Lady Bainbridge came back from wishing the last of her outraged guests goodbye, crosser than Etta had ever seen her. Even Hercules seemed to be in a bad mood, yapping around her feet.
‘You know, Henrietta, I do wish you’d played something a little less … heathen. Where onearthdid you find such a song? You will retire for the eveningimmediately. We shall speak again tomorrow morning, and I strongly suggest you think very carefully about what you wish to say to me.’
Etta stepped away from the piano, feeling tears gathering in her eyes. ‘Mama. It – it was Miss Marley. She—’
‘I didn’t hear Miss Marley singing an inappropriate song. Ididhear you, however, Henrietta. Now, to bed.’
Etta barely heard Aunt Maude’s exclamations as she gathered her skirts and ran upstairs. She’d clearly messed up far more than she’d thought.
Chapter 30
2023
‘Um, Hetty, you did know everything you have written on Substack is viewable online?’
Stella and Hetty were sitting in the old morning room of the big purple house. After their first proper dinner, over jerk chicken which made Hetty’s eyes water and lips tingle, she’d suggested they come back to hers for their next ‘Netflix and Chill’, Stella had called it.
Last time, she had wiped her eyes with her fingers, which had been a mistake that had involved being far too close to Stella as she fussed over her in the bathroom. Stella had smelled of her signature lemon and mint with added layers of jerk chicken and all manner of delicious things which Hetty just wanted to eat up hungrily like a starving animal. And her body had pressed up deliciously against her own in the tiny walkway as Stella had wiped away her hot tears.
So Hetty sat on the love seat this time, while Stella tried to look over her shoulder from the sofa. It wasn’t working brilliantly well.
‘Pass me the laptop a mo’,’ Stella said. Another delicious waft of citrus as she dropped down next to Hetty on the love seat, plump and soft against her.
Hetty’s heart knocked against her ribcage.
‘Yeah, look, see. God, you’ve had comments and everything.’
‘Comments?’ Hetty slowly blew out a deep breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding and shifted slightly as she felt Stella’s arm against hers. She moved her own arm to the back of the seat, realising too late she was almost cuddling Stella. Oh well.
‘Good ones! “This is hilarious. Shared.” Look, they love it! What on earth have you been writing about? Bloody hell – you’ve had ten thousand views already today!’
‘It’s just … just a diary, an online diary, that’s all.’
Stella tapped at the laptop and focused intently. Hetty gripped her teacup, desperate to know her opinion and trying not to ask.
Stella started reading aloud:
‘I stumbled across a forest of what I believe they call “sky scrapers” today. They were awfully shiny – so much so that they hardly seemed real. That would have been a preferable option, in my view. St Paul’s Cathedral was quite enough for me, with its ugly bulbous mound. It reminded me of the time our dog got a boil on his neck and wouldn’t let anyone so much as touch it.
‘It defies all sense and reason that modern humans dine on such very spicy luncheons as a matter of course and yet seem incapable of creating anything but the most bland of buildings.’
Stella started to laugh. ‘Hetty, this isbrilliant! How the heck did you think it up? It’s bang on. Just like Lady Whistledown got dragged into 2023. You’re a genius!’
‘Do – do you really think so?’
‘Hell, yeah! Hey – you should connect your Instagram and make videos. You could dress up in Regency clothes and everything.’
‘Like on the television?’
‘No, silly, like reels. You’re so funny. It’s cute.’
Hetty had never had female friends before. She had certainly never been calledcute, never mind twice in one week. Her skin had never tingled at another’s touch; her heart had never beat so loudly. She had nothing to compare this with. Was it possible Stella also felt this connection?
She bit her lip. ‘Can it be done? The video? Will you teach me?’
Stella stopped typing. ‘Um, yeah. Sure. Hey, I gotta go, though.’
Hetty suddenly felt cold as Stella hauled herself up and out of their seat and stood, watching her.
