Page 36 of Tricking an Introvert

"I have two daughters-in-law, either of whom would appreciate—and be able to pull off—a dress like that. I heard through the grapevine your chosen daughter-in-law slipped through your fingers." Arabella's paddle was high in the air. "Or your son chased her away, one of the two."

Tessa was drinking everything in, and itching to draw the two women as a demon and an angel fighting, swords in hand, walking over the corpses of their enemies.

Then, to her absolute, utter horror, Marie Elizabeth pointed to Tessa's chest. "I have that one. She'll get the damn dress, if I have to spend every single cent in my off-shore holdings for it."

The woman shot to her feet and cried, "One million!"

Arabella snorted, smiling sweetly before turning toward the front of the room. She needn't raise her voice; the attention of the entire ballroom was on them. "One point five, dear."

"Ten!" Marie Elizabeth was enraged. "Ten million."

Tessa's mouth fell open.

There was silence, stillness. Then the auctioneer cleared his throat. "Errr, ten million going once, twice…sold to our generous hostess…"

Tessa didn't recover for the entire evening. They had dinner, but what she ate didn't even register. After dessert, Marie Elizabeth handed her a black tote with a velvet strap, saying, "Here; your dress," and Tessa would have preferred holding on to a venomous scorpion.

At the end of the evening, Arabella unexpectedly gave her a somewhat uncharacteristic hug. When she was close, the woman spoke low, close to her ear. "It always takes a little bit of work to actually make us people unknot the purse strings. I'm sorry you were involved, dear."

Oh.

The cunning shrew!

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