When she rejoined the group, Meg gave the ladies a look and said, “I have always believed that directness was the best policy, assuming it is directness that is kindly meant.”
“Here, here,” Adelaide said as she raised a teacup as a toast.
Meg arched a brow at her friend. “Katherine, I think you know we’re as much like sisters as our husbands are like brothers. I believe the ladies already know what Emma and I stumbled upon a little while ago in the parlor.”
Katherine bent her head lower, wishing she could disappear into the settee and never come out again. Although she supposed she appreciated the fact that the women weren’t wasting too much time talking about her behind her back, she could also see her hopes spiraling the drain.
“I see,” she said. “It was an unfortunate thing that you and Emma walked in on such a scene. I recognize it was shocking and scandalous. I could understand if you wanted me to leave and removed all your…I don’t know, is it patronage? Removed your support from me.”
Adelaide leaned forward. “I would call what we offer friendship.”
“Yes,” Charlotte said with a frown. “I always enjoyed our talks all those years ago when there was so much unhappiness in both our marriages. We’refriends, Katherine. No one is being so condescending as to believe it is anything less.”
Katherine dared to look up. Everyone was leaning in now, a group expression of empathy and care in their eyes. Were they truly…acceptingher? Despite her bad behavior? The kind that so proved her father’s slurs right?
“You are all so kind,” Katherine began slowly. “But you are also sophisticated and elegant. How in the world can my kissing Roseford in a public parlor in Emma’s home be acceptable? Especially considering the stain that is already on my reputation thanks to my late husband’s death. None of you could want to associate with that kind of scandal.”
For a moment the room was quiet and then, to her surprise, Adelaide began to laugh. That opened the floodgates and very quickly all of the women were giggling around her. Katherine blinked. She did not see the humor of the situation.
Emma edged closer. “We aren’t laughing at you, my dear. It’s just the idea that none of us would want to be associated with scandal is ludicrous. We have all been scandalous in our lives, most especially with our husbands before we were married.”
Katherine’s mouth dropped open. “What?”
Meg shook her head. “You don’t believe us. Well, I’ll start since my scandal was most public. You must know that I was first engaged to Graham for a long time. But I was in love with Simon and we, er…well, we handled it badly.”
Katherine caught her breath. That had all happened at the apex of her worst time with Gainsworth. When she had been at her most isolated. She’d known a little about it, but had honestly forgotten the details.
“Everyonetalked,” Meg said, lifting her chin. “It nearly destroyed us. But we kept being…scandalous. And ultimately we are here and we are happy.”
Adelaide nodded. “And for my part, the scandal Meg and Simon created threw poor Graham into turmoil and brought him to me. Do you recall that actress that was in the news two years ago? Lydia Ford?”
Katherine sat up a bit straighter. “Yes, I heard she was a wonderful performer. I so wanted to see her final play, but Gregory would not allow it. He hated theatre.”
Adelaide smiled. “If you’d like, I could try to recall the lines I had in that play. You see, Lydia Ford was my stage name.”
Katherine pushed to her feet and backed away from Adelaide. “Youwere Lydia Ford?”
“Yes. Masquerading as a famous actress by night, a mousy little wallflower by day.”
“As ifyouever could have been mousy,” Helena muttered, and Adelaide glanced at her with a smile.
“Graham fell in love with us both and it was all very torrid and shameless and romantic and terrifying. So in the race for who has the greatest scandal, I think that might be me.”
“Er, wasn’t there a murder?” Katherine whispered.
Adelaide shook her head. “A friend of mine from the theatre was attacked and her lover killed the bastard. Once Graham and I were to marry, Lydia had to disappear, so her confession and disappearance were meant to save our friends. So you see, my scandal has many levels and not one of my friends has ever judged me for it.”
Emma stood and came to put her arm around Adelaide. “Why would we? You are wonderful. As for me, James and I pretended a courtship so that I would garner the attention of other men. And then we had an affair.” She blushed. “Here, actually.” She looked around with a sigh. “I have always loved this house.”
“I’m American,” Helena offered, and the group laughed, including Katherine, despite her shock. “And if that isn’t enough of a scandal on its own, when I came here I was my cousin’s companion. A servant, really. Baldwin and I were instantly drawn to each other, but we couldn’t be together because of…well, he had his own scandal he was trying to subvert. We worked it out in the end, but there was some vicious talk when we returned to London last year. Some ofthemstill glare at me for taking a duke from market.”
Katherine shook her head. “I had no idea. I was so removed from Society by my husband that I missed all this. But surely that is all. Isn’t it?”
“No,” Charlotte said with a soft smile. “You and I were once in an unhappy marriages club. But my scandal was that I have been in love with Ewan since…forever. Since I was a girl. When I came out of mourning last Christmas, I decide to seduce him. We ended up trapped in his estate by a storm, and seduce him I did. We were nearly killed by his own brothers, who have always despised him. I must be in the running, dear Adelaide, for biggest scandal.”
Adelaide tilted her head. “The brothers do make it more complicated. But I think if there is a second to my scandal, then it is Isabel.”
Isabel had been smiling through the entire recitation of all the head-swimming scandals, and now she stood and looked around the room. “I met Matthew at the Donville Masquerade.”
