“Trollop?” Mother repeated in bafflement. “Gladys?”
“Don’t let her innocent looks fool you,” said the older woman. “I wasn’t the only one to see her sneak in from the garden with leaves in her hair and her dress askew.”
The entire wide-eyed family swiveled their heads toward Gladys in surprise.
Gladys’s face immediately flamed with heat.
“It’s true?” Mother said in disbelief.
“My entire sewing circle saw her,” the woman said in triumph. “We separated at once to spread the word, so that no honorable gentleman is taken in by this trollop’s virginal-looking face. I hope she knows better than to show herself in polite society again.”
With that, the woman stalked away.
The Bell family stared at Gladys in shock.
“I…” she managed, then hung her head. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re ruined,” Kitty whispered in panic. “What do we do now?”
“We… We…” Mother sucked in a deep breath. “We must distance ourselves from her at once.”
“Distance yourselves?” Gladys repeated. “From me?”
“You turned twenty-one last month,” Father said slowly. “You have your majority.”
“And… you ruined your own reputation with your actions.” Mother took Kitty’s hand. “We cannot allow your proximity to ruin your sister’s bright future as well.”
“But—but I have no other home,” Gladys stammered. “No income! No other family. No options.”
“I suggest you take your complaints to whomever you had your tryst with,” Father said coldly.
“I can’t find him,” she blurted out.
Father looked unmoved. Mother looked distraught, but resolute. And Kitty: terrified. All three of them leaned away from Gladys. They were already distancing themselves from her.
Her stomach roiled. The strange looks from random picnickers now made sense. And if all of these people knew Gladys was ruined because of a tryst in the garden, then Reuben Medford knew it, too.
He had known the risks when he had yanked Gladys behind the hedgerow and kissed her, uninvited. He was the one who had destroyed her reputation, and he was the only one with the power to save it. But he wasn’t here. He was never coming for her. Under any circumstances.
Because nothing would happen to him.
Instead of taking responsibility for his role in this disaster, Mr. Medford chose to abandon Gladys to unimaginable consequences whilst he flitted about carefree. Likely off ruining some other girl, whilst a thousand accusing eyes glared at Gladys instead of the balloon launch.
But she hadn’t done this alone.
“It was Reuben Medford,” she said in a rush. “He… He grabbed me and kissed me, out of nowhere. He said he’d been planning it all night. When I heard you calling, I ran away before his seduction could go further.”
Her family’s eyes were pitying.
“Oh, darling. I know a rakehell makes for an easy scapegoat,” said her mother, “and the heir to a viscountcy would be an envious husband to land. But you cannot really believe anyone would think that a popular, handsome gentleman who could have his pick of the entire ton would instead choose—”
You.
The word went unsaid. It was unnecessary. Gladys could shout Reuben Medford’s name from the rooftops, and no one would believe her. Not even her own parents.
“You must go now,” Mother whispered. “Your presence is causing a scene.”
“Go where?” Gladys asked desperately.
