“I knew it.” Reva couldn’t suppress a little smile. “Are you worried this story will reach his ears? I’m sure if you explain—”
“He’sthe married man, Reva. He has a wife, though they’ve been separated for many years, and she’s planning to seek an act of divorce from Parliament.”
Reva’s smile faded quickly, her warm brown skin turning slightly ashy at this revelation. She managed to squeak out a soft “Oh.”
“I know,” Della said. “But we aren’t… That is, I’m not chasing a thrill or stirring up trouble. I truly care about him.”
More than she liked to admit.
Reva was silent for a long time. When she spoke, her voice was gentle. “Does he intend to marry you, once his divorce is taken care of?”
“I don’t know. We’ve never talked about it.” There was a queer feeling in Della’s stomach. She’d never expected marriage from Lord Ashton. After all, he was a far cry from the man she’d always imagined for herself—the dashing poet or diplomat. She hadn’t thought she’d wanted more than a brief tryst, but the idea thathemight not want anything more suddenly stung. “I suppose that’s my answer, isn’t it?”
What did I expect?Their quarrel last night likely hadn’t raised her in his esteem, but even if Ashton weren’t soured on the prospect ofmarriage forever, he could never take a woman who ran a gambling club for a wife. She would be a constant source of pain.
Reva sighed. “If he plans to go before Parliament, you don’t want to be mixed up in it. The story is sure to be in the papers, and you know how they love to make everything seem sordid.”
“He said much the same thing to me,” Della agreed sadly. “That we should take care to keep our meetings strictly to the business of writing my book, and that I should break ties with him before there’s a public reckoning.”
Reva nodded in grim approval.
It had all seemed very abstract when Ashton had warned her about it. She’d wanted so badly to comfort him that she hadn’t really let herself contemplate the extent of the damage the press might wreak. But hearing Reva echo his fears made everything feel real.
“The important thing is that no one knows,” her friend advised her in a hushed voice. “Don’t be seen with him again and don’t let Miss Berry add any more fuel to these rumors. Carry on as if everything is normal, and soon enough it will be.”
“Nothing is normal,” Della murmured. “Not while I’m banned from Bishop’s.”
“Are you banned? I thought you said Jane asked you to take some time away.”
“It amounts to the same thing.”
“Not quite,” Reva insisted. She bore a striking resemblance to Lord Ashton right now, with her unwelcome rationality. “Besides which, would it really be so bad to take a short break from your work? Don’t be angry with me for saying this, but you always seem so harried lately.”
“Of course I’m not angry.” This was a lie. Della was struggling not to tell Reva how obviously wrong she was (Della wasn’t theleastbit harried!), but managed to formulate a kinder reply. “I love the club. Ican’tgive it up. I’d be letting Jane down.”
Reva’s deep brown eyes were studying her carefully. “What do you love most about it?”
“Well…” Della had to think about this for a moment. She didn’t particularly love having more things to manage than she had time for. Nor did she have the skills to handle the financial side of things, which were entirely Jane’s domain. “The social aspect, I suppose. Seeing all our guests and making sure they’re comfortable.” Although she didn’t like having to turn out Mrs. Muller or defuse Mrs. Duff’s temper. She liked the nicer bits very well, though! Visiting with everyone and sharing a sense of triumph when their night went well.
“Couldn’t you get that from events outside the club? Or even attend the club a few nights a week instead of every night? There must be someone else who could split the task with you.”
“Why should Jane want to replace me?” Della protested. “We built Bishop’stogether. If I stepped back now, how could I still call myself her friend?”
“Iused to help with your club when you were first starting out and then I stepped back, but we’re still friends, aren’t we?”
“Of course. But it wasn’t the same with you, Reva. The club is Jane’s wholelife. If I’m not part of that, then…” Della shrugged helplessly, reluctant to finish the thought.
Reva seemed to realize that she’d touched on a sore spot. “It’s up to you what to do. I just hope that if you’re going to dedicateyourwhole life to the club, it’s because that’s what you really want and not because you feel obligated.”
“Itiswhat I want,” Della replied. But she felt as though she were reassuring herself more than Reva. This visit had become so confusing.
“I should go.” Reva rose slowly to her feet. “I promised my mother I’d be home soon. I just wanted to check in on you and make sure you were well.”
“Thank you, but you needn’t worry.” Della gave her friend awarm smile, grateful for her concern. “You know I always manage to come through trouble unscathed.”
***
Della had never possessed the talent that some ladies had for appearing effortlessly serene when something was bothering her. It was doubly upsetting when there were two things bothering her: her quarrel with Lord Ashton and her quarrel with Jane.
