Page 50 of Lady Waldrey’s Gardening Almanac for Cultivating Scandal

“She’s a very good lady’s maid,” she murmured, desperately searching for something Arthur might like, in order to change the subject.

“I know you, Candace, and you’d never deprive your friends of happiness, if it was in your power to give it.”

She froze and whirled to face him, frowning. “Of course not. If she wishes to marry the fellow, I’ll not stand in her way.”

“Marriage? I thought they’d only just met.”

“You didn’t see the way he looked at her.” Candace began paging through a set of picture books on the shelf.

“It’s a wonder you see it so clearly when that kind of gaze is applied to someone else,” he murmured.

She glanced up. “Pardon?”

“Nothing.” He pointed at a glass case against the wall containing several hat stands. “Are you interested in a new bonnet, perhaps?”

“No!” she snapped.

At James’s raised brows, Candace cleared her throat and managed a smile. “That is, I’m not looking for a new bonnet at the moment. Thank you.”

A half an hour later, the ladies took their leave of James and Mr. Harris’s shop.

“It’s a shame that Thomas is too busy to carry our purchases home right now,” Candace said, a smile on her lips and a sly twinkle in her eye. She arched a brow at Hortense. “Still, it gives one something to look forward to; he says he’ll deliver them this afternoon if the weather holds.”

“I have no doubt even the strongest gale couldn’t keep him away,” Vera added, though her tone was far more guileless than Candace’s.

Candace’s eyes narrowed slightly at her friend—she couldn’t decide if Vera was just very good at casually joining in on the topic or if she was unaware of Candace’s teasing. Then Vera gave Candace the slightest of winks; Candace grinned.

“Begging your pardon, my lady,” Hortense said stiffly, “but if the situation were reversed, I would not be able to join in on the merrymaking. The difference in our stations prevents me from making jokes at your expense.”

“Oh, Hortense, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to poke fun at you, not at all. But you must have noticed the way that young man looked at you—he didn’t look anywhere else the duration of our visit!”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Hortense frowned.

“Please tell me you’re joking! At one point he tied his own finger into the knot so completely that he had to cut it free with scissors. Or did you miss that while you were making a close study of the quilts?”

“They were very beautiful,” she said with a sniff.

Vera smiled. “Thomas thought you were very beautiful, Hortense. And he’s absolutely right.”

“Indeed.” Candace was quick to agree. “The miracle is that no young man has yet tried to steal you away from service to me, what with that flawless skin, your lovely figure, and your gorgeous hair.”

“A couple have tried, my lady,” Hortense grumbled, even as she patted her chignon.

Vera looked sideways to hide a smile, but Candace caught it anyway.

“Perhaps Thomas will be the one to succeed.”

“I’m not looking to make a change in my profession, my lady. I won’t abandon you for the first handsome man who looks my way.”

“Certainly not. Not for the first one. And not unless he’s kind and loyal, with good prospects for the future. You must meet his mother before you decide anything. You can learn a lot by how a man treats his mother.”

“Did you ever meet Shelbourne’s mother?” Vera asked. Then her eyes widened and she swallowed deeply.

Candace patted her arm to reassure her. Though the very mention of the man’s name was odious, she knew Vera would never intentionally hurt her. Other peers might slip Shelbourne’s name into conversation—as casually precise as an assassin’s dagger between the ribs—then watch slyly to see her reaction. But Vera had no talent or taste for cruelty.

“No,” Candace said. “I never had the chance to meet his mother. Perhaps if I’d watched them together, I might have seen him for who he was. Then again, perhaps I was willfully ignorant.”

“I’m sorry, Candace, I⁠—”