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at him, causing him to laugh.
    “You didn’t think I would pass that up, did you? It was practically handed over on a silver platter. Besides, I’m sure you’ll be causing your fair amount of trouble next week when you head to town.”
    “For your information, I have some very big news.”
    “Oh?” he said, raising an eyebrow.
    She reached out and grabbed his forearm, unable to hide her excitement. “I talked with Papa earlier this week and . . .” She trailed off, enjoying the anticipation on Richard’s face.
    “Yes?”
    “He said that if I can gain Mama’s blessing, I can sit this Season out. Isn’t that wonderful?”
    “Sit the Season out? Why ever would you want to do a thing like that?”
    She smacked him soundly on the shoulder. “You cad. You know it is my greatest wish to forego the husband hunt and concentrate on my work here.”
    He chuckled and gave her a one-armed hug. “I’m only teasing you, Bit. It really is very exciting for you, though for the life of me I can’t imagine why the country life enthralls you so.” He shuddered. “Give me the city any day.”
    “Yes, I am counting on that. I fully intend to make Hertford my home even after you inherit, so you’d best get used to the idea. The stables are my domain, and I plan to keep it that way.”
    Richard adopted a perfectly snobbish expression. “And have a woman sully her hands with business on my watch? Never.”
    She giggled. He could have been impersonating just about anyone in the ton . It really was nice to have him here—provided he didn’t cause any trouble before the family departed. That particular thought gave her pause. Whenever Richard was around, they tended to get into mischief together, despite their supposedly mature ages. She had best not leave anything to chance.
    Placing her hands on her hips, she looked him in the eye meaningfully. “I have Papa’s blessing, but only if I can garner Mama’s as well. I have not yet spoken with her; I’m waiting for just the right moment. Nothing can go wrong between now and when they leave. I mean it,” she said, raising an eyebrow for emphasis. “I won’t have you and your friend upsetting the delicate balance of things while you are here. The last thing I need is Mama and Papa rethinking the mental capacity of their offspring.”
    Richard barked with laughter. “You do have a way with words, Bit. Are you sure you don’t want to take another look at that lead in Othello ?”
    “Very funny. I’m quite serious, however. If you do anything to mess this up for me, you will live to regret it, I assure you.”
    This time Richard rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mother. Although I think if you wanted to be truly dramatic, you could say, ‘You’ll rue the day you messed with me.’” He shook his fist theatrically to punctuate “rue . ” “It has a certain flair, don’t you think?”
    She shook her head at his antics. “Yes, a good ruing always spices things up.” She paused and fiddled with the cuff of her sleeve. As casually as she could manage, she said, “Speaking of spicing things up, who, exactly, is this Mr. Benedict?” Just saying his name made a tiny thrill dance through her.
    “As he said, just an old friend.”
    “If he is such an old friend, why have I never heard of him before? I would have sworn that I knew all of your friends, old or otherwise.”
    “I’m sure I mentioned him at some point,” he said, waving a dismissive hand in the air. “You must have just forgotten. And really, what does it matter? We’ll be here only a few days, and then we will be on our way.”
    Evie furrowed her brow. He hadn’t ever mentioned the man, she was sure of it. But perhaps he was right; it didn’t really matter. “All right, then. You’d best go freshen up before our little gathering. You look and smell like somebody dragged you through the stables.”
    Richard exhaled, sounding as if he had been holding his breath. “Right. I am going to say hello to Mother