Pretty Persuasion by Olivia Kingsley

Author:Olivia Kingsley [Kingsley, Olivia]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance, Historical, C429, Extratorrents, Kat
ISBN: 9781466247321
Google: VZTgygAACAAJ
Amazon: B0061TB634
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: 2011-10-29T21:00:00+00:00

Thirteen

"Robert leaves for Barbados in a matter of days, and to-day he called on Southwell House to make his farewells. Mamma was furious when I refused to say more than "good-bye." She does not know what a Faithless, Despicable Rat he is, and so I shall forgive her for insisting that I be confined to the nursery until I have written him a letter of apology. However, I shall hang before I beg the Rat's pardon."

— From the diary of Lady Georgiana Montford, aged 13

"GOOD GOD," ROBERT breathed as surprise and disbelief rushed over him. It was a lewd drawing. A couple lay entwined on the grass-covered ground, and their position left no question as to the nature of their pastime. Strangest of all, though, was their appearance: pointy ears and snouts with bushy whiskers. They were supposed to look like rodents—copulating rodents dressed as humans.

Why the devil would Georgie have drawn such a picture?

He looked up and found her staring wide-eyed at the sheet of paper. Her gaze rose to meet his, and scarlet infused her cheeks as he raised his brows.

"That is private," she said, sounding calmer than she appeared. "I did not intend for you to see it. Please, give it back."

"As much as I want to please you, I am afraid I cannot. I find it much too intriguing." Not trusting her passivity, he held the paper away from her while he studied it. The proportions were drawn with the same hint of awkwardness as the cricket sketches; she must have done this one at the same age. The perspective puzzled him: a sidewise view of the couple, an indistinct tangle of limbs, and no surroundings except a peculiar statue.

"Did you draw this from memory or imagination?"

The color in her pale freckled cheeks deepened as she wavered. "From memory," she said curtly.

Robert turned back to the picture. It was done by a skilled child's hand and looked exceptionally natural, notwithstanding the rodent-like features. "You mean, you actually saw this happen? Who are they?"

She stared unblinking at him, neither telling him what he wanted to know, nor voicing a refusal. Her cheeks were still flushed, but for some strange reason, she seemed less embarrassed than… incensed?

She drew a deep breath. "It is hardly any of your concern." She put out her hand again. "May I have it back now?"

Robert tilted his head. She wanted the sketch; why didn't she just take it? She was too quiet, too calm. There was more to this than just a wicked drawing.

He inspected the picture again, looking for clues he might have missed. That she had made the couple look like rodents was only part of what nagged him. Squinting, he studied the statue and was soon struck by the fact that it was actually a sundial.

His body tightened in recognition. Atlas carrying the globe on his back. He had only seen one of its kind. "Good God! They're in the maze!"

Georgie snatched the paper from him before he could react. He blinked.

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