When the Devil Drives by Caro Peacock Read Free Book Online Page B

discretion. I believe you may win her confidence.’
    â€˜Why? I can’t see many things we have in common.’
    â€˜She has few friends in London. She needs to find a foothold in society as soon as possible.’
    â€˜I should be a very poor foothold. Besides, it looks as if she’s doing very well on her own account.’
    â€˜By being here this evening and letting men admire her? She needs more than that. She has five and a half weeks to find an entrée into the circles where the princes and their party move.’
    â€˜But he’ll be at court, won’t he?’
    â€˜Mostly, yes. She needs an introduction to court circles.’
    â€˜Then I’m quite the wrong person. Even if I had any ambition to move in court circles, which I most certainly have not, I’m sure I’d never figure in Victoria’s guest list.’
    â€˜But the contessa doesn’t know that.’
    â€˜I’m sure she’d very soon find out. I suspect there’s a shrewd brain there, under the . . .’ I hesitated. He supplied the word for me.
    â€˜Silliness? You’re right. I’m not suggesting you should pose as somebody high in court circles, but unless I’m misinformed, you’re clever enough to drop a hint or two that you know people who are.’
    I still hesitated, knowing from experience how bad it felt to make somebody your friend for reasons other than friendship. Mr Clyde seemed to sense that.
    â€˜You’d be helping her. If she continues in this way, she may do serious damage to her reputation.’
    â€˜It sounds as if it’s pretty badly damaged already.’
    â€˜Or even her freedom,’ he said.
    I stared at him. ‘Are you hinting that they’d have her locked up?’
    â€˜Stranger things have happened.’
    The flatness of his reply brought me up short. Yes, stranger things had happened. A touchy but well-connected little dukedom might have enough power to keep her locked in some comfortable asylum until the light in those sea-violet eyes had faded to sludge. He saw his advantage and pressed it.
    â€˜Miss Lane, if she can be stopped in time and made to realize the seriousness of her position, she might be saved from making a wreck of her life. I know there’s a tolerant and well-born gentleman who would be more than willing to marry her at a moment’s notice, in spite of everything.’
    I looked at him, thinking, I understood now. I had very little doubt that the tolerant and well born gentleman who wanted to marry her was sitting beside me. A small spark of jealousy, of a woman who could be loved so much, flared and died in my sympathy for him.
    â€˜I’ll try to befriend her, if that’s possible.’ I said. ‘How am I supposed to set about it?’
    He smiled, the brown eyes bright now that he’d got his way. Still, an attractive smile for all that, with just a hint of teasing in it.
    â€˜An appointment has been made for you at Madame Leman’s, at eleven thirty the day after tomorrow.’
    He took it for granted that he didn’t need to explain. Madame Leman was currently the most fashionable dressmaker in London. Nobody ranking lower than a countess, a famous beauty or a royal duke’s mistress could count on admission to her salon in Piccadilly. Even if I’d wanted to be one of her clientele, which I didn’t, her prices were far out of my reach.
    â€˜I have my own dressmaker,’ I said.
    In fact, an ingenious lady’s maid with an enthusiasm for the latest modes, making some pin money in her spare time.
    â€˜I’m sure a lady can always use a new gown,’ he said.
    I felt his eyes on the silk facings on my bodice, then sliding down my sleek velvet skirt to my feet in their wrong-coloured shoes. I drew them under the hem of my skirt, feeling myself blush.
    â€˜Of course, the bill will be met,’ he murmured.
    I fought to keep the blush down,