The second young lady gave a muted chuckle. “That is a tad harsh, Phyllis, but you do have a point. Even though I spoke with her about it, she still cannot keep hold of her tongue. She is forever speaking of the most uninteresting things. It is a wonder she thinks he’d show an interest in her.”
With one of the young ladies identified, it was not difficult to believe the second to be Miss Hettie Nelson, and Sophie had the strongest urge to shove the flower decorations the hostess had so lovingly prepared and watch the mess cascade over the callous pair. Of course, such violent sentiments were profoundly unhelpful, though Sophie indulged in a few fantasies nonetheless.
Outside of her Mr. Kingsley, Lily was one of Sophie’s favorite people, and hearing her denigrated in such a fashion by supposed friends was enough to drive Sophie to foolhardy actions. But before she could act on any of those promptings, the pair’s conversation shifted into territory that wrapped Sophie in ice as though she was lost on the Yorkshire moors amid a winter storm.
“Lily Kingsley is so desperate to believe she could attract a beau that it didn’t take much convincing. The fellow hasn’t noticed her once, yet with a single note and paltry posy of wildflowers, she thinks herself on the verge of matrimony,” said Miss Thompson with malicious glee. “She has been in alt all evening, constantly hanging around the poor fellow, waiting for him to declare himself.”
Miss Nelson sighed. “It has been funny to watch her swan about like a lovesick fool, but do you not think this is a tad cruel? And to sign his name to your notes? It puts him in a difficult position.”
“A bit of discomfort on his part, but the majority will be on Lily’s plump shoulders,” said Miss Thompson. “And she deserves every bit of it. We have little power over Mr. Kingsley, but do you think his sister should go unpunished for his callous behavior towards Victoria? He threw over one of the dearest people I know for a strumpet.”
Sophie didn’t need to listen any further. Not that she cared two jots about their opinion of herself—she harbored no high opinion of the young ladies, either—but there was nothing more to be gained from hearing their poisonous chatter. If they were to be believed, they’d laid a trap for Lily, and Sophie would not allow her to step into it. But what could she do? And who was the false sweetheart they’d used in their plot?
Scanning the ballroom, Sophie searched for Lily, hoping she might locate her before Miss Thompson’s plan came to fruition. But as her eyes darted through the sea of silks in search of Lily’s pale green, Sophie’s gaze fell to Miss Caswell’s fiery crimson and gold.
Without thought, Sophie emerged from her place, weaving through the crowd directly to Miss Caswell, who stood with Mr. Dixon to one side of the room. It wasn’t until she arrived in front of the young lady that Sophie realized how awkward and uncomfortable she ought to feel. Sophie halted before the pair, lost in the feeling of a thousand anxious spiders crawling along her spine.
But this was not about herself or Miss Caswell.
“What is the matter?” asked the young lady before Sophie could think of how to broach the subject.
Sophie cast a look at Mr. Dixon; she didn’t know how to explain it with him present.
“I give you my promise Mr. Dixon will not say a word,” said Miss Caswell, casting a glance in his direction, and he emphasized her words with a dip of his head. “But you must tell me what has you in such a dither. Is Mr. Kingsley unwell?”
Miss Caswell’s brows pulled low, her gaze filling with anguish as Sophie relayed all she’d heard. Her words could not come fast enough, and as she spoke, Sophie’s heartbeat picked up its pace.
“I do not know where Lily is, nor do I know who they’ve unwittingly used in their plans to humiliate her—”
“But we must discover it before she does and stop this,” said Miss Caswell, her gaze swinging away from Sophie as she scanned the crowds. “Do you spy her, Mr. Dixon?”
The gentleman shook his head.
Miss Caswell let out a burst of breath and rubbed her temple. “What have they done?”
“We will sort this out,” murmured Mr. Dixon, and the young lady gave his arm a light squeeze before nodding.
“Can you not speak to Miss Thompson and Miss Nelson? They shan’t listen to me,” said Sophie, and Miss Caswell stilled, blinking at her for a heartbeat.
“Of course…” The young lady was moving before she could finish her thought, hurrying to the pair with Mr. Dixon and Sophie trailing behind her.
“What have you done to Lily?” demanded Miss Caswell.
Miss Thompson cocked her head, staring at Miss Caswell as though she couldn’t understand the clearly worded question, while Miss Nelson’s gaze fell to the ground, her cheeks pinking. Miss Thompson began defending herself, and Sophie’s attention turned to the crowd. There was nothing for her to do with the culprits, and her muscles tightened at the thought of what might’ve happened to Lily.
A hand at her back had Sophie jumping, and she turned to see Mr. Kingsley standing there with a silent question in his eyes at finding her in such company. With a few quiet words, she relayed all that had happened, and Mr. Kingsley’s eyes darkened, turning a burning fury towards Miss Thompson and Miss Nelson.
Before he could say a word in defense of his sister, Miss Thompson launched into a litany of reasons why the whole situation was his fault, and though none of their voices rose enough to be heard by the general populace, the tone of their conversation carried enough to draw the curious looks of a few groups nearby.
But Sophie gave the others no notice, only focusing on a quick twist of Miss Thompson’s lips as her gaze slid beyond their party. Following it, Sophie spied Lily approaching Mr. Peter Dosett; though her smile held a hint of apprehension, Lily met him with squared shoulders, her eyes growing brighter as he turned to greet her.
Gripping Mr. Kingsley’s arm, Sophie drew his attention to his sister, and the others all turned their gazes in Lily’s direction. There was nothing to be done at this distance. No intervention to be made. No manner in which to halt the coming blow. All they could do was watch as she flirted with the younger Dosett son. Lily nodded towards the dancers, and the fellow’s brows rose with a hint of a sneer. With a quick step, he backed away and gave a curt bow before scurrying in the other direction.
Sophie raised a hand to her mouth and clutched her stomach with the other, as though that might calm the bile churning inside her. Lily fought to keep hold of her composure, but even at this distance, it was impossible to miss the pain in her eyes as they filled with tears, and Sophie’s own heart broke in two.
Mr. Kingsley stepped forward, and Sophie moved with him, leaving Miss Caswell to deal with the pair. But before they made it halfway there, Mr. Dixon outpaced them, waving them away as he strode towards Lily. Taking the fellow’s cue, Sophie pulled Mr. Kingsley to a stop.
“Let him handle her,” she said as he tugged against her hold.
