Free Shameless by Annie Stuart

I’ve forgotten?”
    “You would hardly remember every chit making her curtsey each year. I made my debut the year you were married. I remember your wife. She was very beautiful.”
    “Which one?”
    She’d forgotten he’d been widowed twice. And there was some ancient scandal concerning another woman, but no one would tell her the details. Not that she’d asked, of course. At least, not more than a couple of times.
    Before she could answer he went on. “Never mind. It hardly matters. So you’ve come here to dump this incipient disaster in my lap, with no plan, no idea how to forestall it. My brother is my main concern. I could simply have him forcibly removed to one of the remote family estates so he wouldn’t be able to participate. That solves my problem even if it doesn’t address yours.”
    “Then you believe me?” She was still astonished by that fact.
    “At least partially. It’s just the sort of thing my brother would get involved with, and he’s been particularly secretive. I expect some of your concerns are simply fiction. I know a great deal about the history of the Heavenly Host—after all it was formed by my great-grandfather’s cousin, and kept alive through the offices of my grandfather and father.”
    “Why am I not surprised?” Melisande muttered.
    “But the Heavenly Host are far from the nightmare creatures you’re talking about. They started out as a group of bored intellectuals, curious about the relationship between God and the devil, and curious to taste all the forbidden fruit of human desire. But there were rules. No children. No unwilling innocents, though I gather they paid highly for the participation of willing virgins. And no coercion. Their motto is ‘do what thou wilt,’ and agreement is part of that. Not ‘do what is forced upon you.’”
    “I appreciate the history lesson. Things have changed.”
    He was already regretting his agreement to helpher; she could see that. She went on. “If you could see what they did to poor Aileen…”
    But she’d underestimated him. “There’s no need. I believe you. Since you haven’t got a plan I expect we’d best come up with one.” As if by magic the stiff but charming majordomo appeared with a fresh pot of tea and another plate of cakes. “If you wouldn’t mind pouring me a fresh cup I’ll consider what we need.”
    She was already in the midst of doing so, for herself, as well. “We need to identify the other members of the organization, including the leader.”
    She half expected him to sneer, but he merely nodded. “Finding other members should be relatively easy. There are certain likely ones, including Lord and Lady Elsmere. We find one…we can follow them to the others.”
    “What about your brother? Wouldn’t he tell you about it?”
    “My brother is the least likely person to answer my questions.”
    “You don’t get on? But you’re so charming—I would have thought everyone loved you.”
    “Sarcasm is not a becoming trait, Lady Carstairs.”
    “I’m not interested in what is becoming or not.”
    “Clearly,” he said dryly. “I expect Winston Elsmere would be our best line of attack. And by the greatest good luck they’re holding a party tonight. The guest list is supposed to be small—a mere thirty or so. I declined their invitation, but they should be more than happy to welcome us anyway. Supper isoptional, and the dancing starts at ten. I’ll pick you up at half past nine.”
    She stared at him in disbelief. “I’m not going to their party! For one thing, I wasn’t invited.”
    “That hardly matters. If you come as my guest you’ll be welcomed. There’s an excellent chance that at least two or three members of the Host will be in attendance. Once we identify them we can go from there.”
    “I don’t want to attend a party!” she protested. “I keep out of society.”
    “You don’t have a choice. Not if you want to stop the Host.”
    “I want more than that,” she said, trying to