“May I speak for my fellow salon members when I say we were ill-prepared for your arrival last time. This time, we hope to do better.”
Lady Rawley nodded condescendingly. “You are very good sir,” she said. “And we have tried to do our part by bringing in some flowers.”
Mr. Haventops glanced around. “Yes, yes indeed. Now, what I would propose is that our new members cannot isolate further! We must have you integrated into our debates.”
Though she had initially taken him to be mannerly and friendly, there was something about Mr. Haventops that began to give Cordelia pause. She could not put her finger on it exactly. His words were pleasant. The tone in which he spoke them was pleasant. But, there was something that made her feel uneasy.
“Mr. Haventops, you are too good,” Lady Agatha said. “Now, you really ought to know everybody. This is Lady Rawley, she is Lord Harveston’s aunt, and here is Miss Mayton and Lady Cordelia, and there is my good friend Mrs. Robinson. I am Lady Agatha.”
Mr. Haventops bowed. “Charmed,” he said. “Now, I suggest that we proceed as follows. Lady Cordelia and Miss Mayton, you will sit over there. That is my group, we are a freewheeling set—we discuss whatever seems interesting about the topic. Lady Rawley, Lady Agatha, Mrs. Robinson, I would send you that way. Those fellows always bring along some fascinating document of some sort.”
Lady Rawley said, “I do recall that last time, there was a third group. They sat over in that corner of the room. What do they do?”
Mr. Haventops said, “Ah yes, well they are all friends and a rather closed group. I do not think you would enjoy their company, as they keep very much to themselves.”
Lady Rawley nodded. “Mr. Haventops, you have beenveryaccommodating.”
Mr. Haventops bowed. “Until then, ladies.” He moved off and Cordelia felt further uneasy, noting the small smile that played upon his lips.
“It was just as I suspected,” Lady Rawley said. “The poor members were so taken aback when we arrived last time. As we know, these sorts of intellectuals are not particularly good at thinking on their feet. Now they have had time to take in our presence and have nominated Mr. Haventops to do the honors.”
“But Lady Rawley,” Cordelia said, “I am worried about our participation. Have any of us really studied the question at hand?”
“Oh dear,” Lady Agatha said, “I had presumed we would all be together in our little circle and have further discussion aboutThe Dreadful Doings of Dembric Dale.”
“We are as one mind, Lady Agatha,” Mrs. Robinson said. “I thought the very same. I was planning to comment on the effrontery of that kitchen maid.”
“She is rather forward,” Lady Agatha said, “but then her idea of moving to Spain is not a bad one.”
“But what about Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas?” Cordelia asked, praying that somebody knew something they might impart.
All eyes turned to Lady Rawley. She said, “I haven’t thought the first thing about it, nor do I even recall what the question was.”
“It was to do with Aristotle’s idea that people are a bad judge of their own case,” Cordelia said, “and how it relates to St. Thomas Aquinas’ idea that no man can be the judge of himself.”
“Cordelia and I spent an hour in the earl’s library, but we could not make heads or tails of it,” Miss Mayton said.
“We ended agreeing that we should be guided by womanly sense,” Cordelia added. Though, it did not sound as brilliant an idea as it had when they’d thought of it.
“It is a ridiculous question,” Lady Rawley said. “I propose we employ a strategy that has always worked well for me. A dodge the question sort of strategy.”
Cordelia had never heard of such a strategy.
“When one is asked a question one does not know the answer to or simply doesn’t wish to answer,” Lady Rawley said, “one can respond in several ways. My own preferences are: ‘One wonders’ or ‘that is a weighty question that requires much thought’ or ‘that certainly deserves further investigation.’ I always used it to great effect with my husband whenever he inquired into a bill from the dressmaker or milliner.”
“Yes, I see,” Miss Mayton said. “As well, one might answer a question with a question. For example, one might say ‘perhaps the more important point is, what doyouthink about it?’ I also find one might almost always say to a gentleman, ‘I defer to your superior judgment.’
“Oh, yes,” Mrs. Robinson said, “they always do like that!”
“Of course,” Lady Rawley said, “if one finds oneself in a very uncomfortable corner, one might simply change the topic altogether. This worked wonderfully well in my marriage. My lord would be waving some bill or other around and I’d say, ‘How do your hounds get on, my love?’”
Cordelia was feeling more uncomfortable by the minute. They were to speak on a subject none of them knew the first thing about by using vagaries and hoping nobody noticed? And then, there was something about Mr. Haventops’ friendliness that she did not trust.
Though she told herself she was in no real danger, regardless of which way the evening turned, she almost began to feel as if they were ancient Romans being thrown to the lions.
At the front of the room, Lord Harveston dinged his glass.
“Well,” Lady Rawley said, “we’d best sort ourselves into our respective groups.”
