Love and Other Scandals by Caroline Linden - Love and Other Scandals Read Free Book Online

muscle twitched in Bennet’s jaw and his brows lowered. “Shut it, Burke.”
    “In my experience, women tend to prefer other women like themselves. She must have a regular Gorgon chosen for you.”
    “I’m not getting married,” Bennet growled.
    “But soon,” added Tristan, to provoke him.
    “Blast it!” Bennet leapt out of his chair. “You have to come, too, then. If you’d done a proper job of coaxing Joan to be reasonable, I wouldn’t be in this mess.”
    “If you’d shown some spine and refused to sign her extortionate note when she invaded the house, you wouldn’t be in this mess.”
    Bennet jabbed a finger at him. “You let her into the house. You let her stroll off with that paper. You let her keep it even after I explained how dire the situation is. You owe me. I’m turning you out of my house if you don’t come with me to that blasted bloody ball tomorrow night.”
    Tristan sighed. He’d meant to go to the ball all along, just for the thrill of confronting the Fury again. “Very well. But you owe me the guinea.”

 
    Chapter 4

    J oan soon regretted her hot-tempered exit from the bookshop. Tristan Burke was a boor, but that was no reason to let him spoil her rare independent outing. She’d stormed out of the shop in high dudgeon, only to spy one of her mother’s dearest friends strolling down the pavement directly toward her. All thought of soothing her temper with a visit to her favorite bonnet shop vanished. Her only hope was to head directly home and, if confronted about being seen here, claim she’d only taken a slight detour to see if Howell’s had any new printed silks displayed in the window. Heart racing, she ducked her head a little and walked as briskly as she dared to the next street, where she darted around the corner toward home.
    By the time she reached South Audley Street, her irritation had blossomed into full bitterness. What business was it of Lord Burke’s whether Douglas went to the Malcolm ball? Her brother, no doubt, had put him up to following her, which was utterly unfair of him. She had only asked for the signed promise to tweak his nose; if he’d asked nicely, even apologized for yelling at her, she would have given it back. It had only been a small token she could hold over his head against some future favor she might ask of him, and her brother should have known that.
    Now, though, she was giving that paper to her mother, and she wasted no time in doing so. “Douglas will be at the Malcolm ball tomorrow evening, just as you wished,” she told Lady Bennet when she found her mother writing letters in the morning room. “In fact, he was eager to go.”
    “Indeed?” Her mother’s eyebrows went up.
    “Oh, yes.” With a flourish she took his signed note from her reticule. “He even wrote it down.”
    Lady Bennet still looked suspicious as she read the note, but she only nodded. “Very good. Thank you, Joan. You must have a persuasive way with him.”
    She smiled vindictively. “Yes, I must.”
    “I’ve told Janet to press your new blue gown for the ball. Ackermann’s had the most charming hairstyle in the latest issue; would you care to try it? Janet could manage your hair as well if we begin early.”
    Joan looked at the magazine her mother held out to her. The illustration showed a young lady, slim and demure, with her hair drawn into a smooth coronet of braids on her crown, secured by a small tiara and ornamented with a graceful ostrich plume, with clusters of curls framing her face. It looked delicate and beautiful, and she thought she would give her most valued possession to look like that. “Oh, it’s lovely .”
    Her mother beamed. “Isn’t it? And it’s very fashionable.” Fashion was very important to Lady Bennet.
    On the other hand . . . Joan studied the illustration more closely. The young lady it showed certainly was very beautiful in her net-trimmed dress and sleek coif, but she was also a great deal more petite than Joan. More than