The Perilous In-Between (The Chuzzlewit Chronicles Book 1) by Cortney Pearson

Author:Cortney Pearson [Pearson, Cortney]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-02-26T16:00:00+00:00

Twenty-four

Of all evenings, Victoria couldn’t believe she had to meet with Cordelia and Jane on this one. The two charlatans felt the need to socialize? Of course they couldn’t have known about the plans she made with Graham and Oscar to rig the hovercraft. But she had to keep up appearances. If she disappeared too soon, Uncle Jarvis would know she was up to something.

It was the same reason she hadn’t gone with Oscar and Graham into Jarvis’s office. She couldn’t alert his suspicions that she was going against his wishes.

She couldn’t lose her plane.

Mama had cleared Victoria’s responsibilities with her uncle for that evening, so arguing about the need to patrol hadn’t worked.

“They haven’t yet met our Mr. Birkley,” Mama chided when Victoria had confronted her about the evening. “And with a handsome young man like that around . . .”

“Mama, you cannot marry him off; he isn’t even from here!” Her mother waved her away with a vacant hand. Victoria took a moment to check herself. “And besides, he isn’t our Mr. Birkley at all.” The thought made her warm under her jacket.

“He’s staying at our home, isn’t he?” Mama fiddled with the floral arrangement on the entryway table.

That doesn’t make him ours, she thought, growing hotter still. “And is he aware of this grand meeting you’ve planned tonight?”

“I’ve simply invited our new cousins over for dinner, and Mr. Birkley happens to be here. That is all, it is nothing more, Victoria.”

“So there shall be three ladies to only one gentleman.”

Her mother gave her a patient look and pressed her lips together. “What makes you think he shall be the only gentleman here?”

Oh no, Victoria thought. She should have known Mama’s innocent act was a farce. In all likelihood, one of the other gentlemen would be Lord Charles Merek.

Victoria opened her mouth to tell her mother about their broken engagement, but her mother went on. “Now go upstairs and dress for dinner.”

She sulked all the way up to her bedchamber, made for the desk near the window, and bent to scribe a note to Oscar so he would know not to come until a later time than they’d previously arranged. With Linny’s help, Victoria changed her gown at least three times, each time reminding herself that the indecision had nothing to do with her very pretty cousins meeting Graham for the first time tonight.

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