A Fool Again Read Online Free PDF Page A

unfaithful.
    Felton leaned forward. “I greatly dislike the presumption that we are providing more entertainment than Mr. Witter,” he noted. “You would do me great service, Lady Mulcaster, if you would accept Mr. Darby’s escort.”
    Genevieve blinked at him. Felton wanted her to go, after what they had shared? After that kiss? Didn’t he want to escort her home, to take her in his arms in the warmth and dark of the carriage and— Weren’t they betrothed now? Why was he sending her off with another man?
    â€œI will attend you in the morning if I may,” Felton said, picking up her hand and kissing it.
    Genevieve felt the kiss to the bottom of her toes. She drew away her hand and tried to stop the silly smile that spread over her face. Perhaps Felton was right. She might as well take this uncouth giant out of the playhouse and get it through his thick head that she was uninterested in their further acquaintance. “Very well,” she said, putting her hand on Tobias’s arm.
    Felton smiled at her again, and she detected approval in his eyes. Perhaps an exhibition of nonchalant indifference was the way to Felton’s heart? She thought about that as she and Tobias made their way out of the box and down the stairs. Perhaps Felton wished for a wife who would view the world just as he did: with a calm, detached amusement. Whereas she quivered if he put a finger on her arm, stole glances at him constantly, and blushed far more frequently than she could have wished.
    Tobias’s carriage was enviously luxurious, upholstered in dark blue velvet with silver embroidery. He must have done well in the past seven years, given that he was a younger son whose father had lost their house in a card game. Genevieve eyed him and decided there was no point in raking the man over the coals for his disreputable behavior in the past. After all, it hardly mattered. She was Felton’s now. He had kissed her in front of everyone.
    It was almost amusing, how different Felton and Tobias were. Tobias was the wild boy of Genevieve’s youth, and he didn’t seem to have changed a bit. He had grown up just down the road, although their families did not visit because her father considered his father to be a loose fish. There were rumors about gambling and, increasingly as the twins grew up, rumors about the boys’uncivilized behavior. As a child, Genevieve had lived for the rare glimpses she had of those boys, striding through the village, bursting with life and vivacity. Their father would swear loudly and call them impudent puppies. They would laugh at him and prance away, paying him no mind. It was only years later that she understood the importance of civilized behavior.
    â€œDid you say that you’ve been in India all these years, Mr. Darby?” she asked, shrugging out of her pelisse and putting it onto the seat beside her. It was remarkably warm. “It must have been a surprise to you to return and find your brother married,” she said. “Lady Henrietta is a lovely woman.”
    â€œQuite a surprise,” he agreed. He truly was good-looking, even with his disordered curls. She was used to Felton’s sleek hair. It was a good thing that she was so infatuated with Felton, because otherwise she might relapse directly into Tobias’s arms, Genevieve thought with some amusement. The way he was looking at her was a direct opposite to Felton’s cool regard.
    â€œWhy didn’t your brother Giles return to England with you?” she asked.
    â€œHe hadn’t any reason to.”
    â€œAnd you did? ” Genevieve said, and then suddenly stopped.
    For he was looking at her steadily, and there was something in his eyes. “Yes,” he said slowly. “I did.”
    â€œUm,” Genevieve said, trying to think of another topic of conversation. “So what did you do all these years in India?” she finally asked.
    â€œI made a fortune,”