Page 47 of Lady Frederica and the Scot Who Would Not
Blythe grinned. “I know you are. You’re so worried that you’d risk yourself for my brother, which is how I knew you loved him.”
Freddy frowned. “Then why’d you ask me?”
“Because you needed to realize it, silly. Now, not that I don’t trust in our abilities, but I think we’ll need someone else to aid us. Muscle, if you will, and I took the liberty of cajoling Huntley into aiding us.”
“What? I hadn’t realized you really knew my brother, and I just told you my plan!”
Blythe smirked. “I told you I thought of it first, remember? I proposed using you to Gabe. Did you think I’d simply forget my brilliant plan just because he told me to?”
“Well, no, but—”
“Exactly,” Blythe interrupted. “I felt almost positive once I spoke to you about it that you would answer as I wanted you to, so I simply got things moving in the right direction.”
“And how do you know Huntley?”
“He came to the club to defend your honor after the incident at the ball. I hit him over the head with a book, and the rest, well—” Blythe shrugged. “We’ve become friends.”
“Friends?” She scrutinized Blythe, who was the color of a berry now.
“Well, he did ask to court me.”
“Court you?” Freddy gaped.
Blythe scowled. “Don’t sound so surprised.”
“I’m surprised that he is willing to court at all. He was to be wed before, you see, and—”
“He told me.”
“He told you?”
“Yes. We’ve had many long talks over the last week. He insisted upon accompanying me on missions to protect me.”
“And you agreed to that?” Freddy couldn’t seem to quit gawking at Blythe.
“Your brother has a way of making me want things I never thought I would.”
Freddy knew a thing or two about that. “So did you agree to his request?”
“I told him I’d think about it.” Blythe bit her lip. “What if I fail at being a proper lady? What if I hate it? What if Huntley regrets asking to court me?”
Freddy ticked a finger up. “You can learn the rules of etiquette easily.” She raised another finger. “You may hate it. I can’t say you won’t, but you won’t know unless you try it.”
“As you tried my world?”
Freddy nodded. “Yes. I knew immediately I felt at home there.”
“What of your parents, though?” Blythe asked, her tone worried.
Freddy gave a dismissive wave. “You’ve a fat dowry. Papa won’t refuse that for Huntley, though he has no need of it, and Mama would part Heaven itself to see Huntley wed. Now, I’m not suggesting at all that you need to change who you are, but if you want me to teach you what thetonsuggests makes a lady, then I can.”
“Teach me. It will be the perfect cover in helping to keep what we’re really doing from Gabe.”
Both women looked at each other and dissolved into laughter. When they were silent once more, Freddy asked, “How should we go about luring Hawk to us?”
“I think the best way is to propose a meeting with him. We don’t want to wait around for him to try to take you,” Blythe said. “I can send a message through some underground connections, old business partners of his, to let him know that you and I want to meet with him. I’ll word the message so that he thinks we’re worried for Gabe’s safety—”
“Which we are,” Freddy said, to which Blythe nodded.
