Gina didn’t want to wake the next morning, but Scruffy insisted he needed out. She pulled a cloak over her nightgown and let him out a side door, with a mental apology to the gardeners for what Scruffy planned to deposit on their pristine lawn.
As she waited for her dog to do his thing, her thoughts turned inexorably to the events of the night before. She hadn’t gone to Drake’s room with the intention of making love. She had only wanted to thank him for standing up for her to the Major. But one thing had led to another . . . and another . . . until she had experienced one of the most memorable evenings of her life.
For once, she had felt desirable, attractive . . . cherished. Far different from Jerry—Mr. Wham, Bam, Take it on the Lam.
She winced. Instead, she was the one who had taken it on the lam this time. But she couldn’t help it. She had been so overcome with conflicting emotions that she just couldn’t stick around.
She was shocked that he had asked her to marry him, but soon figured out he had done so only because they had made love, and that’s what men did in these times after they had sex with a woman. But that wasn’t a good enough basis for a marriage. Besides, she wasn’t going to be around much longer. All she planned to do in this time was save Drake’s life, find the pistol, then go home come December 22.
To what? a little voice asked.
Gina ignored it. There might not be much to go home to, but it was home . . . and that’s where she belonged. She certainly didn’t belong over a hundred years back in the past.
Scruffy finished his business, and she hurried him back to their room, hoping to get a bit more sleep before she had to get dressed. But it was not to be. No sooner had she crawled back in bed than the insistent little bell-ringer in the hall reminded her she had a muster to make.
She got up reluctantly and eyed her uniform with a baleful expression. Since she had been “promoted,” the Major had decreed that she must now wear the white blouse and navy blue skirt that comprised the waitress uniform instead of her usual gray maid’s uniform. He had intended it to be some kind of weird honor, but she didn’t see it that way. The blue uniform was heavier, hotter, and it had one of those dratted bustles.
Somehow, she struggled into the outfit and made the muster on time. There, Esme told her to meet Drake in Dr. Ziegler’s office. After feeding Scruffy, she decided to take him with her for moral support.
When she caught sight of Drake outside Dr. Ziegler’s office, she faltered. He looked really good, all broad-shouldered and darkly handsome like that. It reminded her of the things they had done together the previous night
So, what the heck did you say to a starched-up gentleman who had just done the nasty with you the night before?
“Good—good morning,” she stammered.
Okay, so it wasn’t brilliant but it was civil.
One corner of his mouth turned up as he returned her greeting. A warning growl from the other side of the room caught her attention and she turned to see both matchmaking mamas, their daughters, and the Major standing there, confronting her with varying degrees of disapproval in their expressions. Good grief, how had she missed seeing them?
She wouldn’t have been surprised to find the growl had emanated from Mrs. Biddle, but the lazy Peke in her arms had directed the commentary at Scruffy. Scruffy returned the favor, but quickly hushed on Gina’s command. Thank heavens. She was in enough trouble already without adding a dogfight to the rest.
Mrs. Biddle sniffed and spoke to a point above Gina’s head. “I must say I do not approve of this arrangement. However, since Major Payne feels it is fair, I must acquiesce.” She turned a simpering look on the man in question.
“I disagree,” Mrs. Harrington put in. “I believe I shall stay. I don’t want to leave my sweet Chloe prey to such wicked influence.”
Gina bristled. Wicked influence? I’ll show her wicked. She immediately resolved to corrupt the two girls. But before she could come up with something suitably shocking, Drake cleared his throat and gave the Major a penetrating glare.
The Major must have interpreted this look correctly, for he said, “No, that wasn’t the plan. The agreement was that the young ladies will chaperone each other. Too many cooks spoil the broth, you know,” he said with uneasy heartiness.
Birdie Biddle sniffed again, patting the still-growling Princess. “Then perhaps only one young lady should chaperone Mr. Manton and that . . . that . . . young woman,” she said derisively. She pushed her daughter forward. “My dear little Letty is perfect for the job. She’s pretty, bright, decorous . . . and she just adores listening to Mr. Manton lecture. Don’t you, dear?”
As Letty turned bright red, Mrs. Harrington turned purple, spluttering incoherently.
Gina watched the varying facial colors with interest, but Drake apparently decided to rescue them both before it turned ugly. “I’m quite certain Miss Biddle is an exemplary young woman.” Then, before Mrs. Harrington could explode, he added, “As is Miss Harrington. However, I believe the original arrangement is best. And now, if you ladies would leave us to it?” He gestured toward the exit in unmistakable dismissal.
The Major made his escape at a brisk march, and the two older women had no choice but to follow him. However, Mrs. Biddle wasn’t content to leave it at that. Before she left, she muttered fiercely into her daughter’s ear, casting fulminating glances at Gina as she did so.
Once the mothers were gone, the rest heaved a collective sigh of relief.
“I—I’m sorry,” Letty stammered, her face still bright pink as her gaze skittered toward Drake and away again. “Mama means well, but she thinks that I should— But I don’t— And I really don’t mean to—”
Since Letty seemed incapable of finishing a sentence, Gina decided to interpret for her. Turning to Drake, she said with frank honesty, “What Letty is trying to say is that her mama is trying to push you two together, but Letty isn’t interested in marrying you.”
Drake gave her a chiding glance but Gina shrugged. She was all for plain speaking. How people in this time communicated with all their hedging about the truth, she didn’t know. “Isn’t that right, Letty?”
Letty nodded. “I have a— That is, there’s a boy—”
“Ah, so you are in love with someone else?”
Letty nodded, blushing even deeper. Gina suspected there was a mystery here, and that Mama probably didn’t approve of Letty’s choice—if she even knew of it—but she didn’t feel like second-guessing any more of Letty’s half sentences. Besides, the girl had been embarrassed enough for one day.
But Chloe hadn’t. “How about you, Chloe? Do you want to marry Mr. Manton?”
Chloe giggled. “No, that’s Mama’s idea. I don’t want to marry anyone—I plan to be a famous writer and hold elegant soirees that will be the envy of the literary set.”
Ignoring the last part of Chloe’s burst of confidence, Gina said, “Good. That makes three of us. Now that we know none of us want to marry Mr. Manton, we can relax and get on with helping him with his lectures.”
Chloe and Letty giggled nervously, but Drake merely looked amused. Raising one eyebrow, he said, “You didn’t ask me if I want to marry one of you.”
And I’m not going to, either. She cast him a warning glance, trying to remind him silently that they were chaperoned and this wasn’t the time or place to broach the subject again.
Chloe giggled. “Do you?”
Gina held her breath. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. Would he?
Drake allowed himself a small smile at the expression on Gina’s face. She was terrified he was about to say something inappropriate, but that was her bailiwick, not his. “Of course I would,” he said, and enjoyed Gina’s expression of panic. “I’m sure any one of you young ladies would make a wonderful wife.”
All three relaxed, and Chloe giggled. “Don’t let Mama hear you say that.”
Gina shot him an exasperated glance, but he was unrepentant. He might have been disgruntled when she turned down his offer of marriage, but he had no intention of hounding her. He wasn’t in the habit of forcing himself on any woman.
However, he was a bit annoyed. In Boston, he was considered quite the matrimonial prize. To have this slip of a girl turn him down without so much as a by-your-leave or thank-you-kindly-sir was a bit lowering.
And though she was quite right in that he had done so primarily because he’d compromised her virtue, he felt oddly disappointed in her refusal. Life would never be dull around Gina, and a man could spend a lifetime plumbing her mysteries without getting bored.
But the fact that she was so vehement in refusing him gave him an idea. He smiled to himself. There was very little that seemed to discommode the saucy chit as much as a simple proposal had. He’d just have to find a way to use it to his advantage.
“Well,” Gina said. “Let’s get started, shall we?” She glanced around. “But it’s a bit crowded in here.”
Drake smiled inwardly. Most women he knew would simper or hang on him after a night of passion. Instead, the ever-surprising Gina wanted to put him to work.
He removed a key from his pocket. “I took the liberty of acquiring the key to the small theater from the Major since no one uses it this time of day. Shall we?”
“Good idea,” Gina said enthusiastically.
They all trooped toward the theater, Scruffy in tow, and Drake began to wonder what he had gotten himself into. He’d only wanted to help Gina retain her position, and now he was stuck with a parade of women and a small dog . . . all intent on “helping” him with his lectures. Unfortunately, he couldn’t back out now without making the Major wonder about his motives and jeopardizing Gina’s position.
When they reached the theater, Gina positioned them as efficiently as a general deploying troops. She had Drake gather chairs to place on the stage and directed the girls to sit there instead of taking their place in the audience as they preferred. Uneasily, the girls obeyed Gina’s orders.
Placing one chair at center stage, she beckoned to Drake and said, “I’ve been thinking about your lecture. The primary problem is that you do too much telling. The audience won’t be convinced unless you show them that mesmerism works. So, the first thing I need to know is how you go about mesmerizing someone. And who better than a pretty young girl?”
Drake grinned. “I would be more than happy to demonstrate my methods on you.”
“Nice try,” Gina said with an answering grin. “But I wasn’t talking about myself. We have two potential subjects right here.”
She turned toward Letty and Chloe, who averted their gazes. Chloe giggled nervously, and Letty turned bright red, muttering, “I don’t think— That is, Mama would never—”
“It’s all right,” Gina said bracingly. “Wouldn’t your mothers want you to help Mr. Manton with his lectures?”
The girls exchanged doubtful looks as Drake watched in amusement. They didn’t know it yet, but they were doomed. Once Gina had the bit in her teeth, there was no stopping her.
“I’m not sure . . .” Chloe said.
Gina turned to her, obviously sensing a weakening. “Think how thrilled your mother will be when you tell her that you helped him with the demonstration. “ She let that sink in a moment as Chloe wrestled with the idea. “And Mr. Manton might even be able to help you. Let’s see, you said you want to be a famous hostess some day, is that right?”
“Yes,” Chloe said eagerly, and Drake knew she was hooked. “Just like Mrs. Drummond back home. She has the most wonderful literary salons. Everyone is just dying for an invitation to them. I want to be just like her.”
“And what does your mother say about that?” Gina asked gently.
Chloe’s enthusiasm faded. “She thinks I’m too silly,” she said in a small voice. “I—I giggle when I’m nervous.”
“Well,” Gina said, shooting a triumphant glance at Drake. “I think Mr. Manton can help you with that. Can’t you?”
“Yes, I believe I can.” How odd. The resourceful Gina had not only managed to unerringly pinpoint Chloe’s most pressing need, but it was an area he could help with as well.
Gina assisted Chloe to the chair at center stage, and Drake reassured the nervous young lady with a smile. “Don’t worry, this won’t hurt a bit.” And he might even be able to help her develop a bit of confidence as well.
Unaccustomed to having an audience when he worked, Drake was unsure how to proceed. Finally, he decided he would just have to ignore the others on the stage. Facing the seated Chloe, he said, “Now, this is a very simple—”
“Wait,” Gina said. “You’ve got your back to the audience. They need to see both of you.” She rushed forward and adjusted their positions until she was satisfied, then nodded and moved away again.
His concentration broken, Drake tried once again to ignore them and focused on Chloe. “As I was saying, this is a very simple procedure.” He explained that he was going to put her into a somnambulant state and make suggestions that would help her be more like Mrs. Drummond.
Now eager to cooperate, Chloe nodded impatiently.
Holding up his forefinger, Drake asked Chloe to concentrate on it.
“Wait,” Gina cried, shattering the mood again. He glared at her. “What is it now?”
“Don’t you have anything more dramatic to do this with, like a crystal or a spinning mirror?”
Loath to break the rapport he had achieved with Chloe, he excused himself and drew Gina aside.
Speaking in a low voice, he said, “I cannot work like this. Continuous interruptions do nothing but disturb the harmony I achieve with the patient.”
“But I need to coach you on how to do it better.”
“But you don’t need to do it while the session is in progress. Why don’t you just watch, then discuss my technique afterward?”
Gina seemed annoyed at losing the upper hand, but said, “All right. But try to remember you have an audience to convince and act accordingly, okay?”
He nodded, knowing she really was trying to help. He went back to Chloe and reestablished his rapport. He didn’t have any of the gewgaws Gina set such store by, but keeping her strictures in mind, he used a technique he had found useful before, waving his hands in a hypnotic pattern while keeping his gaze fixed intently on the subject.
Gina murmured her approval and he spared one admonitory glance for her before finishing his instructions to Chloe. Chloe proved to be an excellent subject, quickly sinking into the desired state. He informed her that she had nothing to be nervous about, and had no desire to giggle, then paused. How could he imbue confidence in her while putting on the sort of show Gina wanted?
Ah, he had it. Calling Gina and Letty over, he told Chloe that she was a poised and confident hostess, every bit as accomplished as Mrs. Drummond. To prove it, she would now host a literary soiree and treat everyone on the stage as her invited guests until he uttered the word “desist.”
The change in Chloe was remarkable. She shed her nervous giggle and uncertainty, and immediately became confident and poised. Offering Gina her hand, she said, “How do you do, my dear? So glad you could come.”
Turning to Letty, she said, “And you, Miss Biddle. So nice to see you.”
Letty stammered and blushed, and Chloe patted her arm reassuringly, apparently emulating the dowager she admired. “Now, now, dear. No need for shyness. We’re all friends here, aren’t we? Do come in and meet the others.”
Then, turning to Drake himself, she said, “And of course, Mr. Manton. Our honored guest.” She linked her arm through his and drew him in to the “soiree” with an arch look. “My, you will be popular with the ladies. Come, let me introduce you.”
Bemused by the success of his suggestion, Drake allowed her to draw him in and introduce him to Gina and Letty. Then, spying Scruffy next to Gina, Chloe said, “And who is this gentleman?”
Letty stifled a giggle, but Gina, game as always, hesitated for only a moment before saying with a grin, “This is my . . . cousin, Sir Reginald Scruffington the Third. He’s . . . visiting.”
“How charming,” Chloe exclaimed when Scruffy shook hands with her. “And how are you enjoying our fair city?”
Apparently realizing she was addressing him, Scruffy barked a sharp retort.
Chloe appeared somewhat taken aback, but retained the aplomb of a premier hostess. “I see,” she murmured.
Letty broke into giggles, and, feeling the demonstration had gone on long enough, Drake halted it by saying, “Desist.” Before he brought Chloe entirely out of the mesmeric state, he said, “When I snap my fingers, you will come out of the trance and remember everything that has happened while you were under. Ready?”
He snapped his fingers and Chloe blinked, then raised trembling fingers to her lips. “Oh, my. Was that me?”
“It was indeed,” Drake confirmed with a smile. It was always gratifying when he could help his patients.
“Does that mean I can do that from now on?” Chloe asked.
“Not yet,” Drake admitted. “But the more sessions you have, and the more you believe you can do it, the better you will get.”
Her beaming smile was his reward. It did his soul good to be able to help a young woman who reminded him so much of the happy child Charlotte had once been.
Chloe’s expression turned puzzled. “But who was the small dark gentleman with the horrible cough?”
Letty giggled and pointed to Scruffy. “Him. Sir Reginald Scruffington.”
“That’s Sir Reginald Scruffington the Third,” Drake reminded her, and the girls went into peals of laughter.
“Oh, my,” Chloe exclaimed with admiration in her tone. “You did tell me to regard everyone on the stage as a guest. But if I could see a little dog as a man, you are a true mesmerist.”
Buoyed by his success, Drake glanced at Gina who had been strangely silent during all of this.
“Chloe’s right,” she said. “See, all you have to do is give the audience a little demonstration, make it fun and maybe jazz it up a bit more, and you’ll have them convinced.”
So she was still on that road, was she? “I don’t know. One small success—”
“Oh, yes,” Letty exclaimed. “My turn, now?”
Giving him an I-told-you-so look, Gina smirked and said, “Yes, I think it is.”
Drake frowned. “Miss Harrington was easy, since we knew what she wanted. But Miss Biddle . . .”
“Oh, but what Letty wants is obvious, too.”
“What’s that?” Drake asked, and Letty appeared to be wondering the same thing.
“Letty wants to be able to stand up to her mother and to finish a sentence without blushing. Isn’t that right, Letty?”
The girl naturally colored at that, but said, “Oh, yes. If you could—”
Yes, he rather thought he could. Unable to turn down the opportunity to help another young woman and fulfill his promise to Charlotte, Drake agreed and Letty beamed.
She succumbed as easily as Chloe, and he led her through a confrontation with her mother, Gina acting as a totally convincing Mrs. Biddle. Under mesmeric control, Letty managed to assert herself without being rude or disrespectful and acquitted herself admirably. Even Gina seemed struck by her success.
When he brought Letty out of the trance and enjoined her to remember the experience, she immediately blushed, bringing both hands to her flaming cheeks. “Oh, did I do that?” she breathed.
“Yes, you did,” Gina confirmed. “And good for you!”
Letty turned back to Drake. “And if I have more sessions—Then I can—Mama—”
“Indeed you can,” Drake said with a smile.
“So,” Gina said briskly, “we have two excellent candidates for the demonstration in your lectures. Which one shall we use?”
Letty and Chloe exchanged glances. Both obviously wanted the chance, but their upbringing wouldn’t allow them to say so.
He knew he was going to hate himself for saying this, but, flush with his success, Drake blurted it out anyway. “Why not both? It would be more convincing with two subjects.”
The girls beamed and exchanged joyous glances. Even Gina said, “Good idea.”
“If their mothers approve, of course,” he added. Their faces fell.
“I don’t know. . . .” Chloe said.
Letty concurred. “Mama won’t—”
“Sure they will,” Gina said bracingly. “All you have to do, Letty, is tell your mama that if you don’t, then Chloe will, and she’ll get all Mr. Manton’s time and attention.”
A ray of hope appeared in the clouds on Letty’s face.
“And you do the same, Chloe,” Gina admonished. “That ought to do the trick.”
Chloe giggled. “Yes, it should. Come on, Letty. Let’s go ask.”
Excited by the idea, they hurried off, leaving Gina and Drake alone together.
“Well,” Gina said. “I’m impressed. You really were able to help them.”
“Thank you. So is it your turn now?” Perhaps once he had her under his control, he could finally discern why she was so eager to get him to leave the resort.
She grinned. “Not a chance. Besides, in their excitement, I guess they forgot they were supposed to chaperone us.”
He glanced at the dog, resting patiently with his head on his front feet. “Well, there’s always Sir Reginald.”
He won a smile from her, but it was short-lived. “I don’t think the Major would consider him sufficient chaperonage.”
“Perhaps not.” Taking a leaf from Gina’s book, he moved closer until the magnetic fields of their bodies intersected, eliciting a vibrating tension so intense he could feel it.
Ah, heady stuff. As Gina swayed toward him, he stroked her cheek and said softly, “You know, we wouldn’t need chaperones if you would just agree to marry me.”
She turned bright red and averted her gaze, just as he’d expected. “You know I can’t,” she said, pulling away. “And we’re not supposed to be alone like this. I’d better go.”
“All right, but one more thing,” he said softly.
“What’s that?” she asked with an apprehensive glance.
“You were right—about the demonstration I mean. Before, I don’t think either girl believed in the benefits of mesmerism at all. Now they both do.”
She smiled. “Now maybe you can admit that I might be right about the rest?”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he drawled.
She laughed, evidently relieved at the change of subject. “Well, I have to admit I was surprised as well. You did an excellent job of helping those two through their fears.”
“Thank you. But you give me too much credit. The only reason I was so successful is because you helped me see what they needed in the first place.”
Gina fairly glowed with his praise. Calling Scruffy to her, she turned to leave, saying, “I’d better go now.”
He nodded, but couldn’t resist calling after her, “All right, but this just proves it.”
She turned back for a moment. “Proves what?”
“That we make a great team.”
Gina just shook her head at that sally and was off and running once again. Drake grinned. He was going to have to help her with that habit. Someday, she’d never feel the need to run from him again.