“Why do you want to join the club so badly?”
“It’s a club. Secret. Only women. Who would not want to join?”
“Me.”
“I still can’t understand why not.”
Theodosia shrugged. “I don’t know anything about the motive of the club.”
“To annoy the men of London. Same as us.”
“How optimistic you are. If this club is so ‘secret,’ why do we know about them at all?”
“They want us to know about them.”
“Exactly. But why? Also, they couldn’t have been recently formed.”
Selena turned to her friend. “How can you tell?”
“Wouldn’t we heiresses have been invited if they had been formed because of the book?” She pointed at the culprit, still sitting serenely on the bed. “There is something about them that I can’t place my finger on. Like you said, we, the heiresses, weren’t invited. So why not?”
“A question worth asking them when I find them. Regardless, there can’t be a secret women’s club that I’m not part of.”
“Then I suggest you change into these trousers and join the parade outside. If the club did send them, showing your cooperation is the first step to lure an invitation.”
“Fine. But why are you joining the parade if you don’t wish to join the superbly all-female, super-secret club?”
“To try out these trousers, of course.”
“And annoy my brother.”
“Naturally.” Theodosia gave an exaggerated sigh. “Why couldn’t Warrick be the one chasingmyevery move? Why does it have to be your brother?”
“Neither of them should be following us around.”
“True.”
“In any event, I did take a pair of scissors to his favorite waistcoats.”
“Also true,” Theodosia said. “Are they even aware of how bad they are at keeping watch over us? They obviously mean to keep it secret, yet they are remarkably obvious.”
“I believe that is simply a failing of the male brain.” Selena tapped the side of her head. “The male brain has a particularly interesting function, one which allows the male in question to pretend something to be true and then believe that truth beyond a shadow of a doubt, even when hard, solid proof to the contrary is provided.”
“That is disturbingly accurate.”
“I, on the other hand, cannot pretend I don’t see Warrick skulking behind lampposts and darting behind carriages when I make a simple round through Bond Street.” Of all her brothers’ friends, his brawny figure had always been the one to catch and hold her gaze. Unfortunately, she preferred a man with brain and brawn, not just brawn.
“Weren’t you besotted with him?”
“That was ages ago.” Selena lifted the pair of trousers into the air to study them. “Besides, I’ve been smitten with all my brother’s friends at one time or another.”
“Deerhurst?”
“Lasted one whole month.”
“Avondale?”
“Just short of a day.”
