“Oh yes,thisis the little mouse I recall! My, child, you have not grown much.”
Amelia ignored the scrutiny. “I take after my mother in that regard; she was always rather petite.”
“Hmm.” The woman sniffed.
The group watched the exchange with fascination. Who was this woman who took such liberties in a relationship with Amelia?
“Anyhow, Mellie, this is Miss Brooks. She is recently returned to London after anextendedstay in the country. We have missed her terribly. It feels so welcome to have our little group reunited.” She raised an elegant arm, indicating various other ladies. “Here we have Miss Fawcet, Lady Teresa, Mrs. Dowding, and Miss Frampton. Ladies, this is my sister, Mellie.” There was a pause while Edith appeared to be considering, tapping her smallest finger lightly against her teacup. “The newly married Lady Norwich.”
Eyebrows raised, though no one appeared particularly surprised. Everyone here already knew of Amelia’s marriage. There were no secrets in theton.
One of the ladies—Miss Frampton, who had a sleek auburn coiffure—opened her mouth, but Miss Brooks cut her off. “How very awkward, I should say, to meet me. I do apologize for any discomfort and hope we shall be friends regardless.” The smile on her face was feline and the arch of her brows was a facade of innocence.
Amelia struggled to keep the confusion from her face, darting a glance at Henrietta, who appeared just as dumbfounded. Amelia cleared her throat, wishing for something to do with her hands. “I am afraid I do not understand to what you may refer but appreciate the sentiment nonetheless.”
“Oh.” She raised a hand to delicately cover her mouth as she laughed lightly, looking around to the rest of their friends. “Oh, how very embarrassing. Do forgive me, Mellie.” Her light-blue eyes blinked slowly, and Amelia’s confusion clawed at her, pushing her to inquire further while her uneasiness begged her to stand and leave.
Uneasiness was winning.
“Oh, leave her be, Ellen. You have confused the girl.” Another woman—Mrs. Dowding?—watched Amelia with a look akin to pity.
Miss Brooks’s tinkling laugh sounded. “What a mess I have made. Or I suppose, what a mess Lord Norwich has made.” She giggled again, sipping from her teacup but not removing her gaze from Amelia.
“Ellen,” Edith murmured to her friend, “you recall the stipulations.”
Miss Brooks waved a hand in the air. “Yes, yes, of course.” She turned abruptly to Lady Teresa and swept a golden curl from her forehead. “How is your mother, dear? I have missed her dinner parties most terribly. I hope she will be hosting one soon.”
“Indeed. Wednesday next. I shall ensure you receive an invitation. Edith should have had hers this morning. Mother was all too glad to hear you’d returned under the protection of the duke. It makes it rather easier to convince her to admit you to our events.”
Edith, too, turned from Amelia and joined the new conversation. Mrs. Dowding added a comment as well.
But Miss Fawcet, who sat in the chair nearest Amelia, turned to her and Henrietta. “Good heavens, they fairly ambushed you.”
Amelia hesitated, at war with her own mind in how to respond. “It is no trouble,” she settled on saying.
Miss Fawcet tossed a look over her shoulder to her friends before returning kind eyes to Amelia. “Even still.” She paused. “I do not believe you recall our meeting, but I made your acquaintance last week in Hyde Park. You were with your husband, walking I believe?”
Amelia remembered her now, walking alongside a Lady Sophia and two gentlemen. “Oh, yes, forgive my oversight.”
Miss Fawcet shook her head. “I do not blame you in the slightest. How could one recollect even their own name when in the den of lions?” She gave Amelia a wry smile, but Amelia was still wary.
“Is your acquaintance with my sister long-standing?”
“Yes. Henrietta and I are quite fast friends.” She nodded over Amelia’s shoulder.
“Oh yes,” Henrietta said from Amelia’s other side. “Miss Fawcet’s family lives very near us, you know. We have been friends for as long as I can remember.”
Amelia looked to Henrietta, saw her happy smile, and immediately relaxed. “I am happy to make your acquaintance then, Miss Fawcet. Again.”
Miss Fawcet dipped her head, her expression turning conspiratorial. “Have you come to give your opinion on our Henrietta’s beau, then?”
“Indeed. Have you had the pleasure?”
“I have, and I must say I wholeheartedly support the match.”
“I am happy to hear it.” Amelia looked to the door, half expecting the conversation to make the man himself materialize. In that moment, she caught Miss Brooks watching her. Amelia never knew a smile could look so cold. The expression made Edith’s conniving looks appear amateur.
With the bit of distance between them, Amelia felt safe whispering her thoughts to Henrietta and Miss Fawcet. “Do either of you know to what Miss Brooks was referring when I first arrived? I admit to being wholly unaware, and it is not an altogether pleasant state to be in.”
