Catherine Gayle

A Perfect Pearl

ONE

“ Tell us something delicious,” Judith, Lady Lipscombe said to Elaine. “Something wicked and scandalous about Raynesford.” She leaned over the table between them, dropping her voice to hardly above a whisper.

Elaine’s heart stopped. Something wicked or delicious or scandalous about Owen? There wasn’t such a thing to tell. With Owen Shelton, Viscount Raynesford, what one saw was precisely what he was. From what his sister told her, he’d always been that way.

“ Oh, yes, you simply must, Elaine,” Vivian added. “After all, we’ve told you all about Tucker and Lipscombe-or at least about how they’ve been this last week while we’ve been at Quinton Abbey.”

Indeed, Judith and Vivi had told her all sorts of mischievous tales of their nighttime adventures of late. More than enough to leave her wondering if she’d ever experience anything of the sort. Elaine thought for a moment, searching her mind for something she could tell them-anything at all-other than the truth.

Nothing came to mind, however.

“ There’s really nothing to tell. I’m sorry.”

Judith’s jaw dropped open. “You mean to tell us that Raynesford is exactly like that in your bed?” She pointed over to where Owen sat in a plush armchair by the hearth, an open book about horse breeding before him, oblivious to all the hooting and hollering from the card tables around him, to the silly, unmarried girls twittering in the corner near him, and even to the raucous game of charades taking place near the south wall.

For just a moment, he glanced up at Elaine and caught her eye. He half-smiled, then returned his attention to his book.

She let out a sigh. “Yes, you could say that.”

“ He doesn’t bring a book of instructions to bed with you, I hope,” Vivi whispered. “I’d be tempted to strike him over the head with it, if he did.”