"Aunt Rachel, you are not on the verge of being put to bed with a shovel," Evangeline Munroe said primly, her hands folded on her lap. "I daresay you're more likely to be dancing with that nice Lord Geary at the next assembly."
"That's not so, child," her aunt said, giving a dramatic cough. "I've been slipping for days. I'm only glad you arrived to pay your last respects before I'm gone to kingdom come."
"I'm not paying my last respects; I'm paying my ordinary ones." Evangeline frowned briefly, then smoothed the expression. Her face would be chasmed with wrinkles if she didn't take care. "Which is not to say that my ordinary respects are not sincerely meant."
"Oh, Gilly, Gilly, Gilly. Such a dear one, you are. Would you hand me one of those chocolate biscuits? I think I could possibly manage a nibble of one of those."
Evangeline used the silver tongs to select a biscuit, altering her selection to a plumper one when Aunt Rachel cleared her throat. "Did Mama tell you she's entering the garden competition again?"
"Why wouldn't she? Heloise has won the last three in a row."
"Four. Mama would be hurt if you forgot one of her victories."
"I'm more worried over the hurt she would do me if she knew I'd forgotten one. If she asks about my final conversation, please tell her I remembered all four of her ribbons."
Evangeline didn't want to discuss gardening ribbons at all. Curiosity had been pulling at her since her early morning arrival, in fact, but she refused to succumb. Her aunt had summoned her to Tandey House on the outskirts of London and then spent the subsequent hour talking endlessly about nothing in particular. Whatever had prompted the invitation practically at dawn and a full fortnight ahead of her regular visit, Aunt Rachel would come around to discussing it eventually.
Her aunt sent her a sideways glance, shifting on the mounds of fluffed pillows that threatened to engulf her and the entire bedchamber. "You have the patience of Job, don't you?"
"I know how you enjoy your surprises."
"Yes, though I don't think I quite realized the mortal peril I would face when I embarked upon this particular venture."
"Peril?" Gilly repeated. "You're not going off to India again, are you?"
"Heavens, I'd never survive the voyage. No, this is something I've contemplated for quite some time. Though you know I prefer not to play favorites, I had to make a choice between you and your cousins." Evidently remembering that she was on her deathbed, she coughed once more. "You may wonder why I selected you."
"Since I don't know what you've selected me for, I can hardly comment on it."
"Aha," Aunt Rachel chortled. "That is it, precisely."
Evangeline blinked. "Beg pardon?"
"You possess an astounding measure of practicality, and absolutely no imagination. If you have no capacity for believing in fanciful happenings, you may be immune to their occurrence."
As highly as Evangeline prized her sensibility, that didn't sound like a compliment. "I believe what my eyes, experience, and logic tell me," she said, keeping her voice cool.
"Yes, I know. And while ordinarily I would hope you would learn to seek a broader perspective, one that would perhaps utilize your heart, under these circumstances your logic may be your most valuable tool."
Considering her aunt's flights of dramatics, Evangeline supposed she should be pleased to be excluded from the arm-flailing horde. And the word valuable always sounded promising. "I...
)
1814--Evangeline Munroe is determined to find a man she can control--after all, that's the only way she'll know her life will go according to plan. But once she receives a cursed heirloom necklace, things take a drastic turn. Her coach collides with another belonging to the Marquis of Rawley, a rogue who has left a string of broken hearts in his wake. Worst, he seems determined to charm and seduce Gilly, who is equally determined to resist him. Is the necklace a curse ... or a blessing? Present Day--Samantha Jellicoe makes a surprising discovery while exploring Rick's English estate. A 200--year old diamond necklace is the kind of piece Samantha would normally find irresistible, but this one comes with a catch: it's cursed. Of course, they don't actually believe in curses, but then one disaster after another strikes, and Rick and Sam may have to change their thinking--before all hell breaks loose.
