Twice Fallen Read Online Free PDF Page A

Miss Vivian Lacrosse. Maybe she would know where the girl had gone off to this time. Eugenia had not said anything about Lily’s choice in friends, for truly, she did realize that a good friendship was important, and though it was entirely
outré
for any female to dabble in botany of all things as Vivian did, she supposed there could be worse choices. Dirt, plants… Eugenia had no taste for it, but certainly most of the beau monde indulged in much less wholesome activities than growing a flower or two. Still, the unusual hobby had not done the girl any favors socially.
    Drawing herself up to her full height, conscious that if at the moment she seemed unsettled others might take notice of her distress and wonder why, Eugenia made her way over to where Vivian sat with a small group of other young women. Lady Juliet Stather, she noted, was among them, a blond beauty who could be the reigning belle of London society but tended to seclude herself with the least popular set.
    Do these young ladies not realize the advantages of a fashionable marriage
?
    “Miss Lacrosse?”
    “Your Grace.” Vivian jumped to her feet and made a not-so-graceful curtsy. Apparently plants were much more her forte than the social graces. Still, Eugenia noted, she was attractive in an understated way, with her dark hair and green eyes.
    Perhaps a later project… She had to be at least as old as Lillian.
…
What a challenge to find a man who wanted a spinster interested in reseeding gardens or whatever it might be.
…
    But for now, Lily.
Right
. She needed to find out where she’d gone. One challenge at a time.
    “When did you last see Lady Lillian?” Eugenia’s voice was low and crisp and her spine was ramrod straight. That demeanor had a predictable effect on people.
    “Oh.” Miss Lacrosse prevaricated, and not very successfully, as she’d taken on a bright color over being confronted. She and Lady Juliet exchanged a quick glance. “I’m… not sure.”
    Her dress too, is frumpish, though really, with a real maid to do her hair she could be a beauty.… Look at those remarkable eyes, green and gold.…
    Eugenia said more sharply than she intended, “All you need tell me, child, is when she left the ballroom.”
    “I’m not really a child any longer,” Miss Lacrosse muttered. “Ask anyone.”
    “She isn’t,” Lady Juliet added helpfully. “We are the same age.”
    Why on earth isn’t the beauteous Juliet married?… Oh, never mind, that is hardly the issue.…
    “You are trying to distract me with details.” The observationwas curt and straightforward. Eugenia asked succinctly, “Where did Lillian go?”
    “She didn’t say,” Vivian offered, her voice hushed.
    “Ah, so now we are getting somewhere. You
did
see her leave.”
    “Your Grace, she just excused herself. I did not inquire where she was going.”
    “However, if you had to guess as to what is keeping her for so long?”
    In the face of a very direct, stern stare, Miss Lacrosse’s resolve to keep her friend’s secret crumpled. “The library.”
    “That would be my guess also,” Lady Juliet murmured.
    Fate was truly conspiring against her.
    In the end, the window did not prove an option. The frame was either swollen from the moisture, or the lock on it rusted shut, but it would not budge. Lord Damien did his best, but it was clear that it was as immovable as the broken lock.
    “Your friend needs to maintain his home a bit better,” she muttered, the case clock in the corner making an ominous tick as the minutes went by.
    “I could break the glass.” Damien Northfield sounded unruffled by their predicament. “But that solution is a bit noisy, I’m afraid. It could be no one would hear it, but it could also cause a passing servant or guest to raise an alarm, thereby not helping our desire for discretion. The way it is raining, it would also no doubt cause some damage to the contents of the room.”
    He was irritatingly right. And he didn’t need to