The Countess Conspiracy

The Countess Conspiracy (2013) Courtney Milan (Brothers Sinister #3)

Set in Cambridge in 1867

“…the chance that a male cat will show tortoiseshell coloring is so small we cannot calculate it—one in a thousand, perhaps. My theory provides no explanation for such smallness.”

The woman’s voice was beginning to rise in pitch, something Violet would not have believed possible. “He just boasted of his size in public. William, you’re a constable. Do something.”

“Don’t worry,” Sebastian told Violet’s niece. “I’ll try not to seduce you on the spot.”

Violet felt a headache starting to form, sharp little pinpricks in her forehead. “Sebastian, you can’t talk of seduction to my unmarried niece.”

Another man might have blushed and apologized. But Sebastian just gave her a cocky smile and a wink. “I wasn’t talking of seduction,” he said. “I was talking of not seduction, which, as I’m sure you have surmised, is the exact opposite of seduction.”

“I’m done trying to prove I deserve your respect. You’d never grant it to me, no matter what I did.”

Benedict drew back, his cheeks turning pink. “What a terrible thing to say.”

“Oh, it’s terrible, all right. Imagine living it,” Sebastian said.

“Imagine growing up, knowing that the person whose good opinion you most wish to win has already deemed you good for nothing.”

Characters: Violet Waterfield the Countess of Cambury, Mr. Sebastian Malheur, Benedict Malheur, Lily Ellisford, Amanda Louise Ellisford, Dowager Baroness Rotherham, Simon Bollingall, Alice Bollingall, Robert Blaisdell the Duke of Clermont, Minerva Duchess of Clermont, Mr. Oliver Marshall, Jane Marshall

Rating: 9/10

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