has been doing to me.”
Lilly gasped in excitement. “Who are you going to hire?”
“I don’t know yet.” Kitty lowered her voice and pointed to the doors. “But it must be someone like her. Aaron’s chaperone must make him as miserable as she is making me.”
Lilly clasped her hands together and grinned. “I like the way you think.”
“I do, too,” Emilia agreed. “I had no idea you were capable of scheming.”
“I got the idea from my husband,” Kitty said. “You can thank him for coming up with it.”
“I’ll ask Benjamin if he knows anyone who can help us find the right gentleman for this job,” Emilia replied.
“And I’ll ask Roger,” Lilly added.
Kitty’s eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t know, Lilly. Will Roger tell Aaron?” The last thing she wanted was for Aaron to stop her by taking the money from her.
“I can get Roger to keep a secret,” Lilly said.
“How?” Kitty asked.
“I know something about him that no one else does,” Lilly replied. “Since I won’t tell anyone his secret, he won’t tell yours. Besides, Aaron will find out soon enough.”
Lilly seemed so confident she could do this that Kitty believed her. She’d known Lilly for years, and when Lilly was this sure about something, it was a guarantee.
Emilia wiggled on the chair in excitement. “This is going to be so much fun! I’m going to discuss this with Benjamin as soon as I get home.”
Emilia stood up, and Lilly laughed. “Are you going to your townhouse right now?” Lilly asked.
“I can’t wait. I want to help our poor friend right away.” Emilia glanced between her and Kitty. “Do you want to come along?”
Kitty sighed. “I’d love to, but I don’t want my guard to find me in a room with a gentleman. Even if that gentleman is your husband and even if you’ll be there, I just know she’ll insist on staying in the room.”
“She’s probably right,” Lilly said. “Miss Britcher looks even more stern than Lady Cadwalader. One would swear Lady Cadwalader learned to be so miserable from her.”
“No, even Lady Cadwalader smiles from time to time,” Kitty replied then giggled.
Her two friends laughed, and she felt much better. For the first time since the wedding, she was beginning to feel like there was hope that her life hadn’t come to an end.
“I’ll stay with Kitty while you get some ideas on who might be a suitable chaperone for Aaron,” Lilly told Emilia.
“Benjamin knows a lot of gentlemen,” Emilia said. “We’ll find the perfect one.” Emilia turned to Kitty. “Then Aaron will be sorry he gave you such grief.” Without waiting for her friends to respond, she hurried out of the room.
***
Two days later, Aaron stared at the middle-aged and tall gentleman who looked down at him. Aaron’s gaze went to Kitty, who had the nerve to smirk triumphantly at him.
“That, my lord, is your chaperone,” Kitty said.
“I will not pay for this,” Aaron replied. Then, glaring at the older gentleman, he added, “You might as well leave now. You’ll receive no pay.”
“Oh, yes, he is,” Kitty said. “I have my own money.”
“How?” Aaron asked in shock.
“I’m an intelligent lady. I’m capable of selling things and keeping the money.”
“Selling what? Do you charge your lovers for an evening with you?”
She gasped. “I have never done anything of the sort. I sew items like dolls, pillows, and clothes. Then I sell them.”
He snorted. Who did she think she was fooling? No lady wasted time sewing things to sell, especially not one who was part of the nobility.
“It’s true,” she insisted, her face growing red. “I do have money, and I earned it through honest means. Fortunately, Mr. Stonewall isn’t daft like you are.” She turned to the gentleman. “I want you to keep watch over him at all times. I don’t want him to be alone with any lady except for me.” She turned her gaze back to Aaron. “The staff is setting up his sleeping arrangements in your bedchamber as we speak. Mr. Stonewall will be with you every moment of the day, just as Miss Britcher is with me.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re doing this out of spite.”
“I’m doing this to make sure the only lady you will get a child with will be me. You can’t go around slipping into ladies’ beds. I will not have my dowry being used to take care of your illegitimate brats. My dowry will only be used to take care of my child. And your money will only be used for