Chapter 2

Two

E mma tingled with anticipation. Everything was falling nicely into place. Every one of the invitations she’d sent had been accepted. The manor would be full for Christmastide. It would be marvelous, and not just because her revenge would finally come to fruition. Her friends would be there and they could celebrate together. She’d only had one friend before the wallflowers had sealed their pact, and that friend she hadn’t seen in years. That too, would change soon. At least she prayed it would.

She strolled into the sitting room and grinned. They were all there. The other guests wouldn’t arrive for another day or two, but the most important invitations went to the four ladies waiting for her—Lilah hadn’t received an invitation since, technically, she was the hostess. They were all drinking tea and chatting as if no time or distance had separated them. “Hello,” she said, then went over to join them. “I’m so happy to see everyone.”

Victoria grinned. “We are glad to be here.” She patted the side of the settee next to her. “Come sit. Tell me everything. I want to know your plans.”

Emma went over to the settee and sat next to Victoria. She should have poured herself a cup of tea first, but hadn’t thought of it. Perhaps she’d have some later.

“We all want to know,” Cora said, then sipped her tea. “I was excited when the invitation arrived. I suspected this was a scheme of yours. Especially, since Lilah hates socializing.” She wrinkled her nose. “Though bravo for having her be the hostess. You know all those harpies are savoring at the opportunity to see if Viscount Harcrest is still besotted with her.”

Lilah rolled her eyes. “That man adores me,” she said with a contented sigh. “I am truly fortunate to have won his heart. Though if you had asked me that prior to that house party, I would have thought you all mad.”

“Indeed,” Emma agreed. “The truth is that my brother is the fortunate one. He could have ended up married to the likes of Lady Daisy Allen.”

“She’s awful,” Selena said. “He is indeed lucky that she didn’t sink her claws into him.” She took a sip of her tea. “Has anyone heard what’s happened with her? Anything new?”

“As far as we know,” Emma said with an evil grin. “She’s still at that finishing school her father sent her to.” Emma was all too familiar with that finishing school as she’d attended it. Lady Daisy was likely just as awful as the girls Emma had attended with. She would likely fit in famously. Though she wished with her whole heart that Lady Daisy was not treated well. Because otherwise that girl would never learn and would continue to believe herself above everyone. Just because she was the daughter of a duke did not mean she could be so awful to those around her.

“I still think she deserved worse than that,” Lilah said. “She nearly ruined my life. All because she thought Henry belonged to her. She was willing to do anything to have him. It’s just…wrong.”

“It is,” Selena agreed. “But she didn’t win. That is what you need to remember.” She nodded toward Emma. “And that’s now why we are here. This house party is for her to get her revenge.” She leaned back and stared at Emma. “What do you need from us?”

“Nothing,” she said. “But I suppose I can tell you my plans. Just in case help is needed that I haven’t already foreseen.”

“Go on,” Lilah encouraged. “What do we need to know?”

Emma stood and went over to the teacart to pour herself a cup of tea. She put two lumps of sugar into her cup, then stirred slowly. She wasn’t certain where to start or what she should tell them. How much was too much? She sighed and went and sat next to Victoria again. Emma sipped her tea and then closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them, all four of her fellow wallflowers were staring at her expectantly. “There is much I’ve told no one,” she said. “I mentioned as much to Lilah when we were discussing the invitation.”

“You did,” Lilah confirmed. “Are you ready to discuss it now?”

“Not entirely,” Emma said. “It has to do with my own experience at finishing school.” She hated thinking about that time. “Henry thought it would be good for me to go. I was terribly shy back then. I begged him to let me stay home. In some ways, it helped me to accept myself. I did grow bolder because of my time there.” She’d had to. If she hadn’t started to stand up for herself, she might not have survived that school. “But I am afraid I was always destined to be a wallflower.” Emma didn’t do well in social situations.

“What happened to you at school?” Victoria asked.

“It wasn’t one thing,” Emma said. “A lot happened at school, some of it I’d rather forget.” She inhaled sharply. “But I cannot. It’s always there.” She glanced away from them. “Two girls made my life miserable there. They are the ones I want revenge on, and I intend to have it.”

“Who are they?” Selena asked.

“Yes,” Cora said. “We want to know.”

Emma shook her head. “Not yet,” she said. “When I need your help, I’ll let you know. But I want to do this on my own for as long as possible. I need them to understand how their cruelty affected me.”

“And you shall,” Lilah told her. “Are you going to tell us what you have planned, even if we do not know who?”

She shook her head. “I cannot,” she said. Partly because she didn’t have it all quite worked out. But it had a lot to do with humiliation. She had to ensure all the targets arrived so she could start pulling their strings. “It’s too complicated and I am afraid if I start speaking my plans it will all unravel.”

Selena laughed. “All right. Keep your secrets. We will be here if you need us.”

Emma breathed a sigh of relief. She sipped her tea. These women were the reason she had the courage to see this through now, when before she wouldn’t have been able to. She smiled at them, just content to spend the afternoon in their company. Soon the manor would be overrun with guests and times like this would not be so easy to find. So, she relaxed and enjoyed their company. Revenge schemes could wait until the guests arrived.

Blake strolled into Harcrest’s study. The viscount was behind his desk, going over some ledgers. Harcrest frowned at the books on his table. He could commiserate with Harcrest’s frustration. There was plenty of time he’d stared at his own accounting books with the same expression on his face. He didn’t enjoy that part of running his estate, either.

“That bad, is it?” Blake said in an amused tone.

Harcrest glanced up and met his gaze. There was a glazed look there that he shook away. “It will be fine,” he said. “I just have to sort out a few discrepancies.” He closed the book and gave Blake his full attention. “You’re here earlier than expected.”

“You can thank Castlebury for our timely arrival,” he said casually. “He stopped by my townhouse and suggested we travel together since he was in town.”

“He came?” Harcrest asked, surprised. “I must admit, I didn’t think either of you would make the journey here. I wouldn’t blame you if you had decided to remain home.”

Blake shrugged. “My sister is here,” he said. “And Castlebury mentioned that he would like to see his cousin. We’re all family, in a sense. So why not come and spend Christmastide here? It was no trouble, and Castlebury is an excellent traveling companion.”

The viscount nodded. “That makes sense.” He leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I’m actually surprised that Emma wanted to have a house party. She wasn’t a wallflower without reason.”

“This was your sister’s idea?” He frowned. “What reason did she give you?” Blake was as surprised as the viscount. He wasn’t that familiar with his sister. They hadn’t had a chance to become acquainted over the years. Though he suspected his own sister had become friendly with her. Perhaps he should make a point to have a conversation or two with Harcrest’s little sister while he was there. To at least discover what Victoria might see in her.

“She said she missed her friends.” Harcrest stood and walked over to the bar in his study. He poured a snifter of brandy. “Would you like one?” He asked.

“Yes,” Blake said. “Please.”

Harcrest handed him his snifter of brandy and took a sip from his own glass.

“Why didn’t she just invite her friends, then?” Blake sipped his own brandy. “Why have so many guests at Christmas?”

“That’s what I said.” He sighed. “But Lilah took her side and I cannot argue with my wife and my sister.” He drew in a breath. “Well, I could, but I don’t like having disagreements with my wife. That never leads anywhere pleasant.” He brought his glass to his lips for a drink. “And I would like to have a more, shall we say, pleasurable time with Lilah.”

Blake laughed. “I can see why you would.” He sipped on his brandy and wandered over to a window. Snow fell lightly outside, but not enough to raise any concern. It would barely blanket the ground once finished. “Did Lilah give a reason for her support of Emma’s wishes?”

“No,” Harcrest said. “But I didn’t expect her to. Though it did surprise me. Lilah hates society as much as Emma. There has to be some reason there.”

That was interesting… He turned to glance at Harcrest. “Do you have suspicions about what that reason might be?”

He shook his head. “I’m almost afraid to ask.” He joined Blake at the window. “Those women…” He frowned. “I hate to refer them as such, but it is the truth. Or was… They were all wallflowers. They must have become acquainted while gracing the walls together at those societal functions. They could have discussed almost anything. They are all intelligent enough. That should scare all the gentlemen of the ton witless.”

Blake considered that. Had they plotted something? If so…what? Perhaps this house party would be far more interesting than he had thought. At the first opportunity, he would have a conversation with Miss Emma Collins. He might not be able to discern the truth from one little discussion, but it would be a start. He would also take the opportunity to observe the other wallflowers. Had they hatched this scheme months ago? Long before that or iginal house party? Was that how his friends ended up married to three of them? If so, he would definitely have to be on guard. He would not find himself married to a wallflower. How preposterous…

“You could be right in your supposition,” Blake conceded. “Or you could be seeing something that isn’t there.” He shrugged. “I do not think we will ever truly know either way.”

“Perhaps,” he said. “I could ask my wife.”

“Do you believe she’d admit to it?” Blake arched a brow.

“If I asked her?” Harcrest frowned and turned away from the window. Blake turned and watched as he went back and sat at his desk. He set his glass of brandy down. “Yes, she’d tell me the truth.”

“Then why haven’t you asked?” Blake had never been so confused.

“Because maybe I don’t want to know. If I asked her and she told me something I didn’t like, then what would I do then? Would I stop them from what they have planned? Does it even matter?” He sighed. “I’m not a fool. That whole mess with Lady Daisy Allen—I knew then that they had been scheming. It was quite obvious. If they hadn’t, I might not have Lilah for a wife now. That other harpy might have gotten her way. ”

“Would you have married her?” Blake asked. He was a little surprised at the direction this conversation had turned toward.

“I would not have wanted to.” Harcrest picked up his brandy once more. “Her father is a duke. He’d have ruined me. I have Emma to consider.”

Blake nodded. “Perhaps it is best if you do not ask.” But that did not mean that Blake had to remain in the dark. He wanted to know what they planned. “I’ll leave you to your ledgers. We can talk more later.” He set his brandy down, unfinished. He had some planning of his own to do, starting with how he would corner Emma and discover all of her secrets