Page 218 of From Rakes to Riches

Mrs. Renshaw’s jaw dipped in surprise. “Indeed? Who is this other person?”

“My friend.” Fiona didn’t want to reveal her identity, but when they found her, there would be no helping it. She’dleave that for when she was found.Ifshe was found. Perhaps Cassandra had been able to escape. Would Fiona have done that? No, she couldn’t have left her friend behind, just as she wouldn’t now. “We were separated over on the gentlemen’s side. On the first floor.”

“I’ll take care of it. You relax here for now.” With a parting smile, she left, closing the door behind her.

Fiona practically leapt from the chair to the window. The garden below was empty. Where was Overton now? And what could he possibly be thinking of her behavior?

Wringing her hands, she paced across the room and back again. Whyhadshe kissed him? She’d never kissed anyone besides her mother. This was a wholly different kind of kiss, of course. It was the kind of kiss she’d seen depicted in a certain book hidden in the bottom corner of her father’s library. Before her cousin had taken it along with the rest of the books.

Perhaps her lingering curiosity about the things she’d seen in that book had prompted her to kiss him. Or the fact that the magnetism Cassandra had talked about had swept through Fiona, driving her to the earl. He’d been angry, and she’d felt awful. So she’d apologized. Then she’d wanted to do something to make amends.

Such as kiss him?

Coming to a halt, Fiona squeezed her eyes closed and put her hand over them. She forced herself to breathe, to calm the racing of her pulse. Everything was going to be fine. The worst that could happen was that she’d end up right where she started in Bitterley.

Her insides churned. That would be truly terrible. She didn’t want to go back. The only person she would have missed, Mrs. Tucket, was here with her. And here she had Prudence, Cassandra, Lady Pickering…and Lord Overton.

Dropping her hand to her side, she went back to the window and looked down at the garden once more. More specifically, she focused on the back corner where the door was partially disguised by a vine. She felt the cool wood of the door on her back and the warmth of the earl pressed to her front. Heat spread through her as she recalled the way he’d clutched her waist and pulled her against him, the feel of his bare hand cupping her face, the brush of his lips against hers.

The entire encounter had been over far too soon, and she’d no expectation it would happen again. Nor should it. He was her guardian. He was also, apparently, a rake who’d recently given up his mistress and was trying to improve his reputation.

An overwhelming sense of frustration and failure washed over her. She hadn’t meant to cause him so much trouble. She hadn’t thought of him at all, and for that she was horribly sorry.

A few minutes later, the door opened. Fiona turned from the window as Cassandra rushed inside. They met in the center of the room and hugged.

“I was so worried about what happened to you.” Cassandra gave her a fierce squeeze before they parted.

“As I was about you.” Fiona darted a glanced at Mrs. Renshaw, who stood near the open doorway. “Were you found?”

“Not until Mrs. Renshaw came.” She sent her a grateful smile. “I was huddled in the servants’ cupboard trying to decide what to do.”

“And now you must both be on your way, quickly, before those who are downstairs take their leave.”

Cassandra started toward the door, and Fiona followed. Mrs. Renshaw led them down two flights of stairs to the lower level, and they retraced their steps to the door they’d entered earlier. Then Mrs. Renshaw accompanied them up the stairs to Duke Street, where a hack was already waiting.

She turned to Fiona and Cassandra. “I’ve instructed the driver to deposit you each near, not in front of, your perspective homes. He has already been paid, so you needn’t worry about that.”

“How can we ever thank you?” Fiona asked, still overwhelmed with regret as well as disappointment in herself.

“By not doing anything like this again.” She smiled at them. “I understand what it’s like to do something foolish. You feel bad about it now—and you should—but you’ll learn from this and emerge wiser. To do anything else would be the true failure.”

Fiona took her words to heart, silently vowing to learn from this mistake. “From now on, I will consider my actions from everyone’s perspective.”

Mrs. Renshaw fixed her gaze on Cassandra. “I will not be telling Lord Lucien you were here.”

“I could hug you,” Cassandra said, blinking. “Thank you.”

“Go now.” She waved them toward the hack and stood on the pavement until they’d climbed inside and the vehicle rolled away.

Sitting beside Cassandra, Fiona leaned her head back against the seat. “That was such a bad idea.”

“It was not my finest,” Cassandra said wryly. “I’m so sorry. What happened to you?”

“Nothing happened tome, but I think I ruined Lord Overton.”

Angling herself toward Fiona, Cassandra gaped at her. “What?”

“When we heard those voices, I panicked. I ran to the right—where the voices were coming from.”

---