The Husband Hunt (Madison Sisters 3)

Chapter Eleven

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Christiana asked with concern.

"Of course she's sure," Suzette answered for her. "Lisa has loved Robert forever. It will be all right. "

"Suzette, don't push her into this," Christiana said quietly. "This is not a game. He could be very angry if he works out it was a setup. He might never forgive her. "

Lisa bit her lip as Christiana's words ran through her head. It was a scary thought, but not as scary as the thought of never having him, she acknowledged. And if she did not do this, she very much feared she would lose him. Or never get to claim him, Lisa supposed, since he wasn't hers to lose yet.

Straightening her shoulders, she nodded firmly. "I want to do this. "

"Good girl," Suzette said cheerfully, rubbing her shoulder. "You can do this. You've read all those books and know what to do. Just pretend you are Fanny or Sophia and do all those delicious things you've read about. He will not be able to resist you. "

"Right," she murmured, her mind scrambling to pull up all the bits of information she had read over the years. Unfortunately, the only thing she could remember just then was that the first time was supposed to be terribly painful and bloody. The thought was not an encouraging one. Hardly something to look forward to and she felt herself begin to wilt. Then she recalled those moments at the ball when Robert had kissed and caressed her after pushing her into the dark room. Those memories managed to push back the fear and trepidation.

"Good. " Suzette patted her back. "So we will head out to the ball, and you go sit with him in his room while he eats, and then seduce him. We will return early and check on him and catch you in there, hopefully naked in bed," she added. "You can do this. "

"I can do this," Lisa agreed, shoulders straightening, and then she asked with worry. "What time are you returning?"

"We hadn't decided on a set time," Christiana said with a frown when Suzette hesitated.

"It's better that way, then you will not have to fake being surprised," Suzette assured her when Lisa looked worried. "But what if I haven't seduced him by the time you come back?" she asked plaintively.

"Well, you should seduce him right away," Suzette said firmly. "Or at least as quickly as possible. The doctor has given him a tincture so he should be manageable enough and suffering no pain. "

"But - "

"Blow out the candle when you've done it," Christiana suggested. "If we return and the candle in his room is still glowing, we will wait to make our entrance. "

"Oh, okay," she murmured with relief. It would be just her luck for them to return before she'd worked up the courage to seduce Robert and ruin everything.

"All right," Suzette smiled encouragingly. "Chin up. This will work. This time next year you and Robert will be happily married and laughing about all of this. "

"If he forgives her," Christiana said gloomily. She was still not keen on this idea, but was giving her support because she loved Lisa and wanted her happy. And because she couldn't think of another way to handle the matter. Lisa appreciated that.

"Chrissy, stop being such a pessimist about this," Suzette reprimanded grimly. "We have been considering the problem for the last two days since the attack and there is really no other way to handle him. And it has to be handled soon. Those runners could return at any moment with the name of the suitor. "

"Yes, I know," Christiana said on a sigh. "That's the only reason I have stopped arguing against it. " Forcing a smile, she patted Lisa's shoulder. "Everything will be fine, I'm sure. "

Lisa nodded solemnly, though she wasn't sure of that herself.

"Are you ladies ready to go?"

The three sisters glanced to the door together to see Daniel smiling brightly. "Richard is arranging for the carriage to be brought around right now. We need to get going if we wish to avoid the worst of the crush of arrivals. "

"Yes, we're ready," Suzette said and gave Lisa's arm an encouraging squeeze before crossing the room to slip her arms around her husband.

"Good," he said and bent his head to kiss her forehead affectionately. Glancing back to Lisa, he said solemnly. "Good luck, little sister. "

Lisa nodded and managed a smile, then turned her attention to Christiana as she moved in front of her.

"All will be well," Christiana whispered, giving her a bracing hug. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to. But it will be all right. At least I hope it will. It will be fine. Maybe. "

On that confusing note, she released her and followed the other two out of the room.

Lisa stared after them briefly, then turned to pace to the window and peer out at the night sky, trying not to think about what she was supposed to do. Seducing Robert. Good Lord, she didn't have a clue what she was going to do. How was she supposed to seduce him? It wasn't exactly something she'd been trained in. Did they even have training in that? Was there a school for Birds-of-Paradise and other light skirts? Classes on kissing? Caressing? Or on how to not scream like an idiot when he tore through your maidenhead and sent the blood gushing?

"Dear God," she muttered, pushing that thought firmly away. She would just go in there and . . . well, she would eat with him, talk, laugh, and . . . hopefully, something would inspire her. It would be easier though if he were doing the seducing. She would respond most eagerly if he did. However, that wasn't likely to happen.

"Here we are. "

Lisa turned from the window as Bet entered, a tray in hand. "Cook put together quite a feast for the two of you. She says Lord Langley needs to build up his strength. I managed to refrain from saying more than she knew," Bet said with a naughty grin.

Lisa managed a rather sickly smile, and moved to take the tray from her. Everybody was so bloody cheerful and happy about this plan. It seemed to her most households would not be so happy at the thought of the deliberate ruination of a young unmarried lady of the family. She truly had an unusual family.

"Good luck," Bet murmured as she released the tray. "I shall be thinking of ye. "

"Oh, dear God, please do not," Lisa whispered shakily. "This is going to be hard enough without knowing you are thinking about what I am doing. "

"Oh, aye," Bet muttered. "I'll . . . er . . . think o' something else then. "

"Thank you," Lisa said dryly and headed out of her room to the one Robert was occupying. She paused, her gaze sliding from the tray she held to the doorknob, and then sighed and glanced around. She smiled with relief when she saw that Bet had recognized the problem and was now rushing forward to open the door for her. "Good luck," she whispered as Lisa nodded and slid inside.

"God be with ye. "

Lisa turned with a start at those words, just in time to see the door close.

God be with her? She was planning to seduce a man, compromise herself and force him into marriage. God was not likely to approve of that plan, or stay at her side to help her through it. Good Lord, they'd all gone mad.

"Lisa?"

Sighing, she offered a smile for Robert's benefit as she moved toward his bed.

"Good evening. I've brought you dinner and thought I would stay to eat it with you," she announced cheerfully, carrying the tray to the bedside table

"That is kind of you," Robert murmured and started to pull himself up in bed.

"Just a moment and I'll help you," Lisa said with a frown when he winced and paused.

Setting the tray quickly on the table, she turned to bend to him. Lisa caught the way his eyes shifted to her chest as her robe gaped open, but pretended she didn't and acted very businesslike as she helped him sit up.

"Er . . . Lisa?" Robert muttered as she fussed over tucking his blankets more securely around his waist.

"Would you like a robe or something? Are you chilly?" she asked as she straightened.

Robert glanced down at his chest, bare but for the bandaging around his ribs and grimaced. "A shirt will do. "

"Of course

. " She moved to the chest at the foot of the bed and bent forward to open and begin searching it, knowing as she did that she was once again revealing a good deal of what she was wearing under her gaping robe.

"What the hell are you wearing?" he asked in a near growl as she pulled out a shirt and briefly examined it.

"Oh, a robe and night wear," Lisa answered absently as she straightened and moved back around the bed to help him don the shirt.

"What kind of night wear?" he asked, distractedly allowing her to tug the shirt on for him. Lisa didn't close it properly or bother with buttons.

"A nightgown, Robert," she answered on a laugh as she turned to the tray. "What else would I be wearing?"