Gentleman of Her Dreams by Jen Turano Page B

Watson’s voice dropped to a mere whisper. “I have high hopes of the elder Mr. Beckett and my Agatha forming an alliance. All you need to do to assist me is bring Agatha into the conversation often and speak of her in glowing terms.”
    Eliza blinked. “Mrs. Watson, I barely know your daughter, and I’m not certain I’m equipped to discuss her with gentlemen I’ve never met. What would I say?”
    “You can tell them how sweet and demure Agatha is and how she would make the most biddable of wives.”
    Eliza arched a brow. “Are we discussing the same Agatha who made up a case of the spots to escape your dinner party?”
    Mrs. Watson ignored Eliza’s statement. “Good heavens, old Mr. Sturgis is sitting beside Mrs. Costine. That will never do. They loathe each other.” She spun around and darted away.
    Eliza squinted at the table, unable to see the writing on the small place cards set on each plate. She tipped her glasses down the bridge of her nose and moved slowly past the chairs, looking for her name. She sighed in relief. There she was, just two chairs down. She shifted away from the table and didn’t even have a moment to gasp as her feet got tangled and she lost her balance. Falling toward the table, cutlery sprang ever closer, and the strange thought came to her that Mrs. Watson was definitely going to relieve her of her post after she wrecked the table. Before her face found purchase amongst the china, however, an arm snagged around her middle and pulled her to safety.
    She stood still for a moment to allow her nerves a chance to settle before she forced her gaze upward to acknowledge the gentleman who had saved her from a most unpleasant fate.
    All the breath left her in a split second as his features swam into view.
    He was the most compelling man she’d ever seen, possessed of sun-kissed brown hair and blue eyes the exact shade of the sky. His face, with sharp angles and a strong jaw, was rugged in a manner quite unlike the faces of the gentlemen she had known in England. His lips were firm and unsmiling at the moment, but from the small creases at the corners, she could tell he was a man who was accustomed to smiling. Her eyes traveled over his broad shoulders, but then the promise she’d made to herself regarding the avoidance of handsome gentlemen sprang to mind, and she pushed her spectacles back into place. His features turned hazy as resolve straightened her spine.
    “Thank you,” she muttered.
    “You’re very welcome,” the man said, his voice causing the hair to stand straight up on her arm. “May I assist you into your chair?”
    “That will not be necessary,” Eliza replied as she stepped past the man to take her seat.
    She heard a sudden telltale rip of fabric and realized her skirt was stuck around the legs of the chair. A yelp escaped her lips before she plunged to the floor.
    ———
    To read more of Eliza’s story, look for A Change of Fortune , available November 2012 wherever books are sold.