“Oh, my dear. You must be devastated!” Phoebe dropped onto the chair next to the mantelpiece.
Devastated.
Phoebe’s word choice seemed melodramatic, but perhaps no word could be more accurate—especially when she considered the predicament the situation put her in.
She’d never let anyone know how much the rejection affected her, for she refused to be pitied, and anything stated to the contrary would do just that. “No, I’m not devastated. It’s merely a change in plans. It’s behind me now, I assure you.”
Phoebe scoffed, her jaw dropping in unmasked disbelief. “Behind you? If that is indeed true, then you’re much more composed than I could ever be. I daresay it is a blessing that you found out the truth about him before the engagement proceeded any further.”
Phoebe was right, of course. It would be worse to learn of his fickle nature after they were married, but now the stigma of a woman whose intended broke off the engagement haunted her. What was more, there was no hiding from it. “I only dread the comments and the stares. Everyone at the symposium will know. When we visit the assembly rooms tonight, I fear I will be a spectacle.”
“Oh, who cares about them?” Phoebe waved a dismissive hand. “Most of the people who will be at the symposium are grumpy old men who have little interest in such things. And how many women will be there? A few at best. They are busybodies with little else to do besides gossip. Regarding the assembly room, everyone there will be too worried about their appearance to give much thought to anything else.”
Ella smiled at Phoebe’s attempt to lighten the situation. She could always count on her friend to be firmly on her side. “Enough of that. Have you news for me? I’m desperate for a diversion. I’ve not seen you in months! Surely there is something you haven’t shared in your letters.”
At the suggestion, a pretty pink flushed Phoebe’s roundcheeks, and she chewed her lower lip. “Well,” she began slowly as she fussed with the lace cuff of her sleeve, “since you asked, there is something I should like to share with you, but I’m hesitant to do so.”
Ella frowned and sat on one of the carved wooden chairs next to the marble mantelpiece to be at eye level with her friend. “Why? We’re dear friends, are we not?”
“Indeed we are!” Phoebe’s high-waisted turquoise muslin gown rustled as she pivoted to fully face Ella. “But I am afraid you might not like what I tell you.”
Ella took Phoebe’s hand in her own to reassure her. “I can’t imagine that.”
“I’m happy to hear you say that, because if I don’t tell someone soon, I might burst!” A girlish giggle bubbled from Phoebe, and she gave a little squeal. “I have met a gentleman. Ella, I have! A most handsome, attentive, wonderful man!”
Relief rushed through Ella. She’d prepared herself to hear the worst, but this was happy news. “Why on earth would I be upset about that? I think it’s wonderful!”
Phoebe shook her head intently, sending the loose curls framing her face dancing before her expression sobered once again. “It’s a great secret. No one knows. You must tell no one. Especially not my father.”
“Of course, but who is the gentleman?”
Phoebe drew a shuddery breath, then exhaled it in a long, slow stream before finally making eye contact with Ella. “You might be shocked when I tell you, for I’m quite certain he is the last person on earth you’d expect me to say. He’s older than me by at least two and a half decades. He’ll attend the assembly roomslater, which is why I was so insistent we go there tonight. It is Mr. Thomas Bauer.”
Ella’s hands went numb. Every bit of air fled her lungs. Had she been struck? The name rang in her ears, and each syllable echoed in the air.
Thomas Bauer. The phrenologist.
The man Gabriel Rowe had written to warn her about.
The rosy glow faded from Phoebe’s face, and she jerked her hand away from Ella’s. “Oh no. I knew it would upset you. I—”
“No, no!” Ella protested, ignoring the alarming, knifelike stab that seemed to restrain her breathing. “I’m surprised, is all.”
“I can assure you that no one—not even you—is more surprised than myself.”
Ella shook her head, dislodging her disbelief and attempting to maintain as normal a countenance as possible. “I knew Mr. Bauer was a friend of your father’s, but how is it that the two of you became friendly?”
Phoebe jumped from the chair, stepped back to the wardrobe, and lifted a gown that had been hanging just inside. “It all happened so suddenly. So wonderfully! Mr. Bauer first called on Father about six months ago when he approached him with the idea of reintroducing phrenology to the Society. At first Father was skeptical, and understandably so, given what has happened between him and your family, but over time Father came to realize that Mr. Bauer is a brilliant man—one from whom we can learn much about what is being done in other countries. Ever since then we’ve been in each other’s company quite frequently.”
Ella’s thoughts raced. Phoebe was aware of her deeply rooted disdain for the man. The relationship must be serious if she wouldmention it to Ella. A dozen questions, demands, and even accusations balanced on the tip of her tongue, but it would not do to upset or alienate Phoebe, who was one of the only people who truly cared for her. “You said not to tell your father. If he’s not aware of the attachment, how is it that you have spent time together?”
Phoebe held the gauzy lilac gown up to her shoulders and turned to assess the reflection in the looking glass in the chamber’s corner. “Mr. Bauer has dined at our house on numerous occasions. We’ve also been together at all the usual places. Balls. The assembly rooms. The park. We’ve had to be so careful to mask our true feelings. He doesn’t want anyone to accuse him of using our relationship to sway my father’s favor, but I told him I could never keep such a secret from you.”
Ella struggled to make sense of what she was hearing. “And Mr. Bauer is to be at the assembly rooms tonight?”
“He is! I’ve shared how important you are to me, and he’s hopeful that the two of you can become friends. Oh, and he is aware of your frustrations regarding the pamphlet and all that happened, but he believes it is all a big misunderstanding and that all can be mended.”
Phoebe spoke of the pamphlet as if it were such a minor issue—a small hurdle in her life’s path—when in fact it had been one of the most defining occurrences of Ella’s existence. This man had a hand in turning her life upside down, and he referred to it as a big misunderstanding?
