“To be sure, and a skilled one. But surely your skills ought to take you beyond repeating the tittle-tattle you hear in our shop to the publishers ofscandal sheets. Don’t you want to write proper stories?”
Marjory flushed, tossing back her head. “This is how it begins. Besides, what you considergossip, the rest of the world considers vital information.”
Amelia sniffed. “Well, yes, if bythe rest of the worldyou mean a small section of people in fashionable London. Why are you breaking into this house anyway? Whatever gossip you’ll uncover cannot possibly be worth it.”
Marjory’s eyes flashed with a horrifyingly familiar glee. “That is where you’re wrong. Do you know what this place is?”
Amelia glanced up at the building looming over her and bit her lower lip with a twinge of nerves. “I do not.”
“It’s part of the Orion clubhouse. You must have heard of the Orions.”
Amelia bit her lip. “Well, of course. That silly rivalry between the Orions and the Ton’s Devils, or whatever their names are.”
It was easy to lose track of the countless clubs in London. For gentlemen, especially, it was considered rather important to be a member of at least one famous club. White’s and Brooks’s were amongst the most famous, but there were many others. The Athenium, for example, for those whoreallyliked Latin.
For gentlemen with wilder tastes, for whom Brooks’s was not sufficiently liberal, there were other options. Enter the Orions and the Ton’s Devils. A man’s choice of club—and the fervor withwhich he embraced its rivalries—was meant to speak volumes about the sort of person he was.
As far as Amelia could tell, the latter two clubs had more of a grip on London Society than was considered proper. For example, they encouraged all kinds of libertine practices and even more shocking ideas, such as women receiving a proper education.
She had heard tales of members of these clubs swaying Society into accepting or rejecting a person. For example, there had been a story in one of Marjory’s newspapers about a man, Sir Horace something or other, who had a nasty habit of beating his wife rather badly, flaunting various mistresses in front of her, and refused to grant her a divorce. His wife’s brother, being a member of the Ton’s Devils, brought the full weight of the club against the man.
The fellow’s confidence and swagger began to fade when he realized that his debts were being called in all at once, that he was not being invited to important parties, and that doors were slamming shut in his face almost as quickly as his opera-dancer mistresses were leaving him.
Last she had heard was that his house, mortgaged to the hilt, was now owned by one of the founding members of the Devils, and that his wife was now living with her brother.
She supposed there was something to admire about these clubs, after all.
“Those clubs,” Amelia said at last, trying to stay as calm as she could. “Are not for the likes of us.”
“You mean, women?”
“I mean, our social standing, too. Why should we care about the Orions?”
“BecauseSocietydoes,” Marjory explained with evident delight. “Everybody knows who runs the Ton’s Devils, but nobody knows who runs the Orions. That’s what they call him—Orion.”
“So, he is anonymous?”
“Yes. And if I can discover his identity—orheridentity—what a scoop that would be. Then I’ll be paid for it. Handsomely.”
“What on earth for?”
“Don’t you understand?” Marjory breathed, turning to face her sister. “This fellow—Orion—is the one who started it all. He founded the Orion specifically for those who are not accepted anywhere else.”
“You mean second sons and men in debt?” Amelia responded wryly.
Marjory puffed out her cheeks. “No. Let me explain. There is a Mr. Askew in the Orion’s member list, and rumor has it that he was originallyMissAskew.”
Amelia paused. “I don’t understand.”
“Well, this… this person wishes to live as a man and does so. To the horror of Society, of course.”
“That sounds inconvenient,” Amelia sighed. “And the Orions do not know?”
“They do know. They accept him. That is Orion’s thinking, the man who began it all. The Orions came first, just before the Devils.”
“Ought they not be friends, then, instead of engaging in this rivalry?”
“Oh, the rivalry is just for show, everybody knows that,” Marjory responded, waving a hand dismissively. “But if Orion’s identity could be known,everybodywould be interested. This man has shaped London Society, and nobody even knows who he is.”
