Free Conspiring with a Rogue by Julie Johnstone

very early this morning.”
    Shock was a funny thing. Whitney had always thought herself a calm person, but in the last several days, she had found herself with a racing heart, unable to speak and her mouth hanging open. This was one of those moments where disbelief took away all coherent thought. “Huh?” she managed, quite proud she got that one word out.
    “Close your mouth, darling. It’s unsightly.”
    Whitney clamped her jaw shut at the same moment Sally grasped her hand.
    “Your intended. You do remember her, don’t you? Pretty little gel, though cheeky as the day is long and incredibly bossy. She actually demanded that I wake you when I told her you were here.” Sally arched her blond brows in two perfect arcs. “You might have mentioned that you betrothed yourself to Lady Audrey. My little scheme in sending her to you should have been my finest achievement.”
    “Forgive me if I can’t feel sorry for your failure in trying to use Audrey to drag me back to a place you know I will not go.”
    Sally frowned. “You’ve never been the accommodating type. Even as a child you refused to do what I told you when you clearly needed a mother figure.”
    “I had my sister for that. She was bossy enough, thank you very much.”
    “Gillian allowed you to become too headstrong.”
    “I’m not,” Whitney protested feebly. It was hard to argue the truth however much she wanted to.
    Sally snorted. “You’re right. Headstrong is an understatement. I don’t know what drove you away from your home and the man you obviously still love, but it’s time to come back.”
    “No,” Whitney said simply. “Don’t make me cut ties with you permanently.” She hated to reissue the threat, but heavens, didn’t she have enough to worry about without Sally’s demands that could never be fulfilled?
    Sally harrumphed and shot Whitney a withering glance. “All my plans seem to be going awry lately. If you won’t be reasonable, then at least explain how you came to be engaged to the unpredictable Lady Audrey.”
    “It’s complicated,” Whitney mumbled clambering off the bed.
    “Perhaps, but I deserve an explanation since I consented to hoodwink my husband for you.”
    “
Hoodwink
?” Whitney sputtered. “You begged me to let you help.”
    “Useless details,” Sally said with a wave of her hand.
    Useless details, indeed. They were only useless because they proved Whitney’s point and not the duchess’s. Still Sally, being Sally, was staring at Whitney as if she could not believe an explanation would not be forthcoming immediately. “The explanation will take more time than we have at the present.” That was true, but it was also true that the thought of going into it made Whitney’s head ache.
    Sally pursed her lips. “Yet an explanation, a quick one, is in order if I’m to continue to play my part. As it is, a good night’s sleep convinced Peter my old friend Mr. Wentworth has duped me and I’m afraid the duke has been up to mischief.”
    “What’s Peter done?” Whitney wanted to scream the question, but she forced her voice to remain serene.
    “Shortly after your betrothed arrived, Peter dashed out to see Mr. Sutherland, just as I told you he would.”
    Whitney studied Sally. She had always been able to tell when the duchess was leaving out something, because her lips twitched, just as they were now. “If he did just what we wanted, then I fail to see the disaster.” Sometimes, with Sally, it was better to lead her to tell the whole story rather than demand it. The duchess despised demands.
    Sally shook her head. “You misunderstand, as unfortunately I did when the blasted man told me cheerfully he was going. I would never have let him leave, even if I had to throw myself against the front door to prevent it.”
    As the Primwitty estate had to have at least a dozen exits with which Peter could leave by, Whitney thought Sally was being a bit dramatic, but the gesture of friendship was appreciated. With