How To Build The Perfect Rake Read Online Free PDF

able to distract him with more amiable women. Besides, his
plan was… Well, quite frankly, his plan was ridiculous. He was
going to become a rake? Honestly!
    ‘What a fool the man is!’ she muttered,
turning back to the party, her humor no more improved that it had
been before her friend’s arrival. On the contrary, it was
distinctly worse. So much so that she was forced to plaster a smile
on her face when she saw Evangeline Gaffney and Helena Monkhouse,
who were also enjoying their first Season, walk towards her.
    ‘Do you know,’ Evangeline observed, tone
teasing as soon as she was in earshot, ‘I do believe that Mr. St
James is rather partial to your company, Miss Grayson.’ She was a
thin, gangly redhead with an unfortunate spray of freckles but
Olympia liked the girl. At least she didn’t primp endlessly. ‘He is
forever turning up where you are!’
    ‘Of course he turns up. We grew up together
and are old friends.’
    ‘Oh?’ Helena, a rather silly blonde with a
delightful complexion and a plump figure, glanced at the retreating
figure with interest. ‘So he is not your beau, then?’
    ‘No. We merely share a
friendship.’ A very good friendship. The idea of him going off to
do some sort of ‘rake training’ was extremely irksome for he might
be gone for some time. Although it would get him out of the Houghton’s
orbit…
    ‘I suppose he’s after the celestial
Carisse,’ Evangeline said, rather regretfully.
    ‘Unfortunately. So ridiculous,’ Olympia
frowned. ‘She’s dreadfully dim.’
    ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Helena said sadly,
‘she’s so horribly pretty she doesn’t need to be witty. Or smart or
entertaining or agreeable. She just has to sit there and have men
fawn all over her. I wish I were that pretty. It would be most
agreeable.’
    ‘It is rather sickening,’ Evangeline agreed,
‘but hopefully she’ll accept some poor fool’s offer and then the
rest of us can have our chance. Not that you don’t have you’re
admirers already,’ she added, giving Olympia a smile that was quite
genuine. Miss Gaffney was a very nice girl beneath those freckles.
‘And why shouldn’t you? You’re far and away more agreeable than the
Houghton.’
    Olympia gave herself a shake and took both
young ladies arms and they began to walk back to the gathering on
the grass. ‘Thank you, Evangeline. And you are quite right,’ she
said cheerfully. ‘Some lucky fellow will make an offer for Carisse
and the whole silly affair will be done with. And I, for one, will
be very glad of it.’
    She would be, too, for then the foolish Miss
Houghton would be spoken for and the speculation and fuss go away.
The Season’s Incomparable would soon become the Season’s Bride.
After that she would be just another married woman destined to
produce some gentleman’s heir. One of life’s great levelers, the
expectations of Society. Olympia just hoped that it wasn’t going to
be Lucien who was the lucky fellow for, much as she wanted him to
be happy it would be a shameful waste of a man’s life to be leg
shackled to a vain, shallow creature. Once again, she thought of
his dubious plan. And to have obtained Lord Howe, of all men to be
his guide! Could he really educate Lucien St James in such a matter
when surely becoming a rake was more evolutionary than
manufactured? But if he did succeed… she remembered the way
Carisse’s interest was piqued when she had seen Howe the evening
before. Olympia had learned since coming to London that there was a
certain sort of girl that found a bad man irresistible. But surely
Carisse would be able to see through Luc’s façade? Olympia recalled
how dense the girl was. She also recalled how very rich Luc was. It
would mean the end of her friendship with Luc. Or, at the very
least it would be changed out of all recognition for Carisse would
not welcome female friend’s of her husband’s hovering around the
place.
    It was all most depressing.
    As it happened, that evening