Evelina side-eyed Theodora. “I hope you have only heard good things about us. And please call me Evelina.”
Rosalind smiled and nodded.
“And I am Maria.” Maria appeared behind Evelina with a tray of lemon cakes. “Theo told me you loved the last batch.”
She held out the tray and Anna held a saucer for Rosalind who slowly let go of Theodora’s arm and took both hesitantly.
“Thank you, Maria. I did enjoy them very much.”
“Everyone loves Maria’s treats,” Anna said proudly. “Rosalind, please sit! We have so much to discuss!”
“Thank you.” Rosalind sat quietly.
Theodora shot Anna a warning look. “We promised to behave.” She mouthed.
“We are behaving,” Anna whispered. “We are going to discuss perfectly respectable topics today.”
Evelina smirked. “For now.”
Rosalind blinked, clearly unsure whether to be amused or alarmed. The ladies were incapable of whispering softly.
Theodora sat heavily next to Rosalind and prepared for the worst.
“We thought we might talk about the upcoming balls and your debut.” Anna smiled as she spoke. “And… perhaps we can advise you about the young gentlemen who will be attending.”
Rosalind’s cheeks flushed instantly. “Oh.”
Maria leaned forward eagerly. “Do you have any favorites yet?”
“Maria,” Theodora hissed.
“What? It is a reasonable question!” Maria looked physically stung.
Evelina leaned forward. “Rosalind, please know that whatever is discussed here will stay here. That is our rule. There will be no judgment, and no consequences to your confessions.”
Rosalind nodded then smiled. “I… I do not know many people yet.”
“That is all right, then we shall help you,” Evelina declared. “We are excellent judges of character.”
“Are we?” Theodora asked drily.
“Of course we are,” Evelina retorted confidently. “We have made only a handful of catastrophic errors.”
Anna nodded. “And none of them were fatal.”
Rosalind let out a small, startled laugh.
Theodora smiled. She was glad that Rosalind was warming up to them.
As their tea was poured, the conversation began lightly, cheerfully, and entirely focused on Rosalind. Anna asked about her favorite colors. Evelina asked about her dancing. Theodora asked about her impressions of London Society while ignoring the burning questions that arose about her brother and her parents. Rosalind answered shyly at first but as the minutes passed, she began to relax. Her smile grew. Her laughter was quiet but genuine and the ladies did their best to make her feel welcome.
“This is lovely,” Rosalind admitted at last; her cheeks were flushed from all the information she received about certain Lords in theton. “It reminds me of… of home.”
Theodora placed a fist under her chin and leaned closer to Rosalind. “Your home in the countryside?”
Rosalind nodded. “I had friends there. Childhood friends. We used to meet in the orchard behind my family’s house. We would talk for hours. About everything and about nothing.” Her smile faltered. “I have not seen them in a long time.”
Anna’s expression softened. “Do you miss them?”
