Page 10 of Her Scandalous Pursuit

“Well...” Thisbe’s grin grew. “I met someone.”

“A man!” Kyria drew in a sharp breath and grabbed her older sister’s arm. “That’s why you’re glowing.”

Thisbe’s cheeks colored. “Don’t be silly. I’m not glowing.”

“You are,” Olivia told her. “And your eyes are sparkling.”

“Who is he? Do we know him?” Kyria persisted.

High-pitched laughter suddenly filled the hall outside, and a moment later two toddlers dressed in their nightclothes burst into the room, their nanny in hot pursuit. The boys were mirror images of each other, with hair as dark and eyes as green as Thisbe’s own. Their chubby cheeks were flushed from running and their eyes were bright with mischief. They glanced from one sister to another, then, after apparently deciding Thisbe had the most authority as the oldest sister, they flung themselves at her.

“Thisbe!” They split and ducked behind her, clutching her skirts. “Read to me. Read to me,” they jabbered, first Con, then Alex, as they jumped up and down, seemingly choreographed to create the most noise and movement possible.

“I like that.” Kyria put her hands on her hips in mock indignation. “You think only Thisbe can save you?”

The boys stopped and looked each other. Alex abandoned Thisbe and darted to Kyria, throwing his arms around her legs dramatically. “Kyria!”

Then, with a screech of glee, they began to run dizzyingly around all three sisters, weaving in and out, until finally Thisbe reached out and scooped up one as he darted by. “Con. Enough.”

Con beamed at her and laid his head upon her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her neck. Drawing out his voice, he said pleadingly, “Thisbe. Pwease.” Con was still having a little trouble with his l’s.

“You little dramatist.” Thisbe laughed and kissed the top of his head.

Pleased with the word, Con repeated it. “Dramatist.”

“Will you?” Alex asked from his perch in Kyria’s arms. He liked to have a definitive answer. “Kyria, too.”

“And Wivvy.” Con pointed to Olivia.

“Livvy, too,” Alex agreed.

“We might as well,” Thisbe told her sisters. “Otherwise we’ll never have any peace.”

More important, it would give the nanny a rest. Thisbe looked over at the twins’ weary keeper. Right now she looked as if she might turn in her notice tomorrow, which would make her the fourth one this year.

Carrying the twins—it was always better to have them in one’s grip—the sisters trooped up the stairs and down the hall to the twins’ rooms. Con regaled them with an account of his and Alex’s day, punctuated now and then by insertions from his brother and an occasional disagreement over who had been the first to swipe the biscuits from under Cook’s nose, or climbed the highest, or jumped over the most steps.

The pair had a suite of rooms: Con and Alex in one bedroom, their nanny in another, with the schoolroom in between. The schoolroom looked as if it had been hit by a hurricane, its usual condition by the end of the day. The nanny headed straight for her room—either to take a much-needed rest or pack her things, Thisbe wasn’t sure which, and the sisters tucked the boys into their beds.

Thisbe read them a fairy tale, after which they wheedled their favorite story from Olivia, the one about a polar bear, a monkey—geographical limitations did not exist in the twins’ stories—and the boy who saved them both with his cleverness. That was a mistake, as it left them more wide-awake than before, and Kyria had to quiet them with a lullaby before they closed their eyes.

As they left the room, Kyria grabbed Thisbe’s elbow and hustled her off to Kyria’s bedchamber. “Now.” Kyria settled herself on the bed, legs tucked under her. “Tell us everything. This is so exciting.”

Thisbe was surprised to feel a blush spreading across her cheeks. “Well...perhaps you won’t find it all that interesting.”

“You must be joking. You and a man? It’s practically world-shaking.”

“Yes,” Olivia agreed, perching on the other end of the bed. “Who is he? Where did you meet him? Did he sweep you out of the way of a runaway carriage or rescue you from a footpad or—” Olivia was a great reader of novels.

“He sat beside me at a lecture.”

“That’s disappointing.” Olivia looked deflated.

“Don’t be silly.” Kyria rolled her eyes at her younger sister. “Thisbe’s not stupid enough to step in front of a speeding carriage. Nor does she carry anything worth stealing. Go on. Did he come to sit beside you or vice versa?”

“You really do want to know everything.” Thisbe climbed onto the bed as well, taking the center, and the others turned to face her. It was a scene that had been enacted many times—the three of them settling in for a long chat—but tonight it felt different, as if imbued with a certain importance, a...well, yes, a glow. “He took the seat beside me. To be fair, he came late, and there weren’t many available.”

“Even if there were only two, it’s significant that he chose you.”