To Catch a Rake Read Online Free

those females. But he disagreed and said the book is about proper ladies and their—well, you know—bedroom habits.” She sighed, then gave a dainty sniff. “He told me that down at his club the common name for the book is The Field Guide . I guess gentlemen are supposed to carry it so they can readily spot these women on the streets. He even told me that over a thousand of these horrid books were published and sold to men around Covent Garden.”
    Meta considered James Codlington to be an honorable, intelligent young man. Although he was still young and gangly in appearance, she had complete confidence in his good character. He would follow his father and be a successful justice in the Court of Common Pleas one day, an honored position held at various times by several members of his family. “How did James come by it?”
    Lily glanced up, wide-eyed. “You know, I forgot to ask him. That is somewhat suspicious, don’t you think? Maybe he is the sort of gentleman that purchases books like this one. Perhaps I should not wish to wed James after all. Maybe he is one of those men that keep secrets from their wives and cannot be trusted?”
    “Nonsense.” Meta had known James and his family for years. He did not have a secretive personality—far from it. “Lily, a more honest gentleman never lived; you know that. Besides, the two of you acknowledged your love a year ago and recently announced your engagement to your family. You even assured me it was true love, remember?”
    Lily’s almost violet eyes began to shimmer with unshed tears. “I-I certainly thought it was, I truly believed it was mutual, until yesterday. Oh, Meta.” She covered her face with both hands. “Why has he insulted me in this way?”
    Meta examined the small book again. The text was divided into two sections, with the first section titled: The Rake’s Handbook . The second section, consisting of about fifty pages, bore the title: The Field Guide . Each page of the field guide described a lady’s best features and amorous personality. It also provided tips upon how to recognize her in person, for example, a penchant for a favorite type of bonnet or colored spencer. “How could someone be so heartless as to write a book like this?”
    Lily did not reply, resuming her vacant stare in the direction of the hot coals.
    Meta flipped through every page in the book, then returned to the page in question. “How can James say it’s your name on this page when the spelling is off? There are too many spaces for the word Lily and too few spaces to spell Broadsham properly. Therefore, this female cannot possibly be you. Did you point that fact out to him?”
    “Yes, but it made no mark upon him whatsoever. He thought the extra letters in the first name were only because it meant Lillian. You know, while we all call you Meta, your full name is Margaret and would have eight spaces. James said the lack of a letter in the last name was merely a printing error.”
    “I wonder if his mother had anything to do with that excuse, since it does not sound like James at all.”
    Lily ignored her. “Most of all, he seemed consumed by the fact that my initials appeared under the category of Happy Goer—a subject he could not leave alone, although I had no idea what he was going on about.” She looked up at her sister. “Oh, Meta, why didn’t he believe me? Why didn’t he know in his heart it was not me in that book?”
    Meta glared at the small tome. “That is something I plan to discover. Indeed, I have numerous questions for James. But first, I don’t see the words ‘Happy Goer’ under the entry that he presumably thinks is you.”
    Lily blew her nose somewhat indelicately. “It’s a term in the index, at the front of the field guide.”
    Meta flipped the pages and found the index, which consisted of six different categories of lady. She read the title of each category aloud: “Widow Makers Tied Up, Goddesses Who Rule the Roost, Happy Goers, Eager Out