Dizzy Dilemmas Read Online Free

her brother’s which left the question; what did they have to discuss at length and so intently at a ball?
    She was just berating herself for being somewhat paranoid and telling herself there was absolutely nothing to worry about when Gideon, her eldest brother and senior by seven years glanced across at her and smiled; not just his hello smile, or his just caught your eye , smile. No this was definitely his mischievous smile, his ‘I am up to something’ smile and that was definitely something to be concerned about. She frowned across at him and his smile became in a grin; not just his ‘I am happy’ grin but his, ‘I am definitely cooking up mischief’ grin. It was a grin with which she had been familiar for all of her life and it usually concocted up a recipe of mayhem in which she usually, through no fault of her own, became a principal ingredient. Her frown became a scowl.  Although it was a useless wish, she wanted her scowl to reach out across the ballroom and curl itself around her brother’s conniving neck and strangle any scheming at its birth.
    Then her tormentor looked over at her and Dizzy knew without a shadow of a doubt that things had definitely got worse. Even at a distance she could tell that his smile was taunting and promised more turmoil than even Gideon was capable of brewing. Incredible though it seemed, here was a man who could demote her brother’s machinations to that of schoolboy antics. Her scowl became ferocious. And then he waved!
    “Did you just growl , dear?” the dowager turned a perplexed expression upon her granddaughter.
    “Growl, Grandmamma?” replied Dizzy whilst trying to school her own expression into one of bland serenity.
    “Yes, growl. For I tell you it is most assuredly not the sound one usually expects to hear from a young lady at a ball,” she said.
    “I am pretty sure I did not growl. Perhaps it is your hearing letting you down.” Dizzy teased.
    “I am in the prime of life, my girl, as you very well know. Hearing letting me down indeed! I know a growl when I hear one and don’t you mistake!”
    “Just for my own clarity then Grandmamma, and for future reference; when would you expect a growl from a young lady?  We have established not at a ball. What about a picnic or a drive in the park? Would a growl then be acceptable? And do the same rules apply to young men?”
    “Humph.” The Dowager was ready with a rejoinder when she suddenly spotted her eldest grandson. “Never mind your cheek now. Who is that gentleman in conversation with your brother?”
    Deliberately misunderstanding her relative, Dizzy answered. “Why , it is Simeon Binksley of-course. You have known him since he was a babe in arms. Do not tell me you are losing your sight now as well as your hearing Grandmother, dear?”
    “What?” she said for a moment forgetting her manners in her conf usion. Her head spun round to Dizzy and seeing she was looking in an entirely different direction; she followed her gaze and spotted her other grandson Gabriel, who was indeed talking to the son of her long-time friend.  “Not Gabriel!” she said swatting Dizzy’s arm. “Naturally I know Simeon. Gideon! Who is that talking to Gideon?”
    “I haven’t the slightest idea ,” Dizzy replied feigning disinterest.
    “Handsome devil isn’t he! I should imagine he will have the young women dangling after him and if he turns out to be well heeled, he will be popular with their mothers too.  Why don’t you join your brother dear? He will be able to introduce you. A head start on the other girls will not come amiss.”
    “Do you think him handsome?” Dizzy asked , ignoring the hand pushing her elbow in an effort to get her to move. She took the time to study her adversary and thought he was indeed a fine specimen of manhood but there was no way she was going to let on to her grandmother. If she suspected Dizzy was interested, which she wasn’t, there would be no end to her machinations in getting the