Page 37 of Refining the Debutante
Miranda pinched the bridge of her nose. “Come, it’s time for me to demonstrate the secret to conversation I promised you when we last spoke.”
“Now?” Hannah’s eyes lit with excitement.
“Yes, all I need is an introduction.” This would be the perfect opportunity to work on keeping her promise to Sarah. She was going to undo some of her wickedness by giving those she cared for a little helping hand. Hannah would be her first victim—er, patron. Of course, if she happened to interrupt the happy couple before them, she could not help such a circumstance.
Hannah led Miranda over to her brother, and Ethan moved to make room in their otherwise intimate circle.
“Miss Withers, you remember Miss Bartley? She is visiting us for a time.” Ethan glanced at Miranda, then flicked his gaze back to Miss Withers.
Miss Withers smiled with her incredibly straight teeth. Miranda groaned inwardly. Maybe this woman was perfect.
“I hope your stay has been pleasant,” Miss Withers said. “Stonebrook Hall is full of charm.”
“Indeed.” Miranda’s tone bordered on sarcastic. She felt a surge of her old self returning—the part of her that never let anyone else take what she wanted. She repeated Hannah’s name like a mantra in her head to help her stay focused on her true goal. “I hope your family is enjoying the neighborhood. Do you find time to come to Stonebrook Hall often?”
“All the time.” Miss Withers smiled prettily at Ethan and then looked at Miranda again. “It’s beginning to feel like a second home.”
That was exactly what Miranda would have said had she been battling for Ethan’s affections, which she was not. She put on a benign smile. “And you wish to live here, of course? Who wouldn’t adore suchcharms?” Her eyes turned to Ethan, suggesting him to be the real charm.
Miss Withers blushed, and Ethan cleared his throat.
And Miranda was back at the card party. She needed to fix her blunder. This was not the person she wanted to be anymore. She opened her fan and started beating fresh air onto her face. “I, for one, could live here forever,” she said, then drew her fan across one eye. Ethan caught the slight cue, and his eyes widened almost imperceptibly. She was telling him she was sorry and hoped to fix things. “Because I adore snails.”
“Snails?” Miss Withers asked, confused.
“Yes, Stonebrook has them in excess. Please tell me you have noticed the snails, Mr. Roderick.”
Ethan eyed her strangely. “We do have snails, yes, but I would not say—”
“See? That is exactly why everyone wants to live here. And snails remind me of shells. Do you collect shells, Miss Withers?”
“When I was a child, I used to keep a linen bag full of them.” Miss Withers smiled at the memory.
“Did you? And surely you had a favorite?”
“Why yes, it was a beautiful cockle shell. My brother fashioned it into a necklace for me.” And just like that, Miss Withers was off sharing stories about her childhood.
“Exhibition one. How to get yourself out of a mess,” Miranda whispered to Hannah.
Hannah giggled. Miranda looked up, thinking Ethan would be hanging on every word Miss Withers uttered, but he was looking at Miranda. He raised his brow in question. She wished she could tell him all of her thoughts, but not even a fan could communicate what she felt, nor should it.
She was all too grateful when a freckled Miss Van Helsing stepped up to the pianoforte and the first strains of music poured into the room. Several couples lined up to dance, and Miranda stepped to the edge of the room.
Hannah came up beside her once more. “How did you know Miss Withers collected shells?”
“She lives near the coast. Of course she collected shells,” Miranda said. “The trick word wassnail. I merely used the term to change the subject. It isn’t complicated. You will have to try it sometime.”
“I will,” Hannah said with a grin.
It was by far the biggest smile Miranda had seen from the sweet girl. Miranda hated to ask, but she had to know if what Jane had said was the truth. “Can you tell me if your brother is courting Miss Withers?”
“Why yes,” Hannah said. “That is, everyone says he is.”
Miranda’s heart sank like an anchor. She had seen it with her own eyes but still hoped for it to be otherwise. Ethan deserved to be happy, and she owed him a great deal, but was Miss Withers right for him? Did she make him happy? Happier than Miranda had made him?
“Miss Bartley,” Ethan said behind her.
She turned, afraid he had overheard her conversation with Hannah. “Yes?”
