The Spinster & The Coquette by Caylen McQueen Read Free Book Online Page B

like to kiss you?”
    Though she held her tongue, Hester shook her head disapprovingly. She hated to see her sister toy with Frank’s emotions. It was a harmless flirtation to Cordelia, but a dangerous one to Frank. The danger to his heart was obvious.
    “Have you ever kissed anyone, Frank?” Cordelia crossed the room and sat beside him on the settee. “I cannot imagine you’ve had very many opportunities when you’ve been living a lonely life with Hyacinth.”
    “I…” Cordelia could see Frank’s pulse thumping in his neck as he struggled to reply. “I have not.”
    “Would you like me to kiss you?” Cordelia asked. “I don’t need to glance in Hester’s direction to see how she disapproves… I am sure she’s tempted to box my ears. But I do not care. I think you deserve a kiss.”
    Frank looked even more eager than the puppy who followed her across the room. With a racing heart, he asked, “Do you want to kiss me?”
    “I believe it would be very enjoyable.” Cordelia leaned toward him, closing the distance between his face and hers: she wasn’t going to give him a choice. When her lips brushed against his, she heard him sighing dreamily. As soon as his hand reached for her cheek, Cordelia pulled away and smiled, a bit awkwardly.
    “Do be mindful of his feelings, Cordelia,” her older sister warned her. “Frank is not your plaything.”
    “Now you are just being cruel!” Cordelia exclaimed. “Frank is hardly my plaything! I care about him! I care about him very much, and I would never hurt him. How could you even make such a terrible suggestion?”
    “For once, I am asking you to consider someone other than yourself!”
    “Whose feelings have I not taken into consideration? Yours ? Are you jealous?” Cordelia scowled at her sister for several seconds before she spoke again. “Have you never been kissed, Hester? As stodgy as you are, I would hardly be surprised if you haven’t!”
    Hester kept her eyes on her knitting needles. “I choose not to disclose that information.”
    “That is as good as telling us that you haven’t,” Cordelia muttered.
    “Not everyone is as boastful and obnoxious as you are, Cordelia.”
    “Poor Hester… never been kissed… and at your age, too! It must be so disheartening.” Cordelia turned her attention back to the young man sitting beside her. “Perhaps you could kiss her, Frank. You would be doing her such a favor! You could put an end to her misery.”
    “I… she… I…”
    Before Frank could respond, Hester rose from the sofa and stormed from the room without another word. It was quite clear that her younger sister had humiliated her, but there was little remorse on Cordelia’s face.
    In Hester’s absence, Frank finally found the words he wanted to say.
    “I think any man would be very lucky to kiss her,” he said, “and you were unnecessarily cruel.”

Chapter Seven

    “When Hester and I were shopping for books, would you believe we happened upon Mr. Snowley? At the bookstore, of all places! He does not seem to be the bookish sort, so I cannot think of anything more serendipitous than that!” Cordelia boasted her story to anyone who would listen—at the moment, Frank, Hyacinth and Hester were all at her mercy.
    “Perhaps he is following you?” Frank suggested with a snort.
    “You know… I had considered that. If he’s shadowing me, I suppose I would think of it as a compliment. Is it possible I made such an impression on him, he hovers around me, waiting for an opportunity to approach?”
    Frank did not hesitate to give his opinion. “It sounds dashed creepy to me.”
    “You may say that if you would like, but I think his attention is flattering.” Suddenly, Cordelia kissed a small slip of paper that she was clutching in her hand.
    “What is that?” asked her aunt.
    “He gave me a letter.”
    Hyacinth grumbled disapprovingly. “Is it common for a young man to carry out a clandestine correspondence with a lady? It is very