A Fool Again Read Free

her!” he cried melodramatically. “Felton is a loathsome man. His dealings in the City are most suspect.”
    â€œI don’t agree.” Carola was trying to decide whether she could fit another rosebud onto the sleeve. Perhaps if she left off the leaves? “I think he’s very attractive, even if he does have a slightly snakelike manner.”
    â€œSnake-like!” Neville cried. “Snakelike! You want to pair a glorious bit of womanhood like Genevieve Mulcaster with a snake! ” He dramatically tore at his hair, although Carola noticed that he didn’t disorder his locks over much. “She is the most luscious woman I’ve seen in years. She deserves better than a snake. She deserves me!”
    â€œThe most luscious, hmmm? Careful I don’t take that as an insult, you wretch!”
    â€œYou’re lovely as well, darling, although you are so un-fashionably infatuated with your husband.”
    â€œShe’s not that beautiful,” Carola pointed out. “Priscilla Blythe has far more regular features.”
    â€œIt’s not a matter of her features,” Neville said impatiently. “Although how you can say that someone with eyes like hers, a mouth like a goddess, hair like—”
    Carola burst out laughing. “A woman with eyes, a mouth and hair. Goodness, Neville, your standards have fallen rather low!”
    â€œHer eyes are the most unusual shade of gray-green that I’ve ever seen,” Neville said, ignoring Carola’s foolery. “And she always looks as if she’s about to laugh. How she managed to stay so amusing, given her marriage to Mul-caster, I don’t know. I last saw the man four years ago and he was already missing a quantity of teeth.”
    â€œI do know what you mean,” Carola conceded. “Genevieve is great fun. We had tea yesterday and laughed for an hour.”
    â€œDid she mention me?” Neville asked instantly.
    â€œNo,” Carola said, finishing the rosebud.
    â€œPerhaps she doesn’t know that you and I are close friends.”
    â€œI don’t think she would be interested.” The flower looked odd, but she couldn’t bear the tedium of ripping out stitches. Besides, the baby wouldn’t care, would she? If her baby was a she.
    â€œNo other woman in the ton has hair as beautiful as Lady Mulcaster’s.”
    â€œGenevieve loathes her hair,” Carola said. “So if you’re going to compliment her, Neville, you might want to avoid the whole issue. She thinks it looks striped, like a cat.”
    â€œIt is like trapped sunshine...gold strands mixed with threads of starlight,” Neville said dreamily.
    â€œOh pooh, Neville. Sunshine indeed! I expect Genevieve puts lemon on her hair at night.”
    â€œA lemon bright goddess!”
    â€œYou’re hopeless!” Carola snorted. “But I did hear something of interest this morning.” He wasn’t paying attention. “Neville!”
    â€œDo you think that lemony rhymes with Genevieve?” he asked, scribbling on a scrap of paper he had taken from his waistcoat.
    â€œAbsolutely not,” Carola said. “But do listen, Neville: Lady Dorset-Herne told me this morning that Tobias Darby has returned to London!”
    â€œDarby? Don’t you mean Simon Darby? Of course he’s in London. I saw him and his wife in the Rotten Row just the other day.”
    â€œNo, Simon’s brother Tobias,” Carola explained. “To-bias ran off with Genevieve Mulcaster, oh, years ago. Her father caught them on the way to Gretna Green and she was married off to Lord Mulcaster, but the truth leaked, of course. At any rate, Tobias and his twin brother left England when Genevieve married, and now he’s come back! Isn’t that romantic?”
    â€œWhat’s romantic about it?” Neville said, narrowing his eyes. “Do you think the man is going to attempt to win her hand for the