“Do I interrupt?” came a smooth voice from the doorway.
“Mama!” Ellie rose to her feet, an attack of nervousness overwhelming her momentary pique. She had stood her ground against her mother, and there was no telling how Mama would react in consequence. “Miss Breckenridge, this is my mother, Mrs. Ramsay. Mama, this is my—this is Miss Breckenridge, whom I’ve told you so much about.”
Mama arched a slender brow. “The one with the birthday, I suppose.”
Miss Breckenridge could not suppress a startled blink at that rejoinder. Wordlessly, she, too, rose to her feet.
“Just so, Mama.” Ellie tamped down a grin at the idea of Miss Breckenridge’s being on the receiving end of an uninterpretable comment, unsure whether she had just been subtly insulted.
“How do you do,” Miss Breckenridge said at last. “I do have an impending birthday, and I’ve come to call for just that reason. I’ll be two-and-twenty next Saturday, and nothing will do but to have your daughter at the celebrations.”
Ellie cringed as her mother’s smooth expression quickly changed to disapproval. “Celebrations” did not sound like two young girls roaming a country estate far removed from the public eye. “Celebrations” sounded like the sort of thing Mama would forbid out of hand. Ellie fixed her gaze on Miss Breckenridge, willing her not to say anything else that might give Mama more ammunition for a refusal.
“Mrs. Ramsay, it would be my honor and pleasure to have your daughter’s presence at this weekend’s house p?—”
No, no, it’s not a party, Ellie thought desperately, wishing she’d taken advantage of the brief privacy in order to coach Miss Breckenridge on subjects to avoid. Remember, we’re just two friends. No High Society. No grand crush. Just us. And your pretend kitten.
“—for an overnight stay,” Miss Breckenridge corrected, apparently recalling Ellie’s words the previous night. Her voice took on a far-off, wistful tone. “I am not one for big gatherings, so nothing will do but a long, quiet weekend with my dear friend and my darling cat.”
Ellie jerked her gaze to her mother, who was still eyeing the two young ladies beneath raised brows.
“Elspeth found the lost kitten?”
“Yes, Mama.” Ellie schooled her features into the most angelic of expressions. “She’s the most cunning little creature, and I would so enjoy the opportunity to play with her again. Do say I can go.”
When the resulting silence began to overwhelm the small sitting room, Miss Breckenridge put in earnestly, “I live far enough away that nothing less than a full weekend will do. I would be happy to send a carriage for Miss Ramsay as well.”
“We have our own carriage, thank you very much,” Mama snapped.
Rather than being taken aback, Miss Breckenridge seemed delighted by this response. She turned to Ellie with an air of satisfaction. “Then I shall see you on my birthday, dear friend. Good day to you both.”
And with that, Miss Breckenridge took her leave.
Ellie, however, knew better than to assume capitulation on her mother’s behalf. Until the word “yes” audibly crossed her mother’s lips, the battle had not been won.
“A lovely girl, isn’t she, Mama?”
“Don’t try my patience, Elspeth.”
“Just let me do this one last thing. Let me have a small taste of freedom, of friendship. Of belonging. Then I’ll go wherever you wish.”
Ellie stepped forward until she was but an arm’s length from her mother. Miss Breckenridge’s birthday party had become the most imperative engagement of her life.
They desperately needed the money—now more than ever, if another infernal cross-country trip loomed scant days hence.
More than that, Ellie wanted to go. She wanted to see the estate so smothered with messy riches, to hear the music of an orchestra swell around her. And, if she was being honest, she really wanted to lay eyes on Mr. Macane once more.
Not because she gave Miss Breckenridge’s fear of Lord Lovenip any credence, but because Ellie rather liked him.
He’d danced with her. Perhaps he’d do so again.
“Please, Mama.” Following her mother’s example, Ellie kept her voice calm and reasonable. “I don’t wish to fight. I would just like to spend a few days with a friend before we run off yet again to some remote place where we won’t know a single soul.”
Mama’s eyes narrowed. “A girls’ weekend, she said. Just the two of you and a kitten?”
“And her parents, of course,” Ellie put in quickly, lest her mother denounce the plan due to a lack of proper supervision.
“Very well,” her mother said with an appraising once-over and a sigh. “But do not make me regret this.”
