Julia Quinn - Ten Things I Love About You

Oh, he wasreally going to like her.

She was going to have to be introduced to Mr. Grey eventually, there was no avoiding it. But did it have to be now? Surely she deserved a little time to prepare.

She hadn’t thought she was such a coward. No, she wasn’t a coward. Any sane person would flee in such a situation, and probably half of the mad ones, as well.

“Annabel,” Louisa said, her voice sounding exasperated. “Why is it so important that we leave?”

Annabel tried to think of a reason. She really did. But there was only the truth, which she was not prepared to share, so instead she stood there dumbly, wondering how on earth she was going to get out of this fix.

But alas, that particular moment of panic was brief. To be replaced by a far, far more horrific moment of panic. Because it soon became apparent that shewasn’t going to get out of the fix. The lady on Mr. Grey’s arm appeared to have recognized Louisa, and Louisa had already waved in greeting.

“Louisa,” Annabel hissed.

“I can’t ignore her,” Louisa whispered back. “It’s Lady Olivia Valentine. Her father is the Earl of Rudland. Mr. Grey’s cousin married her last year.”

Annabel groaned.

“I thought she was out of town,” Louisa said with a frown. “She must have just got back.” Then she turned to Annabel with an earnest expression. “Don’t be fooled by her appearance. She’s very kind.”

Annabel didn’t know whether to be horrified or confused. Don’t be fooled by her appearance? What was that supposed to mean?

“She’s quite beautiful,” Louisa explained.

“What does—”

“No, I mean—” Louisa cut herself off, clearly dissatisfied with her ability to convey the extent of Lady Valentine’s charms. “You’ll have to see for yourself.”

Thankfully, the staggeringly beautiful Lady Olivia didn’t appear to be walking very quickly. Still Annabel judged that she had no more than fifteen seconds before the two parties intersected. She grabbed Louisa’s arm. “Don’t tell them about Lord Newbury,” she hissed.

Louisa’s eyes widened with astonishment. “Don’t you think they’ll already know?”

“I don’t know. Maybe not. I don’t think everybody knows yet.”

“Of course not, but if anyone does, don’t you think it would be Mr. Grey?”

“Maybe not by name. Everyone refers to me as ‘that Vickers girl.’”

It was true. Annabel was being brought out by Lord and Lady Vickers, and no one had ever heard of her father’s family, which, her grandfather was quick to point out, was how it should be. In his opinion, his daughter would have been far better off if she’d never become a Winslow.

Louisa frowned nervously. “I’m sure they know that I’m a Vickers grandchild as well.”

Annabel grasped Louisa’s hand in full panic. “Then don’t tell them I’m your cousin.”

“I can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

Louisa blinked. “I don’t know. But it can’t possibly be proper.”

“Hang proper. Just do this for me, please.”

“Very well. But I still think you’ve gone a bit strange.”

Annabel could not argue. She’d gone quite a few things in the last day, and really,strange was the least of it.

It’s really too bad you married my cousin,” Sebastian murmured, steering Olivia away from an enormous pile of horse dung that someone had failed to clean up. “I think you might be the perfect woman.”

Olivia glanced over at him with a perfectly arched eyebrow. “Because I allow you to eat breakfast at my house every morning?”

“Ah, you couldn’t have put an end to that,” Seb replied, giving her a twist of a smile. “The habit was far too entrenched before you entered the scene.”

“Because I didn’t scold you for the three dozen dart holes on the back of the guest-bedroom door?”

“All Edward’s fault. I have perfect aim.”

“Still, Sebastian, it’s aleased house.”

“I know, I know. Odd that you kept it this year. Don’t you want to be a bit farther from your parents?”

When Olivia had married Sebastian’s cousin Harry, she had moved into his home, which was directly next door to her family’s London house. They had conducted half of their courtship through their windows. Sebastian found the story rather charming.

“I like my parents,” Olivia said.

Sebastian shook his head. “A concept so alien I think it must be unpatriotic.”

Olivia turned to him with some surprise. “I know that Harry’s parents were—” She gave her head a little shake. “Well, never mind. But I hadn’t thought that yours were so dreadful.”

“They’re not. But I wouldn’tchoose to spend time with them.” Sebastian considered this. “Especially my father. As he’s dead.”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “There must be something in that statement that will get you banned from church.”

“It’s too late for that,” Seb murmured.

“I think you need a wife,” Olivia said, turning to him with strategically narrowed eyes.

“You are in danger of losing your status as the perfect woman,” he warned.

“You never did tell me what I had done to earn it.”

“First and foremost was your heretofore restraint at nagging me about marrying.”

“I shan’t apologize.”

He nodded in acknowledgment. “But there is also your sublime penchant for not being shocked at anything I say.”

“Oh, I’m shocked,” Olivia said. “I just hide it well.”

“Just as good,” Seb told her.

They walked for a few moments, and then she said it again. “Youshould marry, you know.”

“Have I given any indication that I’m avoiding it?”

“Well,” Olivia said slowly, “you haven’t taken a wife…”

“Merely because I haven’t found the perfect woman.” He gave her a bland smile. “Alas, Harry got to you first.”

“Not to mention that you’ll do better if you marry before your uncle begets himself another heir.”

Sebastian turned to her with perfectly feigned shock. “Why, Olivia Valentine, that is positively mercenary of you.”

“It’s true.”

“I’m such a gamble,” Sebastian said with a sigh.

“You are!” Olivia exclaimed, with enough excitement that he thought he might be frightened. “That is exactly what you are! You are a gamble. A risk. A—”

“You overwhelm me with compliments.”

Olivia ignored him. “Trust me when I tell you that all of the young ladies would prefer you to your uncle.”

“Again, the compliments.”

“But if he gets an heir, you get nothing. So do they take a risk with you? The handsome rogue who might inherit or the portly earl who already has the title?”

“That is about as kind a description as I have ever heard applied to my uncle.”

“Many would choose the bird in hand, but others would think, ‘If I bide my time, I could have the handsome rogueand the title.’”

“You make your gender sound so appealing.”

Olivia shrugged. “We can’t all marry for love.” And then, just when he’d decided this ought to depress him, she patted his arm and said, “But you should. You’re far too lovely not to.”

“And again, I am convinced,” Seb murmured. “The perfect woman.”

Olivia gave him a sickly smile.

“Do tell,” Sebastian said, steering her away from another disgusting pile, this time of the canine variety, “where is the perfect woman’s perfect husband? Or in other words, why did you require my ser vices this fine morning? Other than to hone your matchmaking skills, of course.”

“Harry is deep in his current project. He won’t see the light of day for a week at least, and I”—she patted her belly, just rounded enough to indicate her pregnancy—“needed air.”

“Still working on the Sarah Gorely novels?” he asked casually.

Olivia opened her mouth to speak, but before she could make a sound, the air was cracked by the sound of gunshot.

“What the hell was that?” Sebastian almost yelled. Good Lord, they were in the bloodypark . He looked around him, aware that his head was jerking back and forth like some half-mad horizontal jack-in-the-box. But his heart was pounding, and the damned sound of the shot was still echoing in his head, and—

“Sebastian,” Olivia said gently. And then: “Sebastian.”

“What?”

“My arm,” she said.

He saw her swallow, then looked down. He was clutching her forearm with a ferocious grip. He let go immediately. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I didn’t realize.”

She smiled weakly and rubbed the spot with her other hand. “It’s nothing.”

It wasn’t nothing, but he didn’t want to go into it. “Who is shooting in the park?” he asked irritably.

“I believe there is some sort of competition,” Olivia said. “Edward mentioned it to me this morning.”

Sebastian shook his head. A shooting competition in Hyde Park. Right during the busiest time of the day. The foolishness of his fellow man never ceased to amaze him.

“Are you all right?” Olivia asked.

He turned, wondering what she thought she was talking about.

“The noise,” she clarified.

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not—”

“It’s nothing,” he said curtly. And then, because he felt like an ass for using such a tone of voice, he added, “I was taken by surprise.”

It was true. He could sit and listen to guns exploding all day as long as he knew it was coming. Hell, he could probably sleep through the cacophony, assuming he was able to fall asleep in the first place. It was

just when he wasn’t expecting it. Hehated being taken by surprise.