The Courtesan's Wager by Claudia Dain Page B

Amelia?” Sophia interrupted. “But how absurd. You must do all; indeed, hold nothing back. Lord Iveston must be snared, at least as far as an initial estimation of his compatibility with you. Would you marry him without even a conversation to mark the moment? No, no, I know you are eager, but I must insist that you at least talk to the man you intend to marry.”
    “That is not at all what I meant, Lady Dalby!” Amelia’s voice, raised to an unusual level, caused more than one person to turn and stare at her.
    “But then what did you mean, darling?” Sophia said politely. “Certainly you have not marked Lord Iveston off your list? We have just got rid of the delightfully entertaining Calbourne. I do think we should proceed to Lord Iveston, don’t you? Or would you prefer to meet with the Duke of Edenham first? Oh, and there he is! This is turning into a quite grand affair. The Prestwicks shall be so pleased. Miss Prestwick must also be in the market for a husband, don’t you agree? Are you two not of the same approximate age? And still unmarried? Well, some girls do like to take their time about such things. I, however, knew what I wanted and proceeded to acquire it. I should say the same is true of Anne. Mrs. Warren, how old were you when you married your lovely first husband?”
    “Eighteen, just,” Mrs. Warren said.
    As if what Anne Warren did at eighteen was of any interest to her. Yet, the point had been made, as if she needed it to be underlined. She knew why she was here and she knew what she wanted. Why else go to Sophia in the first place? But she had made her point, should anyone look into it. Had she not appeared most uncomfortable and very nearly reluctant to talk to Iveston and his many brothers?
    She had.
    “I should like to meet Lord Iveston first, if that is quite agreeable to you, Lady Dalby,” she said firmly, her bosom held regally high and her chin quite firm and unyielding. “If the situation requires it, then I shall require an introduction to the Duke of Edenham. He is last on my list, after all, and I don’t see any need to rearrange the order now.”
    The fact that Edenham was in all likelihood the most handsome man she had ever set eyes upon was not going to move him up the ladder. She knew what she wanted. She was as much a woman of the world as . . . well, not as much as Sophia, but enough. Enough of a woman to get what she wanted from a man.
    She was going to get it before Penelope Prestwick, too.
    “Would you be so kind as to lead the way, Lady Dalby?” Amelia said regally. “I would be so pleased to be formally reacquainted with Louisa’s husband’s brothers.”
    “Ah, yes, family,” Sophia said with a very wicked smile. Amelia wasn’t entirely certain if Sophia knew how to do anything that wasn’t wicked. “You are related by marriage now, aren’t you? How very, very convenient. That will make as nice a start as any, though I do think you underestimate the comprehensiveness of London gossip, darling.”
    Amelia was not going to think about that, not now, not ever, if given the choice. She was quite certain that, once married, this entire escapade would, if not disappear, become an entertaining and highly amusing story. One day. Eventually. Certainly her husband should be able to arrange it tidily.
    “I do think now is the time, Lady Dalby,” Anne Warren said, redirecting the conversation slightly. “Are they not looking this way?”
    They were, all four of them. They did not look pleasant at all. They looked, oddly enough, almost hostile.
    How very typical.
    “Don’t they look charming?” Sophia said, her dark eyes glittering. “They appear very eager to speak with us, which is quite a lovely compliment. Let’s allow them the pleasure, shall we? I do think that now is the time, Lady Amelia, for you to unleash all your considerable experience at sparkling conversation.”
    Amelia was quite certain that she had no experience whatsoever at sparkling conversation.