Tillie stepped up beside Suzette, her nostrils flaring. “We think you might have made a numbered list with ladies you thought would be appropriate candidates for Walter ... before you decided to snag him for yourself.”
“I never made up a numbered list, nor did I try to snag Walter.”
“The evidence from last night suggests otherwise,” Tillie said with a sniff.
“What evidence?”
“The evidence from the children, of course.”
Gwendolyn rose to her feet. “The children were simply being children. Do they care for me? Of course, just as I care for them, but they only came to hold me in affection because I was attentive to them and truly wanted to get to know them better.”
“We showed them attention, but you didn’t see the little darlings professing they wanted any of us to become their mother,” Tillie shot back.
“And calling them ‘little darlings’ in that snide tone of voiceis exactly why you, Miss Wickham, would not have been an ideal candidate for Walter.”
As Tillie took to gaping at Gwendolyn, Russell Damrosch stepped forward. “There’s no need for rudeness, Miss Brinley.”
Gwendolyn tilted her head. “Forgive me, Mr. Damrosch, because I’m sure you’ll also accuse me of rudeness for what I’m about to say, but it’s something that needs to be said.”
She took a second to glance around the room. “I was beginning to hope all of you were taking to heart some of the sermons Reverend Eberhard has delivered this Season. Granted, showering Walter with meals was an odd take on how to love thy neighbor, but I felt it was a step in the right direction. Last week his sermon revolved around the truth of God seeing all of us as equals. It’s now evident he was not successful in imparting that lesson, because it’s beyond telling how you’d accusemeof rudeness, Mr. Damrosch, when you show up at my cousin’s cottage,en masseno less, and begin hurling unfounded accusations at me, as if it’s your right to do so.
“I suppose you, like so many members of society, believe you’re not being rude because I’m not considered your equal. I now find myself wondering if that attitude will ever change or if all of you will spend your lives immersed in your quest to obtain the best gilded prize, no matter whom you injure in the process, whether they be a servant, a shopgirl, or one of your own less fashionable society members.”
“We didn’t come here for a sermon, Miss Brinley,” Suzette snapped. “We came for your notes.”
“And I’ll be more than happy to give those to you, but you’re going to be disappointed. My notes aren’t what I’d consider organized.”
“Did you have matches in the making for any of us you didn’t write down before the events of last night?” Suzette shot at her next.
Gwendolyn shrugged. “Of course, and forgive me if thiscomes across too bluntly, but if some of you would simply open your eyes, instead of setting your sights on alliances you feel would be the most advantageous, or ones that would see you paired with the shiniest prize of any given Season, you’d see the truth of your perfect matches right in front of you.”
Suzette narrowed her eyes. “Do tell.”
A most unusual urge to laugh settled over Gwendolyn as she looked around the room, taking in all the scowls settled on her, although Frank Lambert was sending her an encouraging sort of nod, one he immediately discontinued when his gaze drifted to Catriona, who was scowling as well, and directly at him.
Gwendolyn returned her attention to Suzette. “I don’t normally respond well to demands, but if I tell you my thoughts, will all of you promise to leave, and without sending more insults my way?”
Suzette shot a glance around the room, where everyone was still scowling, although most people were nodding as well. She turned back to Gwendolyn. “Fine, we’ll agree to leave afterward, but no promises about the insults since we don’t know what you’re going to say.”
“Fair enough, and since you seem to be the spokeswoman of this particular gathering, allow me to start with you, Miss Tilden.” She caught Suzette’s eye. “To be frank, if you’re hoping I’m about to tell you I thought you would be a suitable candidate for Walter, I’m not.”
“Why not?”
“You gave his children a pony.”
Suzette blinked. “The pony was a generous gift. It’s ridiculous to think that because of my generosity, I was taken out of the running.”
“It was a questionable gift, but that’s not the only reason I felt you weren’t suitable to marry him. A more important one would be that I never got the impression you wanted to marry Walter.”
“He’s the catch of the Season.”
Gwendolyn resisted the inclination to roll her eyes. “Well, there is that, but Walter’s not the only catch this summer.” She nodded to Thurman Chandler. “He’s considered quite a catch as well.”
Suzette’s nose wrinkled. “What does Thurman’s being a catch have anything to do with me?”
Gwendolyn wrinkled her nose right back at her. “You’ve ignored what’s been right in front of you this whole time, because you, Suzette, and you, Thurman, enjoy each other’s company. You grew up together, and while many people grow apart as they age, the two of you seem to have grown closer. That, if you’d take the time to think about it, is telling.”
She caught Thurman’s eye. “That’s what I’d started writing about on the page dedicated to you in my notepad before Mrs. Parker fired me. What the two of you do next is completely up to you, but I suggest you seek out some privacy and discuss the matter more thoroughly.”
