Page 15 of How to Seduce a Duke this Autumn
Anonymity was on the top of that list.
“Besides their faces, you mean?” Charlene asked.
Ashley shrugged. “This is the only way to be excused for considering the other qualities of a gentleman,” Ashley said as she twirled and flipped her hips.
“I can’t believe you just said that,” Charlene muttered.
Ashley leaned in, her voice brimming with mischief. “One never knows. Your gallant suitor might be standing just beyond that potted plant. Would that not be the very height of perfection?”
Maddie laughed and covered her mouth with her fan as she blushed. “You two are a scandal; no men are needed.”
“Many orchids are potted but not every potted plant is an orchid.” Ashley arched a brow. She ought to know, Charlene thought. Considering that she and Thomas… but well, that was another story entirely.
“You know,” Maddie murmured. “Rather than orchids, all you need to do is search for your rare fern, the steady and humble kind. Or perhaps flirt with some regular orchids and avoid all potted plants.”
See the men as plants? She could do that. Potting was the problem—and not merely metaphorically speaking.
“But there is a glaring problem. Orchids are rare and distinguishable. With men, it’s the exact opposite.”
“You are taking this analogy far too seriously, Char,” Ashley muttered. “Take your enjoyment. Don’t think, act. We are here. We have our eyes on you.” So history won’t repeat itself? Charlene thought bitterly of that night.
Perhaps she was thinking more than acting, but the more she thought, the more she wanted her rare orchid.
Maddie nodded. “You may rely upon our steadfast support. And you are allowed to amuse yourself again. On your terms. But given all of that, now I don’t even know where to start looking for my future husband!”
Charlene laughed. “He’ll breeze into your life sooner or later.”
“Or sneeze into it,” Ashley muttered. “What? Don’t look at me like that, Char. Maddie’s the queen of potions in her travel apothecary. Hidden potions and such…”
“Not hidden,” Maddie denied.
“Well,” Ashley said, grinning at Charlene, “needless to say, orchid or potted plant, just do what you do best with them. You kiss them, I mean, water them, plant them in different soil, and all those things you gardeners do. Go do that.”
Charlene raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re telling me to go around watering men?”
Or were they supposed to pot her, take her away from her family, and set her aside in a forgotten corner or household while they were off gallivanting like the Cross brothers?
No, thank you.
Speaking of garden, how far can a woman go without giving them her flower?
“Precisely,” Ashley said with a nod. “And while you’re at it, plant a few and see which ones thrive. It’s all about the effort, my friend.”
Charlene shot her friend a flat look. “Like your revenge effort with Linsey?”
“It all turned out for the best, didn’t it?” Maddie flicked open her fan and waved it lazily in front of her face. “Ashley’s gardening advice might be the butchering of plant comparisons, but it’s not that bad of an idea.”
Charlene sighed, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips. “Fine. I’ll water a bit. But if I have only a dead fern, or worse, it’s on you. You shall find the wrath of my brother.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Ashley said, looping her arm through Charlene’s. “I’ll be here to prune your scandals.”
Charlene laughed. “Why, thank you.”
Maddie let out a sigh. “I’m starting to feel the heat with all this talk of plants,” she said, glancing around the room. “Then again, with all these masked shrubberies, you have your work cut out for you.”
Charlene raised an eyebrow. “Should I be worried about you?”
Maddie shook her head. “I haven’t caught the wedding fever yet.”
