“You know nothing about my marriage.”
“Don’t I?” she asked raising an eyebrow. “Did he beat you? Force himself on you? Was he faithless?”
Jillian felt the blood drain from her face, and she swallowed hard past the knot in her throat.
The dowager looked at her kindly. “You aren’t the only woman sorely abused by her husband. I dare say you’ve survived better than most. At least you haven’t been confined to a life of misery as most women in your position are. I see I have struck you speechless,” she said, taking in Jillian’s stunned expression. She paused for a moment before continuing on. “My dear, it is a sad testimony to our times, but in reality, it isn’t uncommon for a woman to suffer at the hands of her husband. I hate to see you alienate the whole of London with your actions. I can well understand what prompted your rebellion, but soon your peers will cease to be amused by you, and they will give you the cut direct.”
Jillian snorted derisively.
“You seem to revile us so,” the dowager said softly. “We haven’t done any harm to you. You cannot judge us all by the actions of your husband. I admit, when you first appeared after the earl’s death, I gave a hearty cheer. It was refreshing to see a woman shout to society what shereallythought of her husband.” Lady Bea rose and sat down by Jillian, patting her hand. “There are many of us who would befriend you if you would let us.”
Jillian regarded the older woman in stunned silence.
“I like you, Jillian. I like your spunk, but I don’t want to see it be your downfall. Surely it’s time to move on and get on with your life. After all, you survived and he didn’t. In the end, isn’t that the sweetest revenge?”
Jillian finally managed to find her voice. “Why are you doing this?”
“It’s simple, gel, it’s time you stopped thumbing your nose at society and took your place among us. You are in an enviable position, my dear. You are young and vibrant and free to conduct your affairs without the domination of a husband.”
“Yes, I suppose I am,” Jillian said in a bemused voice. “I never wanted to be in this position.”
“No, I don’t suppose you did,” she said sympathetically. “No doubt you wanted what all young girls want. A husband, a home, children—but there is no reason you can’t have it. I know of many gentlemen who would jump at the chance to marry you.”
“I won’t marry again,” Jillian said firmly.
“At least you have thechoice,” the dowager pointed out. “What is between you and Lord Case Devlin?”
Jillian reacted in surprise. They had certainly gone past the boundaries of propriety with this conversation. She smiled to herself. Most women of thetonwould succumb to a fit of the vapors if ever asked those questions by the dowager.
“Case and I are friends. He is my dearest friend,” she corrected.
The dowager looked speculatively at her.
“No, notthatkind of friend.” Jillian felt her cheeks grow warm under the scrutiny of the older woman.
“Well, I suppose it isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility that you and Devlin are friends. He seems to be an honorable young man, comes from good stock. The duke has done a fine job by him.”
Jillian frowned at the mention of the duke.
“Doesn’t approve of you, does he?” The dowager chuckled.
Jillian shook her head at the older woman’s uncanny knack for pinpointing the truth. “Nothing escapes you, my lady—Lady Bea,” she corrected.
The dowager beamed at Jillian’s use of her familiar name. “Well then, we will have to set about changing his opinion of you.”
Jillian scowled. “I have no desire to change his opinion of me. He can go straight to the devil!”
Lady Bea laughed. “I wish I could have been privy to your first meeting. I imagine it was quite amusing.”
An involuntary flush crept up her neck at the thought of their first meeting. She couldn’t very well tell Lady Bea of that one. Finally she opted for an account of the more obvious meeting place. “He called me a trollop, and I told him to go to hell, not too amusing.” The two women looked at each other and burst out laughing. “All right, I suppose it was funny,” Jillian admitted.
Her laughter trailed off, and she looked gratefully at the countess. “I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed this afternoon.”
“You see, we aren’t all bad,” Lady Bea said kindly. “Like it or not, you are one of us. You cannot change the circumstances of your birth. We aren’t without fault, but if you give us a chance, we can be an invaluable source of support. Yes, we are silly, frivolous. Some of our traditions seem antiquated, but that is just the way of things. You have to accept the bad with the good.”
On impulse, Jillian hugged the older lady. Lady Bea seemed surprised by the gesture but patted Jillian’s hair affectionately. “It must have been difficult for you, losing your parents at such a young age. You were away from society for so long. You had no one to give you any direction once you returned.”
Jillian drew away, smiling gratefully at her. “Thank you for your counsel, Lady Bea. It means much to me.”
