An Impetuous Abduction. Patricia Rowell Frances

do her best for me, to find me a husband. She is also beautiful and charming and…helpless. I feel…”

      Lord Hades snorted. “Your mama is approximately as helpless as an Indian tiger.”

      Phona frowned. “What do you mean? She falls into helpless hysterics at the smallest misfortune.”

      “And thereby gets precisely what she wants.”

      “Well, yes. There is that.”

      He sighed. “Ah, me. Your poor papa.”

      She had to chuckle at that. “He adores her, you know.”

      “It is a very good thing that he does. Otherwise, he would have strangled her long ere now.”

      Phona had never looked at the matter in that light. Yes, Mama must be very difficult for Papa at times. As she was for Phona. All she could answer was, “Papa would never do that.”

      The corner of his mouth quirked. “I admire his discipline. But if she wishes so much for you to marry, why does she insist that you wear an unbecoming color?”

      “I do not believe she intentionally leads me astray. Although she is very competitive with other women and might not wish for me to be as lovely as she is, she does want me to be more beautiful, accomplished and poised than anyone else’s daughter.” Phona tried to shed more light on the situation. “For she must be a perfect mother, you see, the most devoted mother of all time.”

      “Like her namesake, Demeter.”

      “Yes. Just so. Therefore I must be the most perfect daughter of all time, else she has failed.”

      “Egad! What a ghastly fate.”

      “Indeed! I feel very angry with her at times, but that is pointless. You see, she does not really look at me. She has her own ideas of what is perfectly impressive or perfectly fashionable or perfectly suitable—and I must live up to that perfection. But you see, she also must be perfect in every way at all times.”

      “An even worse fate.” He shook his head. “But what can the bachelors of the ton be thinking? Are they both stupid and blind?”

      “What do you mean?”

      He gestured toward her. “Here they have a woman of both beauty and fire, and they can’t see her? And she is an heiress to boot?” He leaned back in the chair and shook his head.

      “Well, they are hardly beating a path to my door. Except, of course, Lawrence Hudders.” Phona sighed.

      Hades raised an eyebrow. “I take it that you do not find Mr. Hudders to be a suitable suitor.”

      “Indeed, no. He is not quite right in the upper story, you know. Even Mama does not encourage him. She does truly want the best for me.” After a thoughtful pause she said, “And Papa is very careful to keep fortune hunters away.”

      “One of which he most likely believes I am.”

      “And are you?” Phona leaned forward and gazed seriously at him.

      “No, Miss Hathersage, I am not.” He sounded just a bit annoyed. “But if I were, I would take care to steer clear of your father.”

      There it was again. Another hint that he knew her family. “Lord Hades, how do you…”

      He stood and held out an arm. “Come, I will help you to the table where you can write more easily.”