Instead of being put at ease, Gertrude felt a distinct trace of alarm run over her. “It’s never a good sign when Mrs. Davenport tucks herself away, even if she is in the presence of another lady.”
“There’s relatively little trouble she can find back there, Gertrude. Which is why I’m going to encourage you to relax your vigilance in keeping an eye on your companion, at least for the moment, which will then allow me to introduce you to a lovely gentleman by the name of Mr. Gilbert Cavendish.”
Before Gertrude knew it, Permilia was holding fast to her hand, pulling her across the ballroom floor at such a fast clip Gertrude was once again finding herself winded. Digging in her heels when she began feeling distinctly light-headed, she caught Permilia’s eye when her friend finally stopped and sent her a quirk of a brow.
“Do you not care to meet Mr. Cavendish?” Permilia asked.
“Not if I have to gallop across the room in order to become introduced to him since, if you’ve neglected to notice, I’m having difficulty breathing. And,” she continued when it looked to her as if Permilia was trying not to grin, “even though it’s troubling, not being able to breathe, I actually find it more troubling that you seem to have turned yourself into a matchmaker, first with Harrison, and now with this Mr. Cavendish.”
“Mr. Cavendish, or Gilbert, as I’m sure he’ll insist you call him, is a most charming man, possessed of a handsome face and pleasant disposition, along with being suitably ambitious, and”—she nodded somewhat smugly—“I’ve been told he’s related to the Earl of Strafford, as in a living and breathing aristocrat over in England.”
“You do realize there’d be little point in remarking on that relation if that aristocratweren’tbreathing, don’t you?”
Permilia patted Gertrude’s arm. “Now you’re simply being difficult. It wouldn’t hurt for you to at least meet Gilbert. As I mentioned, he’s charming.”
“Would you really point out anything to the contrary since it appears you’re anxious to see every wallflower married?” Gertrude asked, craning her neck in a futile attempt to locate her employer. “And, while it is sweet you’re so determined to marry me off, although I do believe you’re delusional, I really must go find Mrs. Davenport.”
“She’s fine.”
“Or so you keep claiming, but she won’t be fine with the Pinkerton men lurking about. She abhors men of that ilk, and I shudder to think what may happen if one of the detectives stumble upon her acting shifty.”
“She’s with Edwina, which should dispel your fears because I do think Mrs. Davenport, given the excitement she showed when I introduced her to Harrison’s sister, has pushed aside any thought of skullduggery, if only for this evening.”
Something unexpected began slithering down Gertrude’s spine, something she refused to contemplate. “Why do you think Mrs. Davenport wassoanxious to become acquainted with Edwina?”
“I believe Edwina proclaiming after she was introduced to Mrs. Davenport that she would be forever in that woman’s debt if Mrs. Davenport might consider bringing her out into society had something to do with the enthusiasm Mrs. Davenport is now displaying.”
Gertrude rubbed at the stitch in her side. “And that enthusiasm, which has the makings of disaster written all over it, is exactly why I need to run Mrs. Davenport to ground.”
Striding through the ballroom again, Gertrude ignored that her rapid pace was making her light-headed again, but she was forced to a stop before she reached the orchestra when Permilia stepped directly in front of her, blocking her forward momentum.
“I get the curious feeling you’re worried about something more than Mrs. Davenport’s propensity for shenanigans.” And with that, Permilia took a firm grip on Gertrude’s arm, and without a by-your-leave, she marched Gertrude over to the far side of the ballroom. Pushing her through a door that led to a wooden veranda, she dropped her hold on Gertrude’s arm and lifted her chin.
“So ... out with it,” she said.
“I already told you, I’m just out of sorts because you and I both know this is not an atmosphere Mrs. Davenport behaves well in. There are shiny jewels all over the place, and it’s only a matter of time until something catches her interest, and then, well, with the Pinkerton men here, there’s every chance she’ll get caught before I’m able to make things right for her.”
“Mrs. Davenport travels to public places within the city often, and I’ve never gotten the slightest hint from you that she behaves poorly in those places. From what I’ve observed, she restricts her unusual habit to private parties and dinners.”
“There’s always a first time for everything.”
“What’s really bothering you?”
“You’re very annoying.”
Permilia’s only response to that was a quirk of a delicate brow.
Throwing up her hands, Gertrude moved to the veranda railing and leaned against it. Taking a moment to gather thoughts that turned out to be rather disturbing, she finally turned back to Permilia and released a bit of a sigh.
“It concerns me that Mrs. Davenport is taking such an interest in Edwina because she’s never taken an interest in sponsoring a lady before, at least not since I’ve been in her employ. I simply don’t understand why she’d take that interest now, and what it may mean for my continued employment with her.”
Permilia’s forehead furrowed. “I would have to imagine, what with the attention Harrison has shown you, no matter that ridiculous proclamation he made regarding not having time for ladies, that Mrs. Davenport is now concerned that you may soon leave her employ. Because of that, it’s logical to assume her interest in Edwina is an attempt to fill a void she may soon find in her life—that void being the absence of you.”
Gertrude drummed her fingers against the railing. “No, I don’t believe that’s it. It’s more likely she’s growing bored with me and finds Edwina far more fascinating. In all honesty, I can’t say I blame her since Edwina is such a darling lady. But because she’s so darling and not boring, I’ll soon find myself out on the streets, seeking new employment.”
“Surely you must know you’re not meant to continue indefinitely as a paid companion, don’t you?”
Because Permilia’s tone was now edged with disbelief, Gertrude felt her lips begin to curve. “Even though you are my dearest friend, Permilia, you seem to be suffering from a little touch of delusion of late. And, while I realize an unusual pattern seems to be developing—one that has wallflowers, you and Wilhelmina Radcliffe to be exact, turning their backs on their walls and being whisked directly into new, romance-filled lives—that is not a circumstance I ever see happening to me. That means I fully intend to continue as a paid companion, but am now faced with the idea that I might need to start looking for a new lady to be a companion to.”
