Sophia stepped forward and took the paper from Lily’s hands. “We know you haven’t. This is not about what you did. This is about what someone wants people to believe.” She turned the sheet over, examining the back. “The paper is wrong. The font is wrong. Whoever printed this did not use Mr. Colborne’s press. We need to speak with him and find out who did.”
“Someone is using your name.” Lily looked at her sister. “Someone is hiding behind Lady Fairhart to destroy my reputation, and I want to know who.”
Edward shifted by the door. “We will find out. But first, we need to leave.”
“He is right.” Lord Brimsey squeezed his wife’s shoulder. “We should return home tonight. If the Duke has any honor, he will address this situation himself.”
“This is not about the Duke.” Lily’s frustration pushed the words out faster than she intended. “This is about someone forging my sister’s pen name. Whatever rumors they have attached to it are secondary.”
Sophia’s expression softened. A small, tired smile crossed her lips. “Thank you for that, sister. Truly. But the priority tonight is you. If this reaches beyond this ballroom, and I suspect it already has, your reputation could suffer in ways that will be difficult to counteract.”
Lord Brimsey nodded. “The Duke is a friend to Edward, yes, but his reputation is that of a rakehell. Any association with him, even a fabricated one, could do real damage.”
A knock at the parlor door interrupted them. Edward opened it to reveal Lord Harold Fenwick, their host, his round face arranged into an expression of practiced sympathy that did not quite reach his eyes.
“Your Grace. Lord and Lady Brimsey.” He clasped his hands before him. “I do hope you will forgive the intrusion. I simply wished to inquire whether your family requires anything before the evening continues.” He paused, and the sympathy curdled into something more pointed. “I fear that your presence has generated rather a great deal of… conversation among my guests, and I would hate for the evening to become uncomfortable for anyone.”
Lily recognized the maneuver. She had watched men like Fenwick her entire life. The polite dismissal dressed in the language of concern. The door was being held open with a smile and an apology.
“Are you asking us to leave, my lord?”
“Lily.” Sophia caught her wrist.
“I am merely suggesting,” Fenwick said, his smile tightening, “that a discreet departure might serve everyone’s interests.”
“Our interests, or yours?”
“Lily.” Lord Brimsey stepped forward, his diplomat’s instincts overtaking his anger. “My lord, we appreciate your hospitality this evening. You are right that a departure would be best for all parties. We thank you for your consideration.”
Fenwick bowed, clearly relieved, and withdrew.
Lily’s hands trembled at her sides from the sheer, scorching injustice of being escorted from a ballroom for something she had not done.
They collected their wraps in silence and made their way to the front steps, where the Brimsey carriage waited. Lord Fenwick had called for it specifically. Edward’s had not yet been brought round.
The night air was cool against Lily’s flushed cheeks, and she breathed it in, willing the anger to settle into something she could use rather than something that used her.
“Someone forged Lady Fairhart’s name.” Lily turned to Sophia. “That is the crime here. Not whatever nonsense they printed about me and the Duke of Thornwaite.”
Sophia pressed her hand. “I know. And I will speak with Mr. Colborne first thing tomorrow. But tonight, let us go home and think clearly.”
Lord Brimsey helped Lady Brimsey into the carriage. Lily watched them settle into their seats, her mother already dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief, her father murmuring reassurances.
Lily gripped the carriage door.
“Sophia, take Mama and Papa home. I will follow shortly.”
Sophia’s eyes narrowed. “Lily, what are you…”
“I am going to Thornwaite House.”
“Alone? At this hour?”
“I will go with her.” Edward stepped forward. “Hugo is my closest friend. If anyone is going to knock on his door at midnight, it should be someone he will actually open it for.”
Sophia looked between them. “Edward…”
“I will wait in the carriage. Lily can handle the Duke herself. But she should not be crossing London unescorted.”
