“Is he married, Mother?” Hannah asked, making no effort to hide the plots already swirling around her head.
“How could he be?” Lady Eunice scoffed. “He never goes anywhere to find a wife.”
“His brother is no better,” her mother added.
“Heavens no, Benjamin might be worse.”
“Benjamin?” Felicity murmured his name in shock.
Her cheeks flushed as she remembered the way he had introduced himself last night. He made no mention of any titles, and Felicity had not had the wherewithal to question it. Perhaps he was an untitled younger brother, but Felicity found that his title, or lack thereof, mattered little to her in light of his kindness and good humor.
Could this be the same Benjamin I met last night? What makes him so awful? Maybe he said a few unfeeling things, but he apologized and tried to make amends. Am I missing something? Is he a rake? Surely not. His actions toward me were more than honorable.
“What made you so interested in the second son?” Hannah asked, her narrowed eyes fixed on Felicity.
“N-nothing,” Felicity stammered as she was pulled out of her thoughts by the question. She delayed an answer as she sipped her tea, racking her brain for a reasonable excuse before saying in a much more calm manner, “I am only curious about what makes him so awful.”
“It is important,” Delilah cut in, her bright blue eyes flashing as she locked eyes with Hannah, “that we know what makes a man desirable and what doesn’t, is it not?”
For the second time during the tea, Delilah had saved Felicity from having to explain more than she wanted to. Delilah’s unwavering loyalty was one more reason Felicity would do whatever it took to secure the roof over her sister’s head.
“Quite right, my dear. Knowing what separates the unsuitable men from the rest will help you select a proper husband,” her mother said in an attempt to ease the sudden tension in the room.
“What about Benjamin is so awful?” Felicity tried but failed to keep the desperation out of her voice.
Lady Eunice only tilted her head, studying Felicity for a long moment. Felicity was sure the Countess could hear Felicity’s pounding heart. Moisture gathered on Felicity’s palms, her nerves manifesting themselves there. She was out of tea and couldn’t use the cup to hide behind any longer. Instead, Felicity set the plate back on the tea cart in front of her before settling her own sage green skirts, smoothing the muslin that covered her knees. She could only hope that Lady Eunice saw her actions as indicative of her false indifference rather than true anxiousness.
“There is nothing that qualifies him as ‘awful’, per se. But he is far below the kind of man a Diamond should be interested in,” Lady Eunice said with the same feigned indifference Felicity tried to put on. “He is simply a second son with no title and with no way of supporting himself beyond the charity of his brother. The man joined the army only to return with the most unsightly scar covering his face and even less societal grace than his brother has.”
“At least the Duke of Ferndown has the good sense to hide himself away with such awful manners,” her mother remarked. “His younger brother could learn a thing or two from the Duke. I have heard the poor boy is so inept at polite conversation that he never fails to say something wholly offensive.”
Felicity was shocked at the veracity of her reaction to their comments. She wanted desperately to defend Benjamin, to jump in and say that he might say things without thinking first, but he has the decency to apologize.
Unlike you two, gossiping in the most unbecoming way about anyone and everyone you’ve met. At least with Benjamin, I know exactly what he thinks about me. It is always a guessing game with everyone else.
Not wanting to draw any further attention to herself or subject Benjamin to the matron’s scrutiny, Felicity shut her mouth. The tea carried on as every other tea with the Abbotts had. Her mother had spent the better part of an hour gossiping with the Countess and her daughter while Felicity and Delilah sat, biting their tongues. By the end of it, Felicity’s jaw ached from having to clamp it down for so long. She was considering claiming a headache when Lady Eunice stood, announcing her need to depart.
“We are off to the dressmaker!” Hannah boasted. “I want to be sure my wardrobe is perfect for the rest of the season. I would hate to be caught in an unflattering-colored gown, like you were last night, Felicity.”
“Yes, it would be most unfortunate,” Lady Eunice agreed, “but you handled it all with such grace. One couldalmostpretend the color wasn’t quite so… jarring. Anyways, we must be off. Thank you for the tea, Lady Edith. It is always a humbling experience to be in your home.”
“I am happy to host. It is a pleasure to have you,” her mother said, dropping into the curtsy their differences in station demanded, oblivious to the insult. “Your insight is invaluable.”
Felicity and Delilah followed their mother’s lead, likewise curtsying to their guests. Felicity guessed her sister begrudged this societal custom all the more when it came to the Abbotts. It would be a lie if Felicity claimed she did not mind bowing to such vicious women.
Her mother ushered her friend out of the drawing room, leading them to the front door. Their voices echoed down the marbled hall as they went, the cold checkered tile and carved wood walls doing little to muffle their conversation. Waiting only long enough to ensure the Abotts and their mother were out of earshot, Delilah turned to Felicity with an exasperated look on her face.
“They are absolutely miserable to be around. I do not understand why mother insists on spending time with them.”
“Delilah! You mustn’t say things like that. Mother might hear you,” Felicity warned as she walked to the door and closed it.
“We both know I am right. I cannot stand how they gossip about everyone in the ton. I can only imagine what Lady Eunice and Hannah say about us when we are not around.”
“Are you not gossiping about them at this very moment?”
Delilah just rolled her eyes and continued, “And what horrible things they said about your Mister Chapman. I can’t believe they would call him unfit simply because he is the second son.”
“He is notmyMister Chapman,” Felicity muttered under her breath.