone to her.
Eden came rushing into the room as if conjured up by that stray thought. Alec, for some demented reason, followed in her wake. Will began to think they might as well invite the entire party down to the library and get it over with.
“What’s going on?” Eden darted a worried look at her twin. “Everyone wants to know where you all are.”
“I was just about to find out what has transpired in this room,” Lady Reese said. She switched her gorgon-eyed gaze from Evie to Will. “On your honor as an officer and a gentleman, William, I expect you to provide an honest recounting of what occurred between you and my daughter.”
“It’s not necessary to call my honor into question, my lady,” Will responded in a calm voice. “I will truthfully answer any question you wish to ask.” He glanced at Alec, now leaning against the doorframe and shaking his head with evident pity.
Lady Reese nodded. “Very well. Then please tell me if you were kissing my daughter.”
“Certainly I was.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a weight lifted from Will’s shoulders. He and Evie had nothing to be ashamed of—well, they did, but he’d be damned if he apologized for kissing her. There was a sense of inevitability to this night’s work, since he and Evie had spent years ignoring the unfinished business between them—quite obviously to their peril. This was not the result he had foreseen or would have chosen, but nor was it truly a surprise.
Evie clearly didn’t feel the same way because she pulled from his light embrace and went straight for her sister. Eden met her in the center of the room. She wrapped her arms around Evie and gently led her to the chaise in a reading nook nestled between two bookshelves, murmuring in a soothing undertone.
Lady Reese flicked a glance at her daughters but came back to focus on Will. “And I take from what I saw when I came into the room that matters had progressed quite a bit beyond kissing.”
Alec made a snorting sound that he turned into a cough. When Will glared at him, his cousin held his hands up and gave him a wry little grin.
Will added kill Alec later to the mental list of tasks he was already compiling.
“Matters had progressed further than they should have,” he said, trying to hedge for Evie’s sake. She was sitting on the chaise, trying not to cry. Right now, all he could hope was to spare her as much embarrassment as possible. “But I assure you I would not have continued in that vein. I have the greatest respect for your daughter, Lady Reese, as I believe you know.”
Well, that was probably a lie—not the respecting part, but the stopping part. If Beaumont and the others hadn’t interrupted them, God knows where he and Evie would have ended up.
On the chaise with her legs wrapped around my hips.
Will clamped down hard on that image and kept his focus on his future mother-in-law. The full realizatio
n that her ladyship was soon to be one of his nearest relations was appalling enough to wipe the enticing image of a naked Evie from his brain.
“That may be so,” Lady Reese carried on triumphantly, “but I think you will agree that quite a bit of damage has been done as a result of your actions. Since you do respect my daughter, I trust you understand your obligations to her.”
Will bowed. “Indeed. I will call on Lord Reese first thing in the morning, if that meets with your approval.”
“No, that’s ridiculous,” Evie cried, jumping up from the sofa. Eden pulled her back down and commenced whispering to her in an urgent tone.
Beaumont once more came to life, heaving a great sigh. Will didn’t think he could ever like the man, but now he felt a reluctant sympathy. There was no doubt he cared for Evie a great deal. Not only had he suddenly lost her, he’d just been thoroughly and publicly humiliated.
With immense dignity, Beaumont walked over to the chaise. Evie looked up at him, her face chalk white. Tears trickled from beneath her spectacles.
“Evelyn, I must ask you a question,” he said in a gentle voice. “And I beg, like your mother, that you tell me the truth.”
She sucked in a breath and nodded. Will’s gut pulled tight at the dawning of hope on her wan-looking features. Surely she didn’t still want to marry the man, not after what had just happened?
“Ask me anything,” she said.
Beaumont paused for a moment, as if collecting himself. “Are you in love with Captain Endicott?”
Evie’s mouth dropped open. Clearly, that had not been the question she was expecting.
“Evelyn, I need your answer,” Beaumont gently prompted after several long seconds of tense silence.
She glanced at Will, looking both flummoxed and distraught. He forced himself to remain impassive, not letting her see how much he wanted her to say yes. She had to make this decision for herself. He would not press or force her.
In truth, he didn’t have a clue what he should say anyway, even if she did want his guidance. The entire situation was the biggest mess he’d ever found himself in, including being captured by the French back in the Peninsula.
Evie blinked a few times and then looked back at Michael. “I . . . I don’t know how to answer that,” she said.
Beaumont’s head bowed for a few seconds, then he gave her a small, sad smile. “You just did, my dear. Evelyn, allow me to express my undying loyalty and respect. I will always honor our friendship, and I hope you will do the same.”
Without waiting for her to respond, he turned to Will. “Captain Endicott, let me be the first to congratulate you. I only hope you truly deserve so fine and noble a lady as Miss Whitney.”
That gracious response stunned Will into silence. He managed a bow, although he suspected he looked like a dumbstruck fool.
After a polite nod to Lady Reese, Beaumont left the room, his dignity intact. In his wake, Evie was practically vibrating with furious tears, Eden was dividing her evilest glares between Will and her mother, and Lady Reese was smiling at Will with odiously triumphant satisfaction. As for Alec . . . he was taking in the whole mad scene like he was watching a performance at Astley’s.
Evie moved first, throwing off her sister’s arms and jumping to her feet. She propped her hands on her hips and glared at her mother. “I’ll never forgive you for this, Mamma. I could have smoothed things over with Michael. Instead, you made fools out of all of us.”
Lady Reese starched up to her haughtiest stance. “You are beside yourself, Evelyn, and don’t know what you’re saying. I’m doing my best to save your reputation, something you seem to have little care for yourself.”
“Oh, curse it,” Evie shouted, stamping her neatly shod foot. It was so unexpected and so bloody endearing that Will almost burst into laughter.
“Eden, take your sister to her room,” Lady Reese snapped. “Stay with her until I come up.”
“I don’t need a blasted escort,” Evie raged. She whirled on her heel and ran from the room, not sparing even one glance for Will. Though that rather stung, at least she didn’t seem to be blaming him for the evening’s debacle. At least not yet.
Eden threw Will an enigmatic glance and swiftly followed her sister. As she went through the doorway, she deliberately shoved past Alec.
“Out of my way, you great lummox,” she ordered. Alec hadn’t even been in her way, but he politely murmured an apology nonetheless.
“Captain Endicott,” Lady Reese said, once more resorting to formalities. “I will tell my husband to receive you at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. Is that acceptable to you?”
“Yes, my lady, it is.”
She seemed to breathe out a tiny sigh of relief, and her hauteur gave way to a tentative smile. “Thank you. Welcome to the family, William. I will see you tomorrow.”
Will could only gape after her, stunned by her rapid-fire changes in demeanor. It seemed to be a trait shared by all the ladies in the family, now that he thought about it.
Alec pushed off from the doorframe and strolled into the room, now deafeningly quiet after the exit of the combatants. “Well, that was entertaining,” he said. “I suppose I should offer you congratulations.”
“I’d rather you offered me a drink,” Will said. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Splendid idea. And while we’re having that drink, perhaps we can chat about the best way to break the happy news to your father. That and how to tell your new fiancée that you’re spying on her.”
Will shot a glare at his cousin. “Bugger off, you great lummox.”
Alec laughed and followed him from the library.
Chapter Fifteen
“You’re certain you can do this?” Evie tried not to sound as skeptical as she felt.
Eden curled her lip. “Really, Evie, do you think anyone would believe I would wear this gown?”
“It’s rather rude of you to put it quite that way. You look perfectly lovely to me.”
Eden peered at her reflection in Evie’s dressing-table mirror, grumpily adjusting the high-cut bodice. “Oh, well, it’ll have to do,” she said with a sigh. “I’d better join Mamma before she gets suspicious. She wanted to leave for Lady Talwin’s gala by nine o’clock.”
Strictly speaking, Evie was joining their mother, since Eden was supposedly laid up in the bed with a sudden and severe cold. Evie had tried earlier to convince Mamma to allow her to stay at home this evening, but Mamma had refused. She’d assumed, rightly, that Evie was doing everything she could to avoid Will. She also assumed, rightly, that Evie would do everything she could to repair her relationship with Michael, including slipping out of the house to see him.
Thwarted at every turn, Evie had finally come up with a plan. It was a desperate one to be sure, but the circumstances called for it.
“Turn around and let me do a final check,” Evie said, twirling a finger in the air.
Eden rolled her eyes but complied, spinning in a slow, graceful arc that made the skirts of the pale blue gown bell out around her ankles. As far as Evie was concerned, it was a perfectly lovely dress—cut to flatter without revealing an excessive amount of bosom, dignified without being dowdy, its color pleasing without screaming for attention. It was one of her favorites, but the long-suffering look on her sister’s face made her opinion of it clear.
Eden tended to favor gowns with low-cut bodices in jewel-like tones that made her stand out from the crowd. Her style of dress, coupled with her vivacious personality, all but ensured that Eden would draw everyone’s eye and guaranteed a cluster of suitors hanging about, ready to be plucked like low-hanging fruit. Evie didn’t begrudge her twin’s popularity for a moment, but she sometimes wondered how they could be so much alike and yet so different.
Rising from her dressing table, Evie tucked an errant lock of hair back under the silver-spangled band that helped to contain Eden’s thick hair in the smooth chignon at the back of her head. Evie squinted—her second-best pair of spectacles tended
to blur at the edge of the lenses—but finally nodded her approval.
“You’ll do,” she said. “Even Mamma won’t know it’s not me.”
Eden snorted as she pushed Evie’s best pair of spectacles higher on her nose. “When we dress and act the same, Mamma can never tell us apart. Neither can Papa. Only our dear brother and a few of the staff at Maywood Manor have ever developed the trick of figuring out who’s who.” She picked up the cream silk shawl draped at the end of Evie’s bed and flung it over her shoulders. “Just remember to stay in my bed for at least fifteen minutes after we’re gone. You know how often Mamma forgets her reticule or fan and makes poor John Coachman return to the house to fetch it.”
Evie nodded. She was wearing one of her sister’s extravagant, lace-trimmed dressing gowns, although she’d kept her stays, chemise, and stockings on underneath. And she’d already given their lady’s maid the night off, just to be safe.
“And be careful,” Eden added in a stern voice. “What will you do if Michael isn’t at his rooms at Albany House? It’s one thing to go sneaking through Mayfair, but it’s quite another to go into St. Giles at night alone.” She tugged on her lower lip, suddenly looking worried. “I don’t know, Evie. Perhaps you shouldn’t do this.”
“You would do it without a second thought.”
“That’s different.”
Evie tried not to feel too annoyed. Her sister only wished to protect her. “Different because you’re brave and I’m not?” she asked, trying for a wry smile.
Eden dropped her gloves and fan on the bed and rushed over to take Evie’s hands. “Darling, you’re the bravest person I know. You have to be to put up with Mamma’s constant harping and still carry on with your charity work. I just meant that I’m a bit worldlier, and able to respond more, er, actively, if anything should go wrong.”
Evie didn’t point out that all the time she’d spent in the stews had exposed her to things Eden probably couldn’t imagine. But there was no denying that her twin was physically braver and stronger. When they were children, it had always been Eden who’d taken the dare, climbed the trees, or even bested their brother or one of his friends in a physical contest—despite, perhaps even because of her bad eyesight. Eden might fool most people into thinking she was a beautiful featherhead, but Evie knew differently. Her sister had a strength and depth of character evident to all who knew her well.
How to Plan a Wedding for a Royal Spy Page 20