Page 4 of Dared By a Lyon
Ashlyn gaped at her cousin. “Elizabeth, that is outrageous! You don’t even know him.”
“Yes, I do. I know plenty about him. Matteo told me his father is an Italian count, and they are quite rich. He wants me to elope with him. To Italy! Isn’t that romantic?
“Yes, you already mentioned how romantic it is,” Ashlyn said, frustrated.
“He told me all about the beautiful vineyards on his family’s estate, and all about his wonderful family, and the grand villa where he grew up.”
“Elizabeth, are you listening to yourself? Marriage? What are you thinking? You’ve known him all of three days.”
“I do too know him. It was practically love at first sight for both of us. Some people know each other for three years, and they don’t have the kind of passion that Matteo and I share after three days,” Elizabeth said, her voice rising.
“Passion?” Ashlyn had become more and more alarmed by Elizabeth’s words. “Did you—? Did Matteo—? Already…?”
“No, of course not! Not that Matteo didn’t want to. He is ravenous for me. But I’m not that kind of girl. I told him we would have to wait until our wedding night. Don’t you worry. I am not going to give the honey away until I’m crowned Queen Bee. And besides, it’s already decided. I’m leaving with Matteo.”
“To be married.” It was a statement and no longer a question. Ashlyn took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Your parents will be arriving in London at the end of the month—you cannot elopewithout telling them.”
“You can tell them, Ash. They always listen to you, anyway.” Elizabeth had given a little shrug. “Matteo assured me that his father, Conte Angelo Russo, will welcome me to the family with open arms. I am certain Mother and Father will be pleased…eventually.”
“Oh, Elizabeth! This is not a good idea. Uncle William will be furious. He’ll probably send runners after you. And when he finds you, you’d better have suffered some sort of amnesia,” Ashlyn finished. Her own parents would be shocked if they found out she had gone along with such a thing.
Uncle William was Ashlyn’s mother’s brother. He’d always counted on Ashlyn to be the levelheaded one and had never minced words about it. Usually, whenever Elizabeth got one of her outrageous notions in her head, Ashlyn could convince her to see things differently. But maybe not this time. It seemed Matteo had already convinced her beyond the point of reason, but Ashlyn couldn’t stop trying to change her cousin’s mind.
“We’re supposed to be here for the Season, and the day after tomorrow, we’ll be traveling to Mrs. Bessie Dove-Lyon’s house party.” The party was being held at a friend of Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s home outside of Bath, and Ashlyn was looking forward to attending with Elizabeth. She wanted her cousin to meet andfall in love with someone truly worthy of her. But this artist… Ashlyn had a strange feeling about him—that he was not the man Elizabeth thought he was.
“Mrs. Dove-Lyon is expectingboth of us,” Ashlyn said, hoping her tone was calm enough to hide her inner anxiety. “What will happen when I show up without you?”
Elizabeth gave a sudden squeal of delight. “That’s it! You’ve just given me the most divine idea!Youcan beme!” she said, grabbing Ashlyn by the shoulders and pulling her in for a hug. “You must do it, Ash! Think of it. No one will know you aren’t me. We are practically twins by different parents!”
“Twins?What are you talking about, Elizabeth?” Ashlyn pulled away from her cousin’s embrace, her heart pumping as hard as if she’d just run up a hill.
“Relax, dear cousin. We look alike. And we sound alike,” Elizabeth said, ticking off her points with her fingers. “People have always mistaken us for the other, our entire lives. We could pass for twins, and you know this.”
“But Elizabeth, we aren’t alike ineverything,” Ashlyn insisted, becoming more furious with her cousin by the minute, and feeling the argument slipping from her grasp. There was no wayshewould allow herself to fall for a man in a matter of days. Such foolishness!
Oh, how she wished she’d stayed home. How she wished she hadn’t allowed Elizabeth to talk her into traveling halfway around the world as her companion. If she’d stayed home, everything would still be the same. What would her own parents think of this latest escapade? They would no doubt be ashamed of her for not stopping Elizabeth.
“You are an inch taller than me, and your eyes are blue. Mine are violet. Our parents know exactly how to tell us apart. Everyone who knows us knows which one of us is which.”
“Yes, but Mrs. Dove-Lyon and the guests at the house party won’t,” Elizabeth countered.
Ashlyn lamented that this latest whim of Elizabeth’s would lead to trouble the likes of which they’d never encountered. She had lost count of the many schemes and shenanigans that her cousin had dragged her into. And it was all because of something that had happened in their childhood.
The one andonlytime Ashlyn had been the foolish one, wanting to walk along an old tree that had fallen across a stream. Everyone, including Elizabeth, had taken the shortcut. Except her. Ashlyn had always taken the long way around. Elizabeth had practically dared her to cross using the fallen tree. Ashlyn had almost made it the entire way when she slipped and fell into the fast-moving stream. Elizabeth, being the stronger swimmer, had jumped in and pulled her out. Luckily, she didn’t tattle on Ashlyn. She’d led Ashlyn back to the house, using a secret entrance through the servants’ quarters, and up to her bedroom. They’d quickly changed into dry clothes. Elizabeth had then bribed one of the young maids to wash the sodden garments for them in secret. Her cousin had never told on Ashlyn, but Ashlyn had paid dearly for her silence.
For years, any time Elizabeth had wanted Ashlyn’s help to get away with some sort of foolishness, she’d drag up that day, reminding her of the great risk she’d taken helping Ashlyn. “I saved your life…and didn’t tattle…remember?”
It had been several years since Elizabeth had been able to manipulate Ashlyn’s guilty conscience with that reminder. Even if her parents did find out what she’d done when she was eight years old, they would most likely have a good chuckle about it now.
But this latest escapade was no laughing matter.
“Elizabeth, do you really want to take that risk? Especially after all the trouble and expense your parents went to bring us here?”
“Pish posh. What risk? We’ve been here scarcely ten days. No one in thetonknows what my eye color is, or yours, for that matter,” Elizabeth said, arms crossed and foot tapping. “And besides, there was that time when I saved you…”
There it was. But this time, Ashlyn was ready. “I was a child when that happened. But you are no child. And this time,I’mtrying to saveyou!”
No matter what Ashlyn said, her cousin countered it, uncaring if her parents became angry. “We’re nineteen years old. Most girls debut when they are sixteen, so as far as Society is concerned, we are practically spinsters! We should be able to make our own decisions. Besides, I have no interest in beingmatchedby this Lyon woman,” Elizabeth huffed.
