“I didn’t order cake for you.” She picked up her teacup and took a sip. “Since I’m already considered plump, and there’s little likelihood I’ll ever decide to marry, given the unpleasantness of our former alliance, I’m no longer going to worry about how slender I am.”
“You seem oddly cheerful for a woman who’s seemingly going to spend the rest of her life as a spinster, and who’s also going to indulge in an overabundance of sweets, although...” Elbert tilted his head. “You might want to consider that if you don’t marry, you won’t have available funds for basic necessities, which means you won’t have disposable income to indulge in sweets.”
“Then I’ll simply need to discover a way to secure a proper living for myself so I can purchase all the sweets I desire.”
A chuckle was Elbert’s first response to that. “In case you’re unaware of this, you don’t exactly possess any marketable skills.”
“But according to you and a variety of society ladies, I over-excel with matters of proper decorum. Add in the notion that I also apparently look the part of a decorum instructor, and I’m sure I could find work in a finishing school.”
Elbert opened his mouth, but Drusilla was spared the argument she knew was on the tip of his tongue when their serverreturned to the table, set a piece of cake in front of her, did the same with Elbert, and beat a hasty retreat, undoubtedly because she reached across the table and snagged the piece of cake in front of Elbert, earning a scowl from him in return. She immediately sunk her fork into it and stuffed a large bite into her mouth, a social faux pas if there ever was one.
“Delicious,” she mumbled, taking a second bite and then a third before setting aside her fork when an intriguing idea flashed to mind. “Perhaps, instead of securing a position at a ladies’ academy, I should consider opening a small etiquette school on my own, which would allow me to secure more funds since I could set the price of each lesson instead of drawing a salary.”
“You have no idea how to go about opening a business, nor do you have the capital needed to get any type of finishing school open to begin with.”
She grabbed her fork again, took three bites of cake, then realized she might be eating a little too quickly when she felt the most unladylike inclination to belch. She pushed the plate away from her.
“Contrary to what you seem to believe, Elbert,” she began, “I’m not lacking in intelligence and fully understand that I’ll need some form of capital to open up a small school.” She felt a smile tug at her lips. “It just so happens that I have a way to secure that capital, and it’s all thanks to you.”
Elbert frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll sell your betrothal gift.”
“The pearl bracelet won’t bring you enough money to set up a small school.”
“Of course it won’t ... but the entire Herrington diamond collection will.”
Elbert settled an indulgent look on her. “You can’t sell the Herrington collection because it doesn’t belong to you.”
“And that’s where you’re wrong. It would onlynotbelongto me if I was the one ending our engagement—something I’m convinced you’re aware of, and something that exactly explains why you’ve been so determined to get me to agree to let society know that I’m the one who severed our alliance.” She leaned across the table. “Tell me this—did you make a point to question those ladies who’ve been feeding you unpleasant little tidbits about me regarding the rules of retaining or regaining possession of any gifts a man bestows on his intended?”
Elbert scooted his chair backward a few inches, quite as if he wanted to maintain a certain distance between them. “I may have asked a question or two about broken engagements.”
“And upon asking those questions, did you discover that if a lady ends an engagement, all betrothal gifts are to be returned, but if a gentleman ends matters, she’s allowed to keep them, although most ladies in that position return the gifts because they don’t care to have reminders of whatever scoundrel they almost married?”
It was clear she wasn’t off the mark when Elbert’s face began turning an interesting shade of red.
“I have no issue with you keeping the pearl bracelet, but you certainly can’t keep the diamond collection,” he practically growled, drawing the attention of Mrs. Winthrop, who was sitting at a table close to them and was now looking at Elbert with her mouth a little slack.
Drusilla refused a smile. “If you’re still keen to have everyone in society believe we’re parting on amicable terms, you might want to control that temper of yours and discontinue looking as if you’d like to throttle me.”
Elbert was smiling a second later. “Keeping the Herrington diamonds is not an option because they’reHerringtondiamonds and you will not be a Herrington.”
“To point out the obvious, they’re not Herrington diamonds anymore because you gave them to me, which makes them Drusilla diamonds. And I, being in a bit of a financial pickle, know that those diamonds are going to be how I get my familymoved and then settled in Chicago. Anything left over will be used to invest in some type of business.”
His face began to mottle. “You cannot truly be considering selling them off to the highest bidder because that is quite beyond the pale, and you are not a lady who ever does anything beyond the pale.”
“But it’snotbeyond the pale because, as I’ve already mentioned, proper rules of etiquette allow a lady to keep any trinkets she was given during her engagement period if she finds herself tossed aside. As anoverlyproper lady, something you suggested I am, I feel compelled to adhere to proper protocol in this matter. That means, since you’re dissolving our engagement, I’m free to do whatever I want with the Herrington diamonds.” She inclined her head. “However, since I’m not completely unreasonable, know that I’d be happy to sell them back to you.”
“You say that as if selling me back the Herrington diamonds is doing me a favor.”
“It is a favor, and before you ask, no, I won’t give you a deal since I’m going to need every penny I can get to simply survive for the foreseeable future.”
A vein began throbbing on Elbert’s temple as he opened his mouth, but then snapped it shut when he shot a look to Mrs. Winthrop, who was now watching their exchange with eyes that were as wide as dinner platters. A blink of an eye later, he was on his feet, his color high and his gaze narrowed on Drusilla.
“I’ll bring you an offer later this evening.”
“Make sure it’s a good offer, or I’m taking the diamonds to Sotheby’s first thing tomorrow morning.”
