Page 74 of Murder at the Debutante Ballby

“Harry is a better man than you give him credit for. I’m sure his intentions will become clear soon enough.”

I walked away, but not before I saw my words wipe off his smirk.

Dinner wasa distraction from my thoughts about Harry’s motives, but not in a good way. It began inauspiciously enough with the host and hostess greeting me warmly. I’d met them before. They were a friendly couple, entirely without guile. Their other guests were another matter, however.

Two more families dined with us. My aunt and uncle knew them, but I did not. Instinct warned me something was amiss during the introductions in the drawing room before dinner. They were stiff and brief, and I was given a thorough going-over by more than one set of eyes. While it’s not unusual to take one’s measure upon an introduction, it is unusual to do it openly and with the top lip curled in a sneer.

It would seem I wasn’t good enough to be in their presence. I thought it was because of my lack of fortune and breeding, but a whispered word caught my ear just before the dinner gong sounded. “Bluestocking,” one of the older women said to the other. From the way the second woman looked down her nose at me, I suspected she agreed with the first. In their eyes, my education was as appalling as Amelia’s loss of purity.

My aunt and uncle didn’t notice. Uncle Ronald was oblivious and Aunt Lilian was still scatter-brained from the dose of tonic she took before leaving the hotel. I did my best to ignore the two dragons, but it became clear during dinner that the gossip had spread.

Guests at the other end of the table began looking at me oddly, as if seeing me for the first time. Some wore assessing looks, but most regarded me with disappointment, or even disgust.

After the women left the men to their port and cigars and returned to the drawing room, the whispers continued. It was only a matter of time before my aunt heard them.

Flossy already had. She took my arm and steered me to a corner. “Now don’t get upset, Cleo, but there is a rumor going around about you.”

“So I gathered. Does it have something to do with being educated?”

“It does.” She studied a cluster of three women seated on the sofa who were deep in conversation, their gazes flicking to me.

“And that is cause for gossip because…?”

“Because it is unbecoming for a young woman to be so intelligent.”

“Is that all?”

“Don’t be so dismissive, Cleo. It’s a very damaging rumor. No gentleman wants a lady who is cleverer than he.”

“If all the gentlemen at this party have deemed me more intelligent without getting to know me then they are indeed stupid.” There was no point telling her yet again that I had no intention to marry. She clearly didn’t believe me.

“It’s not a joke, Cleo. You won’t get invited anywhere important.”

“You’re not making your point as convincingly as you think you are.”

“And, by extension, nor will I.”

I took her hand and squeezed. Poor Flossy. She had just recovered from Lady Bunbury’s previous attempt to ostracize us, and now she was going through it again. Only this time I couldn’t prove it was Lady Bunbury and so my aunt couldn’t blackmail her. Besides, it was too late for that. The damage was already done.

“Don’t jump to that conclusion yet,” I said. “Me being labeled a bluestocking may not affect you.” I could have gone on to say that no one who knew her would mistake her for being too clever, but I couldn’t bring myself to be cruel, even though she would probably take it as a complement.

The entire situation was absurd. I would have laughed if she hadn’t looked like she wanted to cry.

“Who would do such a thing?” she murmured. “Who is so jealous of you that they want to stifle your opportunities?”

I didn’t respond. It would make no difference telling her it was Lady Bunbury. Indeed, it might upset her more knowing London’s leading socialite still held a grudge against me.

“Oh dear,” Flossy said on a sigh. “Now Mother has heard, too.”

Aunt Lilian had been in a quiet conversation with the hostess. They both suddenly looked at me with twin expressions of concern and sympathy. At least I had allies in that quarter. Indeed, some of the younger women also looked at me anew, not with sneers but with curiosity.

The daughter of the hostess invited me to sit with her on one of the sofas where we were soon joined by another woman of Flossy’s age. We fell into a conversation about Cambridge University, and how I’d been allowed to attend lectures but not earn a degree. They were enthusiastic about the idea of being educated like a man, and wished their parents were as progressive and encouraging as my grandparents had been.

By the time the gentlemen joined us, I felt happier than I had all night. I didn’t care if the men thought me strange or dull. I was only disappointed for Flossy’s sake. She seemed to think it was the end ofhersocial life.

My aunt and uncle didn’t raise the topic of the gossip on the way home, although both were silent. In my aunt’s case, it was probably because her head ached after her tonic wore off. In my uncle’s, it could just be that he was in a morose mood.

I managed to avoid them the following morning. I went down to the foyer, umbrella at the ready, but did not leave the hotel. I wasn’t sure where to go. The investigation had stalled so I had no reason to see Harry. As much as I wanted to confront him about joining Floyd and Jonathon at the gambling house, I decided against it. There was no point. I knew him well enough to know he would honor his gentleman’s code and refuse to speak to me about it.

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