Read Online A Rogue of My Own by Johanna Lindsey - Free Book Online
Authors: Johanna Lindsey
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assumptions more to my liking.”
“Excuse me?”
He let her go. “Run along, wench. You’re too young to understand.”
Chapter Nine
I ADMIRE YOUR GUMPTION TO wear a costume like that, ’deed I do,” Evelyn remarked as she walked over to join Rebecca. “But didn’t it occur to you that a woman in breeches isn’t likely to be asked to dance?”
They stood on the edge of the dance floor. The ballroom at Buckingham Palace was immense. With so many chandeliers lit, and so much gilt on the walls, the room sparkled brightly.
Rebecca hadn’t moved too far from the entrance, though. She’d been watching the door for Rupert St. John’s arrival while she waited for Lady Sarah to finish her conversation and come over to her. She’d tried to go directly to the lady to warn her that she’d been discovered, but a rude flick of Sarah’s hand had warned her not to interrupt.
Rebecca was nervous. The intrigue wasn’t over yet. Rupert wouldn’t be put off by any hand-flicking if he decided to question Sarah about the “scarf” excuse. So she really needed to talk to Sarah before he did.
“This costume wasn’t my idea,” Rebecca said in response to Evelyn’s question. “I neglected to bring one with me.”
“Let me guess. Elizabeth?” At Rebecca’s nod, Evelyn rolled her eyes. “She didn’t tell you about the costume room, did she? We have access to all sorts of paraphernalia to create a great many different costumes. Why, there must be five shepherdess crooks hanging up in there,” she added, tapping the one in her hand on the floor.
Learning about the costume room, Rebecca should have got angry, but she was currently too nervous for any other emotion to take precedence.
“I suppose you could dance with me,” Evelyn said with a giggle.
Rebecca grinned. She couldn’t really imagine a man asking her to dance either, now that she thought of it, not with both of them wearing breeches. The poor chap would be far too embarrassed, she was sure.
But dancing was the least of her concerns. “It’s all right,” she said. “There will be other balls.”
She actually wasn’t displeased with her costume. At least it was unique, dashingly so in her opinion. Most of the other guests were wearing duplicates of the same costumes. Two shepherdesses had danced by while she’d been standing there talking to Evelyn, who was also dressed as a shepherdess. And Rebecca must have seen at least four gentlemen made up to look like pirates.
Rupert still hadn’t arrived. Perhaps he wasn’t coming to the ball. Perhaps he was only in the palace to spy and was wearing the dandy costume to look as if he belonged here tonight. What was she thinking? He was a member of the Locke family. He couldn’t be a spy. She’d seen him in the palace yesterday, too, and he’d been dressed normally.
It was regrettable that she’d met him for the first time underthese awkward circumstances, it really was. But what was he doing in that fellow’s room? The same thing she’d been doing?
Rebecca paled slightly at the realization that she’d made some wild assumptions about Rupert based on the task she’d been sent to do. Sarah had never told her why she was to search that room, only that it was important. But important to whom?
“Shall we walk?” Sarah said as she approached Rebecca, giving a nod to Evelyn to excuse them.
Rebecca wasn’t given much choice in the matter, since the lady put her arm through hers and led her to the back of the crowd. Sarah hadn’t donned a costume for tonight, just a black domino mask.
“What do you have for me?” Sarah asked eagerly.
“The information that I was discovered.”
Sarah stopped abruptly. “By whom? A servant?”
“No. But he seemed to be well acquainted with the man who lives in the room. However, I had already made my search and found nothing of interest. The room was very neat. I would have thought no one occupied it, if I hadn’t found clothes neatly folded in the
“Excuse me?”
He let her go. “Run along, wench. You’re too young to understand.”
Chapter Nine
I ADMIRE YOUR GUMPTION TO wear a costume like that, ’deed I do,” Evelyn remarked as she walked over to join Rebecca. “But didn’t it occur to you that a woman in breeches isn’t likely to be asked to dance?”
They stood on the edge of the dance floor. The ballroom at Buckingham Palace was immense. With so many chandeliers lit, and so much gilt on the walls, the room sparkled brightly.
Rebecca hadn’t moved too far from the entrance, though. She’d been watching the door for Rupert St. John’s arrival while she waited for Lady Sarah to finish her conversation and come over to her. She’d tried to go directly to the lady to warn her that she’d been discovered, but a rude flick of Sarah’s hand had warned her not to interrupt.
Rebecca was nervous. The intrigue wasn’t over yet. Rupert wouldn’t be put off by any hand-flicking if he decided to question Sarah about the “scarf” excuse. So she really needed to talk to Sarah before he did.
“This costume wasn’t my idea,” Rebecca said in response to Evelyn’s question. “I neglected to bring one with me.”
“Let me guess. Elizabeth?” At Rebecca’s nod, Evelyn rolled her eyes. “She didn’t tell you about the costume room, did she? We have access to all sorts of paraphernalia to create a great many different costumes. Why, there must be five shepherdess crooks hanging up in there,” she added, tapping the one in her hand on the floor.
Learning about the costume room, Rebecca should have got angry, but she was currently too nervous for any other emotion to take precedence.
“I suppose you could dance with me,” Evelyn said with a giggle.
Rebecca grinned. She couldn’t really imagine a man asking her to dance either, now that she thought of it, not with both of them wearing breeches. The poor chap would be far too embarrassed, she was sure.
But dancing was the least of her concerns. “It’s all right,” she said. “There will be other balls.”
She actually wasn’t displeased with her costume. At least it was unique, dashingly so in her opinion. Most of the other guests were wearing duplicates of the same costumes. Two shepherdesses had danced by while she’d been standing there talking to Evelyn, who was also dressed as a shepherdess. And Rebecca must have seen at least four gentlemen made up to look like pirates.
Rupert still hadn’t arrived. Perhaps he wasn’t coming to the ball. Perhaps he was only in the palace to spy and was wearing the dandy costume to look as if he belonged here tonight. What was she thinking? He was a member of the Locke family. He couldn’t be a spy. She’d seen him in the palace yesterday, too, and he’d been dressed normally.
It was regrettable that she’d met him for the first time underthese awkward circumstances, it really was. But what was he doing in that fellow’s room? The same thing she’d been doing?
Rebecca paled slightly at the realization that she’d made some wild assumptions about Rupert based on the task she’d been sent to do. Sarah had never told her why she was to search that room, only that it was important. But important to whom?
“Shall we walk?” Sarah said as she approached Rebecca, giving a nod to Evelyn to excuse them.
Rebecca wasn’t given much choice in the matter, since the lady put her arm through hers and led her to the back of the crowd. Sarah hadn’t donned a costume for tonight, just a black domino mask.
“What do you have for me?” Sarah asked eagerly.
“The information that I was discovered.”
Sarah stopped abruptly. “By whom? A servant?”
“No. But he seemed to be well acquainted with the man who lives in the room. However, I had already made my search and found nothing of interest. The room was very neat. I would have thought no one occupied it, if I hadn’t found clothes neatly folded in the
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