“Were the ladies very offended?”
“Not really. I think that redhead has taken a fancy to him. The one in the green gown.”
“Miss Berry,” Della supplied, following her gaze. The lady in question was leaning forward to better expose her décolletage, though Mr. Corbyn kept his eyes on his deal. Would she have to intervene? “She’d best stay well enough away, before she ruins her prospects.”
“Why?” Hannah dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “He’s very low-class, then?”
“Not only that. He was dishonorably discharged for fighting with his superior. Your brother could probably tell you more about it than I could, but I certainly wouldn’t be caught flirting with a man like that where everyone could see me.”
The two of them watched the exchange playing out at Mr. Corbyn’s table for another minute, but nothing untoward seemed to happen. Let Miss Berry handle herself then. Della was too exhausted to go looking for new tasks.
“By the way, how is your book coming?” Hannah asked. “Is the viscount being kind to you?”
“Verykind,” Della agreed with a little wink, but instead of provoking a smile from Hannah, the gesture made her go completely still.
“What do you mean by that?” Her voice was suddenly cold. Sharp as a dagger.
Oh no. What on earth made me say that?She’d been talking with Hannah as though they were old friends. She hadn’t thought about the dangers before she spoke.
“Nothing. I only meant—”
“Are you and he…?” The look of pure horror on Hannah’s face made her views on the matter plain. “But he’smarried, isn’t he?”
“No.No.You don’t understand. There’s nothing between us. It’s just a harmless flirtation.” Della’s words came out in a franticwhisper.Oh, what have I done?“And he’s been separated from his wife for years, and she plans to divorce him before Parliament, so she wouldn’t be hurt by it even if there were any connection between us, which thereisn’t.”
Instead of calming the girl, this speech only inflamed her temper.
“Not be hurt by it? Not behurtby it?” Hannah was red in the face and had raised her voice. People were turning to stare. “You’re carrying on with amarried man, and you don’t see anything wrong with that?”
“Shhh.” Della grasped Hannah’s hand, but she jerked out of reach. “What are you saying? Hannah, calm down!”
“Don’t tell me to calm down,” Hannah snapped. “What a joke marriage is. Don’t you care that you’re driving a couple apart?”
“It isn’t like that. Hannah, please—”
“Get away from me!” Hannah turned on her heel and ran away, the crowd of onlookers parting before her.
How much did they hear?Della tried to draw a shaky breath, but it felt like the air had gone out of the room. Why on earth had Hannah reacted so violently? She might have been a bit emotional over her mother’s efforts to marry her off earlier, but this was far beyond anything Della had seen before. In fact, she’d been behaving oddly since she got to London—quite changed from the way she’d been in her previous seasons.
Everyone was staring. Della had to say something.
“I–I’m so sorry about that, everyone. This was all just a misunderstanding.” What would Jane think when she heard about this?
Della’s hands were shaking, but she forced a smile. She had to act as if everything were fine. After all, an honest misunderstanding wouldn’t bother her, and she’d just told her guests that’s what this was. “Miss Berry, how are you enjoying your evening? Let’s get you another glass of champagne, shall we? I—”
Oh no.Glancing over to Mr. Corbyn’s table, she saw that the empty seat Miss Berry had left behind a moment ago had been taken up by Mrs. Muller, who had a heaping pile of chips before her.No, no, no, no, no—
Before she could open her mouth to protest, Corbyn was sweeping them toward his pot. All lost.
“Excuse me just a moment.” Della was well past the point of being able to smile. She raced to the table, gripping their newest dealer by the arm. “What are you doing?” she hissed. “You weren’t meant to let Mrs. Muller bet anything! She’s been cut off, remember?”
Couldn’t this idiot do anything right?
“You mean that tiny old lady?” Corbyn stared at her in unfeigned confusion. “You never said anything about that.”
“Of course I—”
Della’s voice died midsentence.
