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Chapter 1
London 1821
“WHEN A MORALLY UPRIGHT gentleman discards a lady, in the eyes of Society, it ought to be owed to a defect in her character. Thus, associating with such a lady may put your reputation at risk. The only choice is to give the lady the cut direct.”
Emma Drake slammed shut The Ladies Guide to Proper Behavior. “Now do you believe me?” she asked her dearest friend Susan Lancaster.
“Oh, pish-posh,” Susan said with a wave of her hand. “That guide was written for young ladies who may never see a Season in their poor pitiful lives. You have already had three Seasons and captured the heart of a Viscount.”
No, if she’d captured Bolton’s heart, he never would have rejected her because of her sisters’ transgressions. Sitting at her small writing desk in her bedroom, she tapped the end of a quill against her lips. Perhaps there was something bothersome with her personality.
After spending the last ten months pondering what she had done to offend her former fiancé, she’d finally decided the problem lay with Viscount Bolton, not her. She’d spent most of her doing exactly as mother recommended. She befriended only the most upright ladies, never drank to excess, never swore, and was always accommodating.
She had never been so bored in her life, and it had been all for naught. Most ladies she had so sweetly befriended gave her the cut direct once Bolton jilted her.
Almost a year of living with such an unearned reputation had only served to increase her desire to match her tarnished name. But could she do it? Having a bit of fun could mean ruining her name and chances of marrying.
Marriage and love might have been for her sisters, but neither felt right to her any longer. At this point, Emma would have to settle for a man who wanted a prize on his arm when he entered a room. A man who only marry her because she was the beautiful Drake sister. Her stomach roiled in protest. She did not want of that any longer.
She wanted adventures, amusement, and to do as she wished.
Turning to Susan, who sat on Emma’s bed and stared mouth agape as if Emma had grown horns, Emma asked, “What do you think? You’ve been terribly quiet.”
Susan shook her head with a scowl. “You must be mad, Emma. You cannot do this!”
“Why ever not?” she asked with a shrug. “I have been the model of Society mores for the past years. And what did that get me? Nothing but a reputation I did not deserve. For pity sake, I’ve never even been kissed!”
“Bolton never kissed you?” Susan asked with wide brown eyes. “You were engaged for three months.”
“Nothing more than a peck on the cheek. There was never an opportunity.” Or so he said. Most likely because his mother barely left them alone for more than a moment. But now she knew the first item for her list. “I do believe we have discovered number one.”
She dipped her quill into the ink and then wrote:
1. Kiss a man
“But who will you kiss?” Susan probed. “It’s not as if you can walk up to a man and ask for a kiss.”
Emma wasn’t sure why she couldn’t do such a thing. “I am certain some man would be willing to kiss me. Now come along, it’s your turn. Give me an idea.”
“You are not seriously going to write a list of ways to disgrace your family’s name, are you?”
“Susan, you are missing the point here. The list is for a few adventures. It’s been almost a year since Louisa married Harry. Both my sisters did as they pleased, while I lost a fiancé because of their actions. They had their escapades while I was stuck being a proper lady. It’s time I had a little entertainment.”
“Very well, since I will never convince you otherwise, let me think.” Susan stretched languidly across Emma’s bed. “I know one thing I should love to do that would be great fun indeed. I think you should go to a gaming hell. Think how exciting that would be with all the rogues and scoundrels in attendance. You might even win a bit of money.”
She couldn’t tell Susan that she’d already been to a hell, or her friend would pester her with questions. Emma had only seen the office of the owner. She’d never actually stepped foot inside the gaming room. Thinking back to that day, all she could remember was that dreadful man and what he was doing with that woman. A shudder ran through her.
“I only know of one gaming hell, and the proprietor would send me home the moment I walked inside. And then promptly tell my sister and his brother exactly what I had done.”
“Dress as a man. Then he shall never know it’s you,” Susan replied, her eyes alit with excitement.
Dress like a man? Emma slowly smiled. Surely Mr. Kingsley would never suspect the seemingly perfect Miss Drake would do such a thing. That might work.
“I do like the idea, but since it was your idea, I insist you accompany me.” She dipped her quill back into the ink and then wrote:
2. Visit a gaming hell dressed as a man
“Of course, I will attend with you, but not dressed as a man. If my mother discovered I’d donned trousers, I would be packed off to Suffolk to my grandmother’s house for the next twenty years. Mother would consider it a far greater tragedy than walking into a gaming hell.”
Emma laughed. “As you wish. But where will I get men’s clothing?”
“You mean, boys' clothing. I have four brothers. I can get you whatever you need. Before Andrew departed for Eton, he was about your size. I’m sure there are some of his old things left that will fit you.”
One problem solved. “Excellent, now we need eight more.”
There had to be some code of conduct that she’d been taught she could break. What was one of the first things her mother taught her? A smile tugged at her lips. “Susan, have you ever introduced yourself to a man??
??
“Of course not. You know it is not safe to do such a thing.”
“I didn’t think so. Neither have I,” Emma said before dipping her quill but paused as Susan’s voice interrupted her actions.
“You mustn’t, Emma. What if the man is a rake or worse a scoundrel?”
Even better, Emma thought but refused to say aloud for fear of frightening her friend. “I will be cautious about who I choose. I will know of the man before I introduce myself.”
Emma tapped her quill before writing:
3. Introduce yourself to a man
“Oh, that is bold,” Susan said with a giggle. “Well, that should do it, but if not write down, get banned from Almack’s.”
“I think that would be my favorite,” Emma said and then couldn’t stop giggling. “I despise that place with those superior women. Just think, a Season without Almack’s. That would be heavenly, indeed.”
