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Chapter 1

Thea Knight had never been one to follow rules unquestioningly—or at all, if she could help it—but she always adhered to three firm rules of her own

Namely, her Rules of Mischief

First, ood cause—and certainly, Thea’s present er sister’s happiness For that excellent cause, she had resigned her position as a private nurse, donned a set of hed a stone and reeked of pigs—and journeyed halfway across England toinn in Warwickshire Thea had even stopped laughing long enough to be laced into tight stays for the first tiown to its best advantage, while Helen took her turn to dress as a swine-scented swain All as a prelude to the grandto be Miss Helen Knight, the real Helen would be eloping to Scotland with her beloved Beau Russell, thus evading the long reach of Beau Russell’s father, Viscount Ventnor

Which led to Thea’s second Rule of Mischief: One must trick only those ere villainous, powerful, or—as was most likely the case—both

Her conscience rested easy on that point, for Lord Ventnor practically leaped into the third category The things he had said about the Knight fa seductress” and “too distastefully inferior” for his heir, because Pa was a “grubby merchant” and Thea a “dreadful scandal” Ventnor had then packed his son off to a shooting party, and sent men to follow Helen and stop her if she tried to sneak away to meet Beau Even noo ruffians sat in the tavern downstairs, waiting for Helen to ee

Thea had her own reasons for loathing Lord Ventnor, though she preferred not to think about that ball three years ago, when Percy Russell spewed his lies and Ventnor called her horrid names To think that, of all the men in the world, Helen intended to marry Percy Russell’s elder brother! Thea shuddered at the thought of being thus connected to her eneh it was probably perfectly normal for the Russell fa andeach other for centuries, sometimes on the same day

But she bit her tongue and started no quarrels, because of her third Rule: When engaging in mischief and trickery, one ood ood memories of these precious stolen minutes with her sister

“Heavens, Thea, where did you get this hideous greatcoat?” Helen held the offending iteris themselves?”

“If you please!” Thea protested “I’ll have you know that greatcoat orn by the finest pigs in all of England”

“They certainly have the finest smell!”

Laughing, Helen shoved her are the lapels and capes, then stepped back to admire the result

The greatcoat truly was a stroke of genius Its bulk broadened Helen’s shoulders and concealed her shape, and its fragrance would deter anyone froreatcoat and with a broad-brimmed clerical hat pulled do on her face, Helen could travel without drawing attention, just as Thea had done

“How did you survive wearing these clothes in this heat?” Helen said, taking up the clerical hat and spinning it around one finger “I swear, after days sweltering in stagecoaches, I shall arrive at the border as roasted as a loin of pork, and Beau will stick a fork in me to see if I am done”

“What an excellent test of true love! If Mr Russell still wants you when you s, you can be sure he ant you always”

“If his father’s fury could not tear us apart, I daresay a sreatcoat will fare no better”

Hoonderful for Helen, to be so loved and wanted Thea could hardly argue with that

So once more, she sed her concerns and insteadher slowly Helen looked as coood ten years since the sisters had last dressed as boys “Ted” and “Harry” they had been, hair cut short under their caps, dashing out after their lessons to run errands for Pa, gather news at coffeehouses and the docks, and earn a coin wherever they could Because that was how the Knight fa, rocky road to security and wealth

Then the year Thea turned twelve, Pa ain, and the ti to be a boy and to pretend to be a genteel lady instead