The three sisters glanced to the door together to see Daniel smiling brightly. “Richard is arranging for the carriage to be brought around right now. We need to get going if we wish to avoid the worst of the crush of arrivals.”

“Yes, we’re ready,” Suzette said and gave Lisa’s arm an encouraging squeeze before crossing the room to slip her arms around her husband.

“Good,” he said and bent his head to kiss her forehead affectionately. Glancing back to Lisa, he said solemnly. “Good luck, little sister.”

Lisa nodded and managed a smile, then turned her attention to Christiana as she moved in front of her.

“All will be well,” Christiana whispered, giving her a bracing hug. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. But it will be all right. At least I hope it will. It will be fine. Maybe.”

On that confusing note, she released her and followed the other two out of the room.

Lisa stared after them briefly, then turned to pace to the window and peer out at the night sky, trying not to think about what she was supposed to do. Seducing Robert. Good Lord, she didn’t have a clue what she was going to do. How was she supposed to seduce him? It wasn’t exactly something she’d been trained in. Did they even have training in that? Was there a school for Birds-of-Paradise and other light skirts? Classes on kissing? Caressing? Or on how to not scream like an idiot when he tore through your maidenhead and sent the blood gushing?

“Dear God,” she muttered, pushing that thought firmly away.

She would just go in there and . . . well, she would eat with him, talk, laugh, and . . . hopefully, something would inspire her. It would be easier though if he were doing the seducing. She would respond most eagerly if he did. However, that wasn’t likely to happen.

“Here we are.”

Lisa turned from the window as Bet entered, a tray in hand. “Cook put together quite a feast for the two of you. She says Lord Langley needs to build up his strength. I managed to refrain from saying more than she knew,” Bet said with a naughty grin.

Lisa managed a rather sickly smile, and moved to take the tray from her. Everybody was so bloody cheerful and happy about this plan. It seemed to her most households would not be so happy at the thought of the deliberate ruination of a young unmarried lady of the family. She truly had an unusual family.

“Good luck,” Bet murmured as she released the tray. “I shall be thinking of ye.”

“Oh, dear God, please do not,” Lisa whispered shakily. “This is going to be hard enough without knowing you are thinking about what I am doing.”

“Oh, aye,” Bet muttered. “I’ll . . . er . . . think o’ something else then.”