Page 109 of Oddity of the Ton
“Who told you?” Mother asked.
“Mr. Moss told us.”
“Us?” Eleanor asked, nausea curling in her stomach.
“Irma was with me when Mr. Moss told us.Everybody’stalking about it.” Juliette glanced at Eleanor. “My poor sister.”
Mother rose to her feet. “This is outrageous! And so unjust—what a disgrace!”
A sense of loss curled in Eleanor’s gut. Though she had anticipated the manner by which her engagement was to end, she hadn’t expected the pain, the dark ache spreading through her body. Yet, despite the pain, she clung to a glimmer of hope—the indignation of Mother’s voice as she defended her. Was it indignation born of a mother’s love?
“Mother…” Eleanor began, but Lady Howard raised her hand.
“Enough!” she cried. “Say nothing, lest my disappointment in you increases. Howcouldyou?”
“How could Iwhat, Mother?”
“I knew it was too good to be true. What could you have done to drive Whitcombe into the arms of harlots?”
“Twoharlots,” Juliette said.
“We must rise above this,” Mother continued, “which means we don’t indulge in gossip. Perhaps Mr. Moss was mistaken.”
“I doubt it,” Juliette said. “Everyone’s talking about it! They were seen in Hyde Park—Whitcombe was parading his doxies along Rotten Row. Mr. Moss told us—andLady Francis.”
“We must act swiftly,” Mother said. “Our family is innocent in all this. Yes—we can salvage our reputation if we make it known that we’ve been wronged. We must act as if none of this has happened. That means you too, Eleanor.”
“M-me?”
“Yes, you.” Mother’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t appear surprised—or discomposed. Did you expect this to happen?”
“I suppose I did.”
“Yousuppose!” Mother scoffed. “Well, one thing we can be thankful for is your lack of concern. You must use it on Saturday.”
“Saturday?”
“Our dinner party. It’s our opportunity to salvage the family’s reputation. Everybody will be there—the Fairchilds, Mr. Moss, Lady Francis, the Duke of Dunton…”
Sweet Lord, no!The very worst people in all Society—coming to dine and gloat at Eleanor’s expense.
“M-Mother, I can’t—”
“Yes youcan, child. You owe it to the family. You owe it to your sister.Youmay not be able to hold on to a suitor, but you cannot be so selfish as to wish the same fate on Juliette. Dunton’s shown a marked interest in her, hasn’t he? If we cannot have two duchesses in the family, I’ll be content with one.”
“You reallydon’tlook that upset, Eleanor,” Juliette said.
Eleanor rose, fisting her hands to control the tremors in her body. “What do you expect?” she cried. “Do you want me to scream? Or suffer a fainting fit and collapse at your feet to feed your gratification?”
“Eleanor, that’s enough!” Mother cried. “Just becauseyou’vefailed, it doesn’t give you the right to upset the rest of us. I—”
The door burst open, and Eleanor’s father appeared.
“What the devil’s going on?” he said. “You can be heard in the street outside!” He glanced at Eleanor, and his eyes widened. “What’s happened, daughter?”
“She’s lost her fiancé, Leonard,” Mother said.
“What do you mean,lost?”
