AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Exactly. And...”
“There’s more?”
“There may have been some... arse-grabbing.”
“Oh sweet Lord. Lady India Rochester. What exactly was occurring in that room?”
Indy bristled. “I don’t even know, really. It just... happened. And then when we were caught I was so furious with myself and angry with Ravenwood. I didn’t want the newspaperman to publish an account and have everyone think that the duke had won the war of the sexes, and so I said the first thing that popped into my head.”
Viola groaned. “Oh no. That never ends well.”
“I know,” said Indy ruefully. “Sometimes I can’t hold my tongue. I explained to Mr. Peabody that we had been betrothed since birth but that Ravenwood had finally agreed to set a date. I then proceeded to elaborate upon our wedding plans. I thought that if I made up enough outrageous details Peabody would be distracted from the hate-kissing.”
“And did it work?” Viola poured Indy more sherry.
Indy swallowed it in two gulps. “I think so? We’ll know when the paper is published. I won’t be here because I’ll be in Paris. With Ravenwood.”
Viola’s eyes widened. “Wait. First you were kissing, next there’s a wedding to plan, and now you’re traveling to Paris with him?”
“We’re both searching for the same antiquity to... purchase.”
Viola shook her head. “Are you certain you know what you’re doing?”
The sherry tea was taking the edge off Indy’s panic. Maybe it wasn’t so bad what she’d done. Maybe everything would work out splendidly.
She’d ignore Ravenwood. They’d find the stone on the very first day. She’d verify the name of the temple and be off to search for Cleopatra’s tomb within a week’s time.
She downed the remainder of her tea.
“Do you have... feelings for the duke?” asked Viola, gazing into her teacup instead of at India.
“I do have feelings for him. Botheration, annoyance, rage, and... oh yes, the urge to strangle him most of the time. I haven’t had the chance to tell you yet that he discovered my disguise when I infiltrated the Society of Antiquaries yesterday.”
“He didn’t,” said Viola, her eyes widening. “Did he give you away?”
“No, but only because there was no personal gain to be had by doing so. I made a discovery that he was too dense headed to see and that’s what started this whole antiquities quest.”
“I still can’t believe you snuck into the meeting. Your heart must have been pounding so loudly.”
“It was a close thing with that moustache—the paste didn’t hold very well.”
“I might think about infiltrating the Royal Society of Musicians.”
“I don’t think your disguise would be as easily believed as mine.” Viola was slender with an adorable button nose and large green eyes. Her personality was oversized, but her person was petite.
“The male societies are not all they’re cracked up to be,” said Indy. “It was actually really boring and staid. All they did was sit around a table and make lists.”
“An all-female society would be much more fun, I’d wager,” said Viola with a giggle.
“So much fun. We’d drink sherry tea and cook up schemes for female world domination.”
“I like that. If they won’t let us join their societies then we should start our own.”
“A gathering place for all the females who’ve been barred from the societies they should by rights be eligible to join,” agreed Indy.
“I could invite Miss Ardella Finchley to join. She’s a brilliant chemist.”
Indy didn’t have many friends in London. Only her brother, Mari, and Viola. She was traveling so much of the time. It might be nice to associate with other unconventional ladies.
