Lady Amelia's Secret Lover by Victoria Alexander Read Free Book Online Page A

are having.”
    “First of all, you should know I have no intention of acquiring an actual lover. I need an imaginary lover, and you will serve perfectly.”
    “I knew it.” He blew a relieved sigh. “I told Robert you would never do such a thing and were probably simply trying to make him jealous.”
    “I see.” She thought for a moment. This might well change everything. “And did he believe you?”
    Harry hesitated.
    “He did, didn’t he? Damn you, Harry.” Amelia huffed and got to her feet. Harry immediately stood. “Sit down and let me think.” She paced the room. This explained Robert’s offer to help her find a lover. The man probably thought this was all most amusing. No more than a game of cat and mouse. At this point Robert no doubt believed that he was thoroughly in control, and therefore there was no need for him to worry about another man in her life. Well, she had no intention of being the mouse.
    “This can still work,” she said more to herself than to Harry. How was the question. The whole idea was not merely to make Robert jealous but to make him realize as well what he had and what he didn’t want to lose. To make him understand that she was the one woman in the world for him. To rekindle passion and love and all those things they had once promised each other would last forever. She refused to consider for so much as a moment that she might fail.
    At once the answer struck her. “That’s it. It makes perfect sense.”
    Harry snorted. “Nothing about this makes perfect sense.”
    “I need to act before he does. I need to acquire a lover before he has the chance to so much as present a list of possibilities. If this is a game we are playing, it is obviously my move.” She turned to her brother-in-law. “You will be that lover, Harry. You will pursue me with the same determination and eye toward seduction that you pursue any of your conquests. Flowers, jewelry, and whatever else you use to gain a woman’s affections. You will do so anonymously, and you will not breathe so much as a single word to Robert.”
    He crossed his arms over his chest. “I won’t do it.”
    “Oh, but you will. For two reasons.” She held up her index finger. “First, because if you don’t, I will find a man who will.”
    He gasped. “You wouldn’t.”
    “Indeed I would.” She shook her head. “I am a desperate woman, Harry, and desperate women do desperate things. I love Robert, and I will not give him up without a fight.”
    “I can understand that,” he said in a grudging manner. “But I don’t think that I—” He frowned. “What’s the second reason?”
    She smiled, sauntered to a side table, and picked up a leather-bound book.
    “What is that?” Unease shone in his eyes.
    “This, my dear brother-in-law, is my journal for the year 1840.” She sat down and paged through the book.
    “I didn’t know you kept a journal.”
    “I have since I was a girl. There are some passages here you might be interested in.”
    “I doubt that.” Again he got to his feet. “I should be on my way.” Amelia cast him a threatening glare, and he sank back into his chair. “Although I always have time for my beloved sister-in-law.”
    “I thought you might.” She found the right page, cleared her throat, and began. “ This evening, Robert Hathaway sent his brother in his stead, obviously hoping I would not notice. I do not yet know Robert well, but I can already tell the difference between the brothers. I hope this is not some cruel joke on their part. We shall see. ”
    “You knew?” Harry stared. “From the beginning?”
    Amelia smiled and turned the page. “ Harry again appeared in Robert’s place although the reason has at last become clear to me. Robert, who, to my observation, is not the least bit lacking in wit or confidence around others, becomes tongue-tied and uncertain when in my presence. I find it most endearing .”
    “Well, I find this most disconcerting.” He huffed. “Is there a