Ten Ways to Ruin (The Daring Drake Sisters #1) - Christie Kelley

Chapter 1

London 1821

“WHEN A MORALLY UPRIGHT gentleman discards a lady, in the eyes of Society, it ought to be owed to a defect in her character. Thus, associating with such a lady may put your reputation at risk. The only choice is to give the lady the cut direct.”

Emma Drake slammed shut The Ladies Guide to Proper Behavior. “Now do you believe me?” she asked her dearest friend Susan Lancaster.

“Oh, pish-posh,” Susan said with a wave of her hand. “That guide was written for young ladies who may never see a Season in their poor pitiful lives. You have already had three Seasons and captured the heart of a Viscount.”

No, if she’d captured Bolton’s heart, he never would have rejected her because of her sisters’ transgressions. Sitting at her small writing desk in her bedroom, she tapped the end of a quill against her lips. Perhaps there was something bothersome with her personality.

After spending the last ten months pondering what she had done to offend her former fiancé, she’d finally decided the problem lay with Viscount Bolton, not her. She’d spent most of her doing exactly as mother recommended. She befriended only the most upright ladies, never drank to excess, never swore, and was always accommodating.

She had never been so bored in her life, and it had been all for naught. Most ladies she had so sweetly befriended gave her the cut direct once Bolton jilted her.

Almost a year of living with such an unearned reputation had only served to increase her desire to match her tarnished name. But could she do it? Having a bit of fun could mean ruining her name and chances of marrying.

Marriage and love might have been for her sisters, but neither felt right to her any longer. At this point, Emma would have to settle for a man who wanted a prize on his arm when he entered a room. A man who only marry her because she was the beautiful Drake sister. Her stomach roiled in protest. She did not want of that any longer.

She wanted adventures, amusement, and to do as she wished.

Turning to Susan, who sat on Emma’s bed and stared mouth agape as if Emma had grown horns, Emma asked, “What do you think? You’ve been terribly quiet.”

Susan shook her head with a scowl. “You must be mad, Emma. You cannot do this!”

“Why ever not?” she asked with a shrug. “I have been the model of Society mores for the past years. And what did that get me? Nothing but a reputation I did not deserve. For pity sake, I’ve never even been kissed!”

“Bolton never kissed you?” Susan asked with wide brown eyes. “You were engaged for three months.”

“Nothing more than a peck on the cheek. There was never an opportunity.” Or so he said. Most likely because his mother barely left them alone for more than a moment. But now she knew the first item for her list. “I do believe we have discovered number one.”

She dipped her quill into the ink and then wrote:

1. Kiss a man

“But who will you kiss?” Susan probed. “It’s not as if you can walk up to a man and ask for a kiss.”

Emma wasn’t sure why she couldn’t do such a thing. “I am certain some man would be willing to kiss me. Now come along, it’s your turn. Give me an idea.”

“You are not seriously going to write a list of ways to disgrace your family’s name, are you?”

“Susan, you are missing the point here. The list is for a few adventures. It’s been almost a year since Louisa married Harry. Both my sisters did as they pleased, while I lost a fiancé because of their actions. They had their escapades while I was stuck being a proper lady. It’s time I had a little entertainment.”

“Very well, since I will never convince you otherwise, let me think.” Susan stretched languidly across Emma’s bed. “I know one thing I should love to do that would be great fun indeed. I think you should go to a gaming hell. Think how exciting that would be with all the rogues and scoundrels in attendance. You might even win a bit of money.”

She couldn’t tell Susan that she’d already been to a hell, or her friend would pester her with questions. Emma had only seen the office of the owner. She’d never actually stepped foot inside the gaming room. Thinking back to that day, all she could remember was that dreadful man and what he was