“I did not ensnare him,” Miss Sutherland declared.
Simone laughed. “I know. You two are so clearly in love. Which no doubt irks thetoneven more,” she said.
“I love Fredrick with my whole heart.”
“Then I am glad that it worked out for you two,” Simone responded. “Not everyone gets a happily-ever-after.”
Miss Sutherland eyed her curiously. “Are you one of those people?”
“I do not intend to ever marry.”
“Fredrick said that same thing,” Miss Sutherland teased.
“In my case, I am in earnest,” Simone asserted. “I do not want to give up the freedoms that have been afforded to me.”
“I understand,” Miss Sutherland said. “By marrying Fredrick, I am no longer in possession of my fortune. It belongs to him.”
“Does that worry you?”
With a shake of her head, Miss Sutherland replied, “Not at all. I trust Fredrick, wholeheartedly.”
“That is a rarity amongst theton. You must know that,” Simone said. “There is always a certain level of mistrust, even among spouses.”
“Did your parents have mistrust?”
Simone grew silent. “My mother was rather opinionated,and sometimes I believe that my father barely tolerated her. He claims that he loved my mother, but I have my doubts.”
“Why is that?”
“After my mother died, my father was insistent that we weren’t to mourn her,” Simone revealed. “She was here one day and gone the next. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.”
Miss Sutherland’s eyes held compassion. “That must have been hard.”
“It is all I know,” Simone admitted softly.
“My mother lingered at the end and I wanted her to be at peace,” Miss Sutherland shared. “It made her passing much easier knowing she was no longer in pain anymore. Not that it was easy to say goodbye.”
Simone felt the tears prick the backs of her eyes and she blinked them back. It would do her no good to cry and show emotion. Her mother was dead and nothing could be done about that. She could only fix what she was able to.
Miss Sutherland offered her a weak smile. “Perhaps we should move on to another topic,” she suggested. “The weather?” A glint of humor came into her eyes, informing Simone that she was just teasing.
“I abhor talking about the weather.”
“As do I.” Miss Sutherland paused before saying, “I asked around about you. I was taken aback by how many people knew of you, but how few people actually knew you.”
“That is not surprising since I tend to keep to myself,” Simone admitted.
“Why is that?” Miss Sutherland questioned. “You shouldn’t be standing back with the wallflowers when you are so evidently meant to stand out.”
“You are kind.”
Miss Sutherland arched an eyebrow. “You aren’t going to answer my question, are you?”
Simone glanced at the open doorway before saying, “Idon’t want people to take notice of me. It allows me to slip in and out of halls and ballrooms without garnering any attention. To theton, I am a nobody. I am merely someone who just takes up space in the corner of the ballroom.”
“But we both know that isn’t true,” Miss Sutherland contended.
The long clock in the corner chimed, alerting Simone to the time. She was to meet Mr. Bolingbroke in Hyde Park soon and she didn’t dare be late.
