“They hate me,” she blurted.
Hadleigh angled his head at her. “Who does?”
“Everyone. All the girls at Southbridge’s,” she said morosely.
“Why?”
This was another reason Livy liked Hadleigh. Whenever she had brought up this topic with her parents, they tried to fix the problem for her. Papa had even threatened to have a “discussion” with the headmistress and parents of the other girls, which Livy knew would make matters worse.
Hadleigh, on the other hand, actuallylistenedto her.
“Because I’m not like the other girls,” she admitted. “I don’t care about gowns and gossip, and I detest needlepoint. They think I’m peculiar. And it didn’t help that last week one of the girls tried to squish a spider with her slipper, and I stopped her.”
Hadleigh nodded in understanding; he knew about Livy’s fascination with spiders. Ever since Papa had told her the story about how a spider’s perseverance had inspired Robert the Bruce, the great Scottish king, to win a battle, she had become an ardent admirer of the arachnid. How many creatures showed such tenacity and fortitude? Could weave something as lovely, fragile, and lethal as a spider’s web?
“Since spiders seldom harm humans and rid us of household pests, there is no good reason to kill them,” he said gravely.
“Precisely.” She jerked her chin in emphatic agreement. “But my interest in spiders isn’t the only problem. The girls are calling me a troublemaker.”
Hadleigh quirked a brow. “Are you?”
“No—I mean, not on purpose. But if someone does something unjust to someone else, one cannot stand by and do nothing, can one?”
“Depends on who ‘one’ is. If we are talking about you, then, no, probably not.”
“The most popular girl at the school, Sally, Lord Sackville’s daughter, broke an expensive vase,” Livy said furiously. “I saw her, and so did a roomful of our peers. But Sally blamed it on Tilda, one of the maids. Tilda got sacked. And all the girls are saying how clever Sally is and how Tilda deserved it because they never liked her manner. As if that is sufficient justification to cause that poor woman to lose her position and livelihood!”
“You told the headmistress the truth, I gather?”
“Of course I did!” Livy clenched her skirts in frustration. “But it did not make an iota of difference. She said that there was no evidence that Sally broke the vase, and if one wishes to get on in society, it is best not to gossip about one’s peers. I wasnotgossiping; I was providing eyewitness testimony!”
Hadleigh’s lips gave a faint twitch. “If the headmistress didn’t do anything, how did the other girls figure out that you talked to her?”
“Because I went to Sally and demanded that she write out a confession,” Livy said grimly.
He coughed in his fist. “How did that, er, go over?”
“She laughed in my face. Then she told all the girls I am a tattletale. And that is why,” she finished darkly, “they all hate me.”
“I see.” He paused. “It seems to me you have to decide how to move forward.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I amnotapologizing to Sally.”
“I would not expect you to. But you do have to decide: what matters more, being popular or being true to yourself?”
“Being true to myself. Without question.”
“Then let that guide what you do next.” His eyes were the warm indigo blue of a summer night. “Listen to your heart, Livy. It will not guide you wrong.”
She canted her head, considering the advice. “Do you listen to your heart, Hadleigh?”
Storm clouds darkened his gaze. “My heart is not good and pure like yours. I do not trust it to make good decisions.”
“Your heartisgood.” Shocked that he would think otherwise, she said staunchly, “You are one of the most honorable men I know.”
“I am flattered that you think so. Now about these chits at Southbridge’s—”
“Iknowso.” She wasn’t about to let him divert the topic. “You risked your life to save mine.”
