Page 6 of The Art of Sinning
Her friend’s pleasure shifted to embarrassment. “I know you were probably disappointed that I broke with Edwin.”
“I confess I would have enjoyed having you for a sister-in-law. ButIwould never marry a bullheaded curmudgeon like my eldest brother, so I could hardly expect you to.” She took Jane’s hands in hers. “Besides, I wanted you to marry whomever made you happy, and clearly Lord Rathmoor does.”
A blush stained Jane’s cheeks. “It’s true. I daresay you got an awful impression of him when we were younger, but—”
“That’s all past. He seems quite nice now.” Yvette forced a smile. “He said such sweet things in his toast to you that it made me positively green with envy.” She meantthat, too.
As if Jane realized just how deep Yvette’s envy ran, she patted her hand. “Your time will come soon, my dear. There’s plenty of fish in the sea.”
“But I don’t particularly like fish,” Yvette said lightly. “Perhaps that’s my problem.”
Jane chuckled. “Your problem is your refusal to take men seriously. Even when men do want to marry you, you laugh them out of countenance.”
“There are men interested in marrying me?” She surveyed the ballroom beyond Jane. “Do point them out. I haven’t met these mythical creatures.”
“Yvette—”
“I’m joking,” Yvette said with a faint smile. “Though it does seem as if the vast majority of eligible gentlemen are only interested in my fortune. And the rest are simply too short for my liking.”
“You see?” Jane shook her head. “You won’t be serious about it.”
“Oh, I’m quite serious about the height issue. You’ve never had to dance with anyone shorter than you. It’s disconcerting to have a man staring into your bosom for an entire dance.”
“Any fellow who does that is no gentleman, and you wouldn’t want him anyway.”
“Then that eliminates a great many chaps.” Yvette sobered. “You have no idea how rare true gentlemen are. Most men can’t even be trusted to do what they promise. Just look at my father. And Samuel.”
Not to mention Samuel’s friend from the navy, Lieutenant Ruston—though Jane knew nothing of Yvette’s history with that blackguard.
Suddenly Yvette noticed Jane’s face clouding over, and she groaned. “I’m so sorry. I forgot entirely about how Samuel wronged you.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’snotfine,” Yvette protested. “My brother behaved abominably toward you and poor Nancy. You must have been terrified the whole time he had your cousin in his clutches. How awful for you!”
“I just kept clinging to the hope that he would refrain from harming a woman he’d known since childhood. That he would come to his senses.” Jane gave a wry smile. “And when that didn’t work, I shot him in the leg.”
“He’s lucky you didn’t shoot him elsewhere.” Yvette shook her head. “You do realize that the rest of the family washed their hands of him long ago, right?”
“Even you?” Jane asked softly.
Yvette sighed. “I keep trying. Even with his sentence of transportation, I find myself remembering—” She broke off with a pained smile. “It doesn’t matter. He’s headed to New South Wales now. We won’t see him for quite some time, if ever.”
Thank the good Lord. After what her brother had dropped in her lap the last time she’d seen him, she could have throttled him.Just post the letter for me, and don’t ask any questions, all right?
Didn’t the fool know her at all? Ofcourseshe’d demanded answers. And ofcoursethe little he’d said had merely alarmed her and incited her to make things right.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t do that without help. And who would aid her in cleaning up another of Samuel’s messes? Certainly no one here, given what he’d done to Lord Rathmoor’s family. Even her eldest brother had refused, skeptical of whether they could even believe Samuel’s claims.
Of course, Edwin didn’t know what Samuel had done to protect her in her youth. He didn’t know about the kernel of good that lay deep, albeit very deep, inside their brother.
“Don’t let Samuel’s fecklessness keep you from finding a gentleman of your own,” Jane cautioned. “Not all men are like him and your father. Edwin is perfectly trustworthy. There must be more of his ilk around.”
“Ah, but therein lies my problem. Trustworthy gentlemen frown on my lively speech and manners, and wish I weren’t quite so tall. It’s only the rogues who like me, precisely because I laugh at them and make them feel free to flirt shamelessly. They must sense the enjoyment I take in sparring with them.” And the foolish attraction she sometimes felt for them.
When Jane’s eyes narrowed, Yvette softened her arch tone. “It’s a conundrum, to be sure.”
“Gentlemen come in more than two flavors, Yvette. Some trustworthy gentlemen actually do flirt. Some are tall. And some even have a sense of humor and enjoy lively speech, Edwin notwithstanding.”
