To Catch a Rake Read Online Free PDF Page B

Then brick walls are built behind them, using cement that sets within minutes to permanently keep out the Thames.”
    “What a marvel.” Fitzy reverently placed the drawing on the table and turned to address their host. “I plan to be a sculptor, but Meta suggested I needed to practice all forms of art to be a success. Your drawings have convinced me that significant skill and art can be found in engineering drawings. Perhaps I should take up the study of drafting buildings, bridges, and tunnels, since this is all very exciting.”
    Mr. Drexel smiled and gave her brother an encouraging pat on the back.
    Thankful for his welcome attentions to Fitzy, her opinion of his behavior softened. She realized all females would find this warm, charming side of him just as irresistible as the naughty side—irresistible enough to pave the way for his successes with the ladies. Knowledge he then used as the basis for his regrettable field guide.
    Fitzy’s newfound enthusiasm continued to grow. “I mean, humans are merely complicated objects to master, you know, all feet and limbs. Toes are particularly hard to get right. I admire this drawing of the tunnel, since there is a useful purpose behind the beauty. This really is a bang-up plan—imagine traveling under water. Oh, Drexel, I must see this tunnel in person. Will you show it to me?”
    “I’d be delighted, but not yet. We have dug the pit for the entrance and are in the middle of finishing the descending staircase, but the site is still dangerous. We expect the possibility of floods at any moment. That is why my drawing of a new drainage system is so important.”
    His warning about the dangers brought her mind back to the matter at hand. “Fitzy, we have paid a call on Mr. Drexel for a reason, and it does not include asking him to show you his tunnel.”
    Mr. Drexel faced her, his smile gone. “Let’s get to it then.”
    She straightened. “It’s about your field guide.”
    He frowned and nodded at the white piece of paper from the mantel still in her hands. “Please indicate your initials and the new position you desire on this card. Then hand it to my housekeeper. She will then see you out.” He yelled again, “Mrs. Morris.”
    Meta failed to understand his direction. “I beg your pardon.”
    “Begging, Mrs. Russell? You can beg to your heart’s desire, but it will not move you up.” The wicked smile returned.
    Lily, who had been watching the conversation with increasingly wide eyes, became alarmed by his change in mood. She moved closer to the door. “Meta, ask him to speak to James so we can leave immediately. This time I really do think he plans to eat you.”
    Mr. Drexel’s gaze never left Meta’s. “Your fate, madam?”
    “Pardon?”
    Before he could answer, an older gentleman with a full head of gray hair entered the room. He appeared slightly stooped, but otherwise many of his other features resembled those of the younger man. He introduced himself as Mr. Michael Drexel, then proved himself a gentleman of good manners by engaging in a pleasant conversation with each member of their party. Once he learned of Fitzy’s ambition to be an artist, he invited their party upstairs to the small gallery on the landing to view his collection of paintings.
    With great enthusiasm, Fitzy agreed.
    Lily requested to join her brother, since she appeared relaxed in Michael Drexel’s company, and without doubt, she seemed eager to escape the presence of the bear.
    The older man addressed his son. “Mrs. Morris has gone to help her sister for an hour, so there is no use bellowing.” He headed to the door, Fitzy and Lily following directly behind him. “You know, I once wanted to be a sculptor too,” Michael Drexel said, “but I quickly changed to being an engineer and inventor, because those professions suited my taste in all things mechanical. When you have more experience, you will find great beauty can be found in the diagrams of machines.”
    Fitzy