Ten Ways to Ruin (The Daring Drake Sisters #1) - Christie Kelley Page 0,1

doing with that woman. A shudder ran through her.

“I only know of one gaming hell, and the proprietor would send me home the moment I walked inside. And then promptly tell my sister and his brother exactly what I had done.”

“Dress as a man. Then he shall never know it’s you,” Susan replied, her eyes alit with excitement.

Dress like a man? Emma slowly smiled. Surely Mr. Kingsley would never suspect the seemingly perfect Miss Drake would do such a thing. That might work.

“I do like the idea, but since it was your idea, I insist you accompany me.” She dipped her quill back into the ink and then wrote:

2. Visit a gaming hell dressed as a man

“Of course, I will attend with you, but not dressed as a man. If my mother discovered I’d donned trousers, I would be packed off to Suffolk to my grandmother’s house for the next twenty years. Mother would consider it a far greater tragedy than walking into a gaming hell.”

Emma laughed. “As you wish. But where will I get men’s clothing?”

“You mean, boys' clothing. I have four brothers. I can get you whatever you need. Before Andrew departed for Eton, he was about your size. I’m sure there are some of his old things left that will fit you.”

One problem solved. “Excellent, now we need eight more.”

There had to be some code of conduct that she’d been taught she could break. What was one of the first things her mother taught her? A smile tugged at her lips. “Susan, have you ever introduced yourself to a man?”

“Of course not. You know it is not safe to do such a thing.”

“I didn’t think so. Neither have I,” Emma said before dipping her quill but paused as Susan’s voice interrupted her actions.

“You mustn’t, Emma. What if the man is a rake or worse a scoundrel?”

Even better, Emma thought but refused to say aloud for fear of frightening her friend. “I will be cautious about who I choose. I will know of the man before I introduce myself.”

Emma tapped her quill before writing:

3. Introduce yourself to a man

“Oh, that is bold,” Susan said with a giggle. “Well, that should do it, but if not write down, get banned from Almack’s.”

“I think that would be my favorite,” Emma said and then couldn’t stop giggling. “I despise that place with those superior women. Just think, a Season without Almack’s. That would be heavenly, indeed.”

She wondered how her mother had managed to have Lady Huntly get the vouchers for them this year. The talk surrounding Louisa’s marriage and Emma’s jilting had scarcely died down.

“Your mother will have an apoplexy.”

If only, Emma thought. The woman deserved one after all she’d put the family through. Emma picked up her quill and then wrote:

4. Get banned from Almack’s

“Emma, have you ever imbibed a bit too much in public?”

“Of course not. Mamma won’t even let me have a sip of wine at a ball. I’m only allowed a small glass of wine at home with dinner. But I do like your thought immensely.” She smiled as she wrote the next item on her list.

5. Get foxed

“You could get drunk at Almack’s,” Susan added with a chuckle.

“Except, it would be most difficult to do there unless the warm lemonade goes bad,” Emma replied, tapping the end of the quill against her lip. Alcohol was never served at the hallowed institution of Almack’s.

“Well, entering Almack’s deep in your cups would likely get you banned,” Susan commented, brushing a lock of chestnut hair out of her eyes. “You just need to hide your drinking from your mother until you arrive.”

“That might be difficult.” Emma shrugged, disregarding Susan’s idea. Not having been deep in her cups, Emma had no idea how she would react. Louisa tended to giggle when she drank, but Tessa became slightly sullen.

“We need five more things.”

“Must it be five more?” Susan whined as she flipped over onto her back and stared at the white ceiling. “Surely this is enough to ruin your good name.”

“That’s not the point of this, Susan. This is about having some amusements for a change. What do you think of this one?” She wrote number six and showed the paper to her friend.

6. Break a law

Susan sat up on the bed with her mouth agape. “You are truly mad, Emma Drake. You most certainly cannot break a law!”

“Not a big law, just a little one.” Emma tapped the end of the quill against her lip again. “Perhaps I might pinch