off ladies like her as you had no intention of marrying any time soon. And I wanted to make certain you aren’t falling victim to either of the two L’s. Is there something I should know?” Hugh had sworn never to fall victim to love or lust—the two L’s—ingredients that he swore ruined their parents’ lives.
Thomas shifted in his chair despite the teasing glint clearly visible in his brother’s eyes. “Good heavens, no. The lady was standing alone, and I asked her to dance.”
“I don’t think Annabelle Gold needs anyone’s sympathy. She’s quite popular from what I know.”
“Yes, well, she’s attractive and capable of carrying on an intelligent conversation. That’s reason enough to dance with her, isn’t it?”
“If you say so. You’re rather defensive on the topic.”
“There is nothing between Miss Gold and me. You’ll be the first to know if that changes.”
“Promise?”
Thomas chuckled as his brother had meant him to. No one could get under his skin better than Hugh. He always knew exactly the right thing to say to vex Thomas. Despite knowing that, he still allowed Hugh to do it. Such was the relationship between brothers, he supposed.
“Were you looking for me at the club just to inquire about my intentions toward Miss Gold?” Thomas asked, hoping to change the subject.
Hugh set his glass on the small table between them. “Unfortunately, I come bearing bad news. Do you remember Joseph Smead?”
Thomas searched his mind for the familiar name. “Wasn’t he the younger brother of the Earl of Arlingwood?”
“Yes, he was between you and me at Eton I think.” Hugh shook his head. “They found his body on the bank of the Thames. He was murdered.”
“Was that the one mentioned in The Times this morning?”
“Yes. From what little I heard they have few clues as to who might’ve done it.”
“That’s terrible.” Concern rolled through him. “Why would anyone want him dead?”
Hugh shook his head. “It’s quite the mystery.” He tapped the cover of the book. “Perhaps your A. Golden could determine who was behind it.”
The idea of Annabelle involved in anything close to a real murder gave him chills. Thank heavens that was something he’d never have to worry over.
Chapter Four
The following morning, Annabelle settled at the desk in her room with the previous day’s broadsheet. The paper stayed in her father’s office for a day before her mother replaced it with the latest one. Annabelle didn’t know if he actually read it but keeping to a routine seemed to help lessen his confusion.
She enjoyed looking over the articles as it often spurred new ideas for stories. Writing both a new book and continuing the serial in the broadsheet was a challenge. Before she could do more than lift the paper, her bedchamber door opened and Margaret peered inside.
“Am I interrupting?”
“Not at all. I was just about to get started.”
Margaret entered, carrying a gown. She paused and held it before her. “How does this look?”
Her younger sister had spent the past two years giving new life to their gowns each season. With money tight, ordering new ones hadn’t been possible. But her clever skills made that lack a well-kept secret. She took lace and ribbons and other embellishments from one and put them on another. Some she’d dyed to change the color. Several times, she’d modified a waistline to keep up with the latest fashion. She had a good eye for what styles suited them and thoroughly enjoyed developing designs, often sketching her ideas before bringing them to life.
“It’s lovely,” Annabelle said. Margaret had woven narrow strips of pink and white satin into a figure eight design and sewn them in strips onto the bodice then lined them with decorative pearls. “Truly gorgeous.”
“It’s for you.” Margaret drew closer and held it out with a smile.
“Me?”
“This was Caroline’s gown, but she doesn’t need it anymore. That leaves you. This pale pink will be wonderful on you. I like to think the new bodice adds a certain level of sophistication to the gown.”
“It does indeed.” Thrilled, Annabelle rose to take the gown and hold it against her as she looked in the mirror. “I love it. Thank you, Margaret. Your talent never fails to amaze me.”
“If you’d like, I can sew a few seed pearls on your pink slippers so they match the gown.”
“Perfect. I’ll get them for you.” She laid the gown on her bed with care then moved to her wardrobe to retrieve the slippers. After she handed them over, she hugged Margaret. “I absolutely adore it. Thank