Gideon frowned. “I haven’t been given the privilege of meeting your sisters yet.”
“That’s because they’re spending the winter in Florida. Mother told them to stay put after society was set to ostracize me, but she’s been considering telling them they’re welcome to return home now instead of remaining in Florida for the rest of the winter.”
“Because?”
Adelaide tilted her head. “I believe Mother doesn’t think my sisters will believe her if she tells them I’ve become fashionable and wants them to see what she views as a Duveen triumph with their own eyes.” She blew out a breath. “And even though I’m thrilled that Mother’s enjoying this curious turn of events, to tell you the truth, I’m not sure what to make of all this attention.”
Gideon’s gaze sharpened on her. “Why do I get the distinct impression you’re not enjoying your moment in the spotlight?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“To me it is.”
She dredged up a smile. “Do I look like I’m enjoying myself now?”
He laughed. “You look more along the lines of having eaten something disagreeable.”
“Perhaps I should have availed myself of the talented Mr. Gimble. Evidently I would have benefited from a few acting lessons.”
Gideon tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and steered her through the room, inclining his head to numerous guests before he drew her to a stop beside the buffet table. After accepting a cup of coffee and a plate of delicacies, he held the plate out to Adelaide, waited until she took a cookie, then led her over to the fireplace, where Mr. Harold Spencer immediatelyabandoned the chair he’d been settled in. Mr. Spencer then presented Adelaide with a bow, sent a curt nod to Gideon, then walked away, joining a group of gentlemen callers who immediately began sending annoyed glances in Gideon’s direction, ones he ignored.
Settling into the chair Harold had just vacated, she looked up and found Gideon considering her closely. “What?” she asked.
“I find myself unable to help but wonder what you’d rather be doing other than all the frivolities of the Season that have opened up for you of late.”
“Any number of things spring to mind,” she didn’t hesitate to say. “Reading at my leisure would be toward the top of my list, something I’ve not had time to indulge in lately, not when Camilla insists I’m seen out and about every day.” She sighed. “Do you know we spent three hours yesterday traipsing around the Ladies’ Mile?”
“A trial if there ever was one.”
“There was shopping involved.”
“Torture at its finest.”
She felt her lips twitch. “Well, quite, but besides having to suffer through the horror of shopping, Camilla only allotted me fifteen minutes to wander around a bookstore before she hauled me off to have tea at Rutherford & Company, where we were immediately inundated with requests to join numerous ladies.”
“You now own a bookstore. I wouldn’t imagine having your time cut short in another one was overly traumatic.”
“As a bibliophile, being towed from a place where massive amounts of books are sold is always traumatic. And, to add insult to injury, what I thought would be a simple cup of tea turned into an entire afternoon fiasco because Camilla wanted to enjoy a proper tea, complete with scones, biscuits, and clotted cream. Add in the disturbing notion that our tea was accompanied by over two hours of listening to the lateston ditandtalk of fashion from all the ladies gathered in the tearoom, well, disgruntled doesn’t do justice to the mood I returned home in.”
“You seemed in fine spirits at the theater last night.”
“I’m apparently a more proficient actress than I’ve realized,” Adelaide said, unwilling to admit that her mood had significantly improved the moment Gideon had arrived at her house to escort her and her mother out and about the previous evening.
Gideon smiled. “Or perhaps you simply enjoyed our conversation more since it didn’t revolve around fashion.”
She returned the smile. “An excellent point, because discussing different cipher codes was certainly more stimulating than the advantages of wearing jewel tones. Apparently that has been a topic of interest because of my new wardrobe. Do you know that one of the greatest advantages to wearing deeper hues, at least according to Jennie Gibson, who’s evidently been pestering her mother to purchase darker colors to add to her wardrobe this Season, is the ability to disguise any unwanted stains, such as tea or, heaven forbid, droplets of rain?”
“I didnotknow that, but Jennie doesn’t strike me as a lady who would experience spilled tea often.”
“I’m sure she’s not, but she’s determined to acquire what society now believes is an avant-garde color scheme, even though there are some society mothers who are resistant to such a drastic change for their impressionable daughters.”
Gideon tilted his head. “Don’t you take any satisfaction from the fact that ladies are now clamoring to emulate your new style?”
“I’d rather find satisfaction from something less frivolous.”
“Such as?”
“Deciphering additional codes springs to mind.”
