Julia Quinn: It's In His Kiss

What should she do? What should she do?

Oh, very well, she knew what she should do. But what did she want to do?

“Is this your translation here on the table?” came her mother’s voice.

“Er, yes!” She coughed. “It’s from Galileo. The original is right next to it.”

“Oh.” Her mother paused. Her voice sounded funny. “Why did you-Never mind.”

Isabella looked frantically at the jewels. She had only a moment to decide.

“Isabella!” her mother called. “Did you remember to do your sums this morning? You’re starting dancing lessons this afternoon. Did you recall?”

Dancing lessons? Isabella’s face twisted, rather as if she’d swallowed lye.

“Monsieur Larouche will be here at two. Promptly. So you will need…”

Isabella stared at the diamonds. Hard. So hard that her peripheral vision slipped away, and the noise around her faded into nothing. Gone were the sounds of the street, floating through the open window. Gone was her mother’s voice, droning on about dancing lessons and the importance of punctuality. Gone was everything but the blood rushing past her ears and the quick, uneven sound of her own breath.

Isabella looked down at the diamonds.

And then she smiled.

And put them back.

The author wishes to thank Eloisa James and Alessandro Vettori for their expertise in all things Italian.

JULIA QUINN started writing her first book one month after finishing college and has been tapping away at her keyboard ever since. The New York Times bestselling author of fourteen novels for Avon Books, she is a graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges and lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest.

Please visit her on the web at www.juliaquinn.com.