A few minutes at the Tuileries Palace was more than enough to convince Sophie that Lu Lu’s assurances were well founded, for not only was there a sea of Parisian ton, they seemed much more interested in seeking acquaintances and approval from within their own circle, than in meeting anyone outside it.
Sophie stared in wonder as she gazed around at the grand formal ballroom, flickering softly with more candelabras and gilt-edged mirrors then she could count. It was an enchanting and mesmerising sight that she would have cherished in any other circumstance. Yet Parisian society also had an edge that made London seem almost staid by comparison.
‘They call it theBonaparte effect,’ Lu Lu whispered, beside her. ‘No one is quite comfortable knowing he lived here, and yet this palace holds so many good memories too.’
Sophie watched as Lu Lu nodded her feathered head at a circle of exquisitely dressed ladies across the room.
‘If you would you just excuse me for two minutes,ma chérie? I find I need to powder my nose.’
Before she had time to respond, Lu Lu had swept away in her rustling lavender silk, leaving Sophie to feel the absence of her sisters more acutely than ever.
She took a deep breath and made her way to a nearby table where a surly footman misunderstood her request for lemonade, and presented her with a tall glass of champagne. Far too polite to refuse, Sophie thanked the haughty steward before making her way to the back of the room. It was just as she was enjoying her first tentative sips of the sparkling wine, and considering that perhaps the Parisian ton weren’t quite so terrifying after all, that a faint English tone reached her ears.
‘Why I keep underestimating bourgeois bumpkins, I’ll never know.’
The sudden acerbic tone caused Sophie to pause mid-sip, while all the hairs on the back of her neck slowly strained to attention.
It couldn’t be, could it?
‘And this may be Paris, but any one of tonight’s patrons would be difficult if they knew the truth.’
A dull flush began to reach across Sophie’s cheeks as she listened, praying she was mistaken.
‘Of course, it only takes one reliable soul to share the news, and the whole pack of cards comes tumbling down.’
There was a brief titter then which only confirmed all of Sophie’s worst fears, as she shrank back into the shadows looking for something, or someone, to hide behind. But it was already too late as two elegant ladies came to a standstill in front of her, one of whom was instantly dismissed. Slowly, Sophie lifted her eyes to meet Aurelia’s penetrating gaze, never more conscious of the moment outside Rotherby House, when she’d glimpsed her figure hurrying through the cold midnight mist.
‘But how very fortuitous,’ Aurelia greeted in a glittering tone. ‘I do believe it is the infamous Miss Sophie Fairfax herself. I say, Miss Fairfax, howareyou? Do tell all, for you are quite the talk of London. Are you being treated well? There must be some reward, for Dominic is very generous, or so his reputation goes…’
She paused to titter again as Sophie cast a frantic gaze around the room, feeling caught in the slew of a nightmare.
‘Certainly, that gown is much finer than anything you wore in London, and your earrings too… Though you should take care you don’t catch a chill. I hear springtime in Paris can be quiteshort-lived!’
There was a painful silence while Sophie stared into Lady Aurelia’s glacial blue eyes, wondering how to begin.
‘Sophie?’ Aurelia persisted icily. ‘Whatever is the matter? Did you think no one else could cross the Channel? The Carlisles have plenty of old friends in Paris, and it wasn’t hard to persuade my mother to take a trip– once I realised your departure coincided with Lord Rotherby’s.’ She paused to let her eyes sweep over Sophie’s becoming Psyche knot hairstyle with its pale pink ostrich feather Lu Lu had insisted she add, just before they left.
‘You know, you look well, my dear, but I worry for your future. You must ask Dominic to help you when he grows a little… fatigued? These bachelors can besounreliable, but I’m sure he has plenty of gentlemen friends who would take you on– in Austria or Italy perhaps. Anyway, I’d love to stay and talk longer, only Mother is here too, and very keen I don’t associate with… well, I’m sure you understand?’
‘Aurelia, you must know I am not what you suggest!’ Sophie countered finally, unable to believe she’d ever compromised herself for a girl who didn’t even understand the concept of friendship. ‘I did not intend to run away with Lord Rotherby, and I most certainly have not become hismistress!’ She paused to glance around. ‘You insult me to suggest such a thing!’
‘Iinsult you?’ Aurelia returned, her eyes flashing with fury. ‘I took you into my confidence, and you stole my plan and husband for yourself! Not the first time for a Fairfax either. What is it, some kind of family sport?’
‘He was not your husband! And he had no intention of offering marriage under any circumstances,’ Sophie continued in a low yet furious voice, aware of the curious faces starting to turn their way. ‘I was actually trying to help you, and unless you wish the whole of Paris to know about yourbig plan,I suggest we continue this conversation outside.’
‘Fine!’ Aurelia snapped.
The lantern-lit gardens ofLes Tuilerieslooked even more magical now, wrapped in the long reach of the inky night sky. Yet all Sophie could think about was the burning injustice of it all. She knew assumptions would be made amongst the English ton, that there was a chance the whispers might follow her to Paris, but to hear such allegations directly, and from the person she’d sought to help, was beyond everything.
‘Let me be clear,’ she ground out, as soon as they were alone. ‘I was not seeking to take anything that was yours, but rather to try and dissuade you from your plan. I certainly never intended to accompany Lord Rotherby who, I hasten to add, always planned to takeMrs Haxbyanyway, and I am only here because he thought I was she!’ She paused to draw breath, while Aurelia scowled even harder. ‘And he may be a nobleman,’ Sophie continued heatedly, ‘but that is all he is– he is most certainly notanysort of gentleman!’
She gritted her teeth asthe oddest feeling of remorse seeped through her. He was a heartless rake who’d teased her from the outset and rubbished all her attempts to fix her situation– including throwing the kind Sir Weston out onto the street at L’Auberge Notre-Dame– but he’d also tried to shelter her from total ruin too.
She swallowed as his shadowed face reached through her tangled thoughts, trying to explain why he hadn’t simply let her go. How could anyone exist in a space where no one got hurt?
Aurelia’s eyes flashed as they forged further into the gardens, their twinkling surroundings a stark contrast to their heated exchange.
‘I hear your excuses,’ Aurelia scorned, ‘but I also watched your face every time you were in Rotherby’s company. You were besotted with him, and I have only your word he intended to take Mrs Haxby! I said my mother would have made sure I became Lady Rotherby if he failed to act honourably, so there was no good reason for you to interfere. Well, I’m sure I wish you well in your new… endeavours, while I satisfy myself with assuring your relatives, and all the ton, that you are enjoying life as a courtesan very well indeed!’
