The Switch by Lynsay Sands Read Free Book Online

The innkeeper's wife told me all about it. Her husband told her that you drank near a gallon of his grog, then passed out like a fish. Lord Radcliffe had to carry you to bed."
    "Oh, no." Charlie sank on to the side of the bed with dismay.
    Beth watched her curiously for a moment, then commented, "You do not appear to be suffering for it today, though, do you?"
    Charlie blinked at her words, then glanced at her with surprise. "Nay, I do not. I feel right as rain this morning."
    "Hmm. Uncle Henry always complained of a pounding head the morning after overindulging."
    "Aye," Charlie agreed with a grimace. The man had been bad enough to live with at the best of times, but he had been impossible while suffering a hangover. "Father never suffered the morning after, though, did he?"
    "Nay." Beth smiled brightly. "I do so want to try getting drunk."
    "Beth," she chastised with more amusement than true reproach.
    "Well, and why not? You always have all the fun." Beth said the words teasingly, then sighed suddenly and admitted. "I do grow tired of being the sensible one at times, you know."
    Charlie started to protest at that, then recalled her annoyance of the other night when Beth had naturally expected her to come up with a plan that would solve all their problems. Those had been their natural roles. Charlie had always come up with one hare-brained scheme after another, and Beth, with her sensible nature, had approved or disapproved. Should Beth disapprove, Charlie would scrap a plan. Should she approve, they had always carried it through. Charlie realized now that she had depended as much on
Beth's sensibility as Beth had depended on her risk-taking and scheming. This was a nice change. "Everyone must try on a new pair of slippers once in a while," she murmured.
    Beth blinked at that. "What?"
    "Do you not recall the story that Mother told us when we were little? About the princess who had a lovely soft pair of slippers? Her cousin came to visit her one day with a pair of bright red hard shoes with shiny silver buckles. They were obviously too small for the princess. Still, she insisted on trying them out and wore them until her feet were blistered before giving them up to return gratefully to her lovely soft slippers. Mother said the moral of the story was that everyone must try on a new pair of shoes once in a while, if only to find that they prefer their own slippers in the end. I wonder if this is not exactly what she meant."
    Beth smiled. "Mother was very clever, was she not?"
    "Aye. So was Father." Charlie sighed. "I miss them both very much."
    Sinking onto the bed beside her, Beth slipped her hand into hers and squeezed gently. "So do I."
    They were silent for a moment, then Charlie stood abruptly. "Well. Then we shall go to London, turn our jewels into money, buy a new wardrobe, and find ourselves a couple of husbands." Smiling, she glanced at her sister. "My goodness, Beth. I do believe you have come up with your first hare-brained scheme. Think you it will work?"
    Beth shrugged. "It cannot hurt to try. We can always flee to Ralphy if it does not."
    "Hmm." Charlie nodded, then smiled. " 'Tis almost too perfect. Radcliffe offered to keep us and introduce us as cousins last night."
    "Did he?" Beth's eyes widened in surprise. 'That was nice."
    "Aye."
    "Do you think we should tell him that we are both girls?" Beth asked, looking worried.
    "Not if you want to do any of those 'fun things' a man gets to do."
    Beth nodded solemnly. "Then we must keep it a secret."
    "So when did you wish to make this switch?Now?"
    Beth hesitated, then shook her head and murmured, "Mayhap when we reach London."
    Charlie's eyes lit up with amusement at that. "Afraid to share a bed with Lord Radcliffe? He is hardly likely to pounce upon you as a boy."
    She smiled slightly at that, but shrugged. "Still, I am content to wait."
    "As you wish, Beth."
    The opening of the door brought them both around to peer at Radcliffe as he glared in at them. "What is