The Double Identity of a Bewitching Lady [EBOOK]

Prologue <b>
Diana Brisbane sighed, setting her pen down to rub the bridge of her nose. While she really wanted to write, she was having a hard time focusing, even in the quiet and orderly study room.<b>
Oh, why did I think it was a good idea to let Debora switch places with me tonight? she asked herself for at least the hundredth time.<b>
The nice thing about having a twin sister who looked exactly like her in every way was that no one could tell them apart. So, she had no fear their switch would be noticed by the gentleman in question. However, she didn't think there was a particular need for the switch on this occasion.<b>
She didn't even mind the idea of having high tea with him. True, he was a little condescending, but at least he was actually willing to talk politics with her, something not many potential suitors were willing to do with a sixteen-year-old girl such as herself.<b>
While she wasn't interested in him for any reason other than his conversation, she could tell he was perhaps interested in calling on her more officially.<b>
This morning, when she had pouted at her aunt who was reminding her she had to make herself more presentable to receive him, Debora had instantly jumped in and quickly talked her into switching places.<b>
When she had hesitated, her sister had reminded her of how she had said that she wanted to write today; pointing out that she wouldn't have time to do so if she was entertaining her suitor, and had ended by mentioning the small favour she owed her.<b>
It was only long after Debora had gleefully kissed her on her cheek and run off to get ready that Diana paused with an uneasy suspicion her twin was up to something.
Though Diana loved talking about politics, philosophy, and mathematics, Debora did not. Therefore, as far as she could tell, her sister had no real reason to want to switch places with her just to entertain someone who she would doubtless be bored by . . .<b>
It was this apprehension that was keeping Diana from focusing. With another sigh, she stood and stretched a little, knowing she would have to get herself some peace of mind before she could even think about finishing her writing.<b>
If their parents were here, she could have felt more comfortable about leaving things as they were. However, their elderly aunt, whom they were visiting with in Wales at the time, could not keep up with the more rambunctious twin.<b>
Just as Diana was about to head out of the library, she heard voices growing louder, and then shouting, and the sound of something slamming.<b>
With wide eyes, she hurried out of the door, down the hallway, and to the top of the stairs as laughter joined the cacophony of other sounds. She recognised that one of the people shouting was her aunt. As she stopped at the top of the stairs, the sight that met her eyes seemed like chaos to her.<b>
Aunt Anne had her head poking out of the door, seemingly alternating between two conversations. "—and I want you to leave my property, and don't you ever come back!" she yelled at whoever was outside.
Then, turning to Mr Lincoln, the man inside with whom Diana was supposed to be having tea, she said, "Oh, sir, please don't go, I am sure this was just some—some sort of misunderstanding. I am certain that—"<b>
However, his face was completely red, and he was refusing to look at anyone as he walked around Aunt Anne to reach the door. Meanwhile, Debora was by the wall, a hand over her stomach and slightly bent over as she laughed almost hysterically at everything that was going on.<b>
"Please, sir!" Aunt Anne's voice grew louder once more, and Diana saw that she was wringing her hands together.<b>
This seemed to make him pause, and she hoped maybe he would say something that would clear up what was going on.<b>
Instead, he only turned to face the room in general before announcing, "After tonight, no man in Wales will ever show an interest in Diana Brisbane again!"<b>
Diana froze where she stood, unable to say anything or even think for a long moment. Just what had her sister done?! She was only vaguely aware of the sound of the door closing and her aunt heaving a sigh before she came to her senses, her blood instantly starting to boil at the sound of Debora's continued laughter.<b>
So furious that she was almost trembling, she flew down the stairs to stand directly in front of her sister. "Just what is so funny? What did you do?" she asked, keeping her voice as calm as she could while her hands were clenched into fists at her sides.<b>
Debora seemingly missed these warning signs as she wiped away the tears that had spilled from laughing too hard. She was still grinning and obviously pleased with herself as she said without hesitation, "Oh, that? Well, to start with, I must tell you that particular suitor of yours was infinitely more boring than I thought he would be. I think we are much better off without him coming around."<b>
"What did you do?" Diana asked again, her already low patience growing even thinner at the absence of either a clear answer or any repentance.<b>
Her sister seemed to start catching onto the fact she was far from pleased, and so she answered more directly this time. "Well, you see, I knew Crowley would be coming by today. He is that soldier I told you about, remember? Anyway, when Lincoln was being especially boring, I started talking to Crowley instead."<b>
"Just talking?" Diana asked doubtfully, knowing that her suspicion was correct when Debora looked slightly abashed for the first time.<b>
"Alright, so it was more than simply talking. What of it? Yes, I brazenly flirted with a soldier in front of him, but you should have seen the expression on his face! I really think you would have laughed at that. Crowley seemed to find it just as much fun, especially when the gentleman started to protest and—"<b>
Diana could contain her temper no longer. Just picturing the scene in her head nearly made her want to die from mortification. She squeezed her eyes shut as she yelled at her sister, not wanting to hear anything more, "What were you thinking?!"<b>
Complete silence followed her outburst, Debora's eyes growing wide with shock. But Diana could not find it in herself to hold back as she continued to yell at her sister for the first time in her life. <b>
"Of all the foolhardy and irresponsible things you have done, this time you just had to add rude and brazen and . . . and . . . you did it to me, to my name and not just your own!"<b>
Debora started to open her mouth slightly, but Diana wasn't finished yet. "Everyone knows how wild you are sometimes, but I have kept myself out of the worst of your larks. Now everyone is going to think I am even worse than you are!"<b>
This seemed to anger Debora as well, as she quickly cut in sarcastically, "How tragic for you. Don't even pretend you genuinely like the man. It was just the other day you were ranting to me about him being condescending to you. Now he won't bother you again."<b>
"Not bother me? Really? He may not have been perfect, but at least he was the best one so far."<b>
"You can do better than him; I know you can," Debora told her conciliatorily.<b>
"That is beside the point!" Diana exclaimed, exasperated.<b>
"Then what is the point?"<b>
"The point is I do want to actually get married one day!" Diana yelled back. "I want to get married, but no one is going to want to marry a brazen, rude little flirt. You don't care if you get married or not, but I do."<b>
"Girls," Aunt Anne interjected, trying to get them to stop arguing.<b>
However, both of them ignored her as Debora replied angrily, "Just because I am not as interested in the idea of finding someone to settle down with, that does not mean I want to end up a spinster."<b>
"Well, with the way you acted today, both of us will probably end up being spinsters!" Diana retorted, still talking quite loudly. "We are not little girls anymore. Sure, it was cute and fun for a while, but those days are over. Besides, I thought we had agreed we would never take advantage of a switch to get the other one in trouble, yet that is exactly what you did today."<b>
"Girls, please," their aunt tried again, with slightly more success this time.<b>
Diana and Debora were glaring at each other as their aunt continued with a look of compassion, "Diana, yelling at each other like this is not going to get you anywhere. If you didn't want to see Mr Lincoln today, you could have told me so."<b>
Diana glanced away from her sister then, looking slightly ashamed of herself. "I know, and I can promise you, I have learned my lesson and I never intend to switch places with Debora ever again," she said firmly as her glare settled back on her sister.<b>
"Oh, come now," Debora said as she rolled her eyes. "We both know that the next time you start dreading an event Mother and Father want you to attend, that you will—"<b>
"No," Diana interjected, adding even more firmly than before, "never again."<b>
Aunt Anne cleared her throat to try to regain control of the conversation, but this time her gaze was focused on Debora. The lines around her mouth and her tone of voice were harsher as she said, "I think most of this was your doing. You should apologise to your sister, and then you can stay in your room until I can find a way for you to explain yourself and apologise to Mr Lincoln."
"What? Why are you scolding only me? She agreed to switch with me, so it is not as though I did this all by myself!" Debora exclaimed, angrily gesturing towards Diana.<b>
"Aunt Anne is right. I may have agreed to switch places with you; I am not, though, the one who was rude, who was a shameless flirt, and who decided it would be entertaining to ruin someone else's reputation," Diana coldly retorted. "However, you can save your apology for everyone else."<b>
"What do you mean?" her sister asked, a slight trace of worry in her voice.<b>
Diana turned and started walking stiffly back up the stairs to her room. "I don't want your apology, not when I know that you won't really mean it. In fact, I think that the more distance we have between us, the better."
"Distance? You mean from each other? You can't mean that. Wait a minute!"<b>
Diana jerked her hand away as her sister began to reach for it to stop her. Turning with an icy glare, she replied, "I have always been the one who found it was more annoying than fun for us to get confused with each other. This time you have taken your entertainment too far at my expense."<b>
Then, turning to her aunt, she added, "I am going to my room, where I plan to remain for the rest of the day. The first thing I plan to do is write a letter to our parents. With any luck, I will be able to convince them to send me abroad or something. I will be quite happy if I never have to see her again."<b>
She ignored Debora's gasp at her last words, as well as the prick of tears in her own eyes. As she turned and hurriedly continued up the stairs, she already regretted saying something so callous.<b>
"You do know it will take them a few days at least to reply, don't you?" Aunt Anne called after her.
"I know," she quickly replied as she reached the top step.<b>
Soon enough, she was in her room and locking the door behind her. While she wanted to just sit down against the door and cry, she didn't want to be anywhere near the door when Debora came by later, as she knew her sister would likely do.<b>
Guilt rolled around in her stomach as she recalled the hurtful words she had said. However, at the same time, she felt that her sister would never learn to behave properly.<b>
All her life she had tried to moderate her sister, who was technically the older of the two of them and the one who should have been more responsible. Any scolding or reproof always seemed to be forgotten after a few days, sometimes not even lasting that long.<b>
As she wiped away the slowly falling tears, she prepared to write her letter. There had been many times when she had tamed down the stories of what Debora had gotten them into, even when she didn't have to, to help her sister avoid getting into trouble. <b>
This time, she was going to do no such thing. She was going to lay out all the facts for them in every detail. If they doubted her words, which would be highly unlikely since they knew she was more trustworthy than Debora, then she would bring up past incidents and clarify them as proof of how serious the problem was.<b>
At most, she would get a mild scolding for not saying something sooner, but that would undoubtedly be all. Her sister, on the other hand . . . she winced at the very thought of what Mother and Father would do and say, but something had to be done. Debora could not be allowed to continue to act as she was currently doing. This was for her own good.<b>
She and Debora had never been separated before in their whole lives. She also knew Debora would be devastated to be parted from her, but she was so tired of dealing with the aftermath of her sister's escapades.
Perhaps some distance was what they both needed. With any luck, one of them would spend too much time in the sun and get tanned skin or something so that they would no longer be so easily confused.<b>