“That sounds nice.” Miss Summerfield sighed.
“As does the opportunity to travel.” She offered a smile to her tentative friend. “Perhaps we should attempt to switch places. You could remain in Somerset, and I could wander the country.”
“Our parents might notice.” Miss Summerfield made the observation with the same subtle dryness she’d used a few times during their Hyde Park ride.
“Does your family mean to return to Hazelfield after the Season?” Odette didn’t know what she hoped the answer was.
“I believe we are, though not for very long.” Loneliness touched the explanation.
Odette understood the ache of being isolated. She’d spent so much of her time in London feeling precisely that way. She had enjoyed Miss Summerfield’s company during their previous ride, which had been surprising enough. Her heart ached for her neighbor now.
“Perhaps,” she heard herself saying, “your parents would allow you to stay with us when they grow anxious to begin traveling again. You could come to know the neighborhood.”
“Your parents might not appreciate taking on a houseguest so soon after returning to the country. Most people prefer a bit of peace and quiet after the madness of the Season.” Yet a hopefulness hung under the words.
“Having a friend nearby is a joyful thing, though. That is its own kind of peace.”
Miss Summerfield didn’t speak for a moment. She watched Odette, searching her face. “Do you consider me a friend?”
“I would like to.” Her own words rang with a truth she had not been expecting.
“I would like that as well.”
Mrs. Northrop had remained entirely quiet. She simply sat, serenely sipping at her tea. Nothing ever ruffled Mrs. Northrop. When she had first arrived, her unshakableness had bothered Odette. Now she found it reassuring. This lady meant to help her undo the mess that her life had become. Being firm and confident was an asset in times of uncertainty.
“Has your family visited Burnham, Miss Summerfield?” Odette asked.
“Please, call me Tabitha.” The request was made with palpable uncertainty, as if she expected a rejection. Did that unfortunate anticipation come from her own timidity, or had it grown out of Odette’s reputation as Princess Pompous?
“And I am Odette.”
Surprise was quickly replaced by excitement. “We have been to Burnham. It is a lovely little town, and I do enjoy the sea.”
Mrs. Northrop quite suddenly entered the conversation. “Does your family visit any particular places more often than others?”
“Our homes, of course,” she said. “Those are our only regular destinations.”
“You must have a wide circle of friends,” Mrs. Northrop said.
Tabitha’s gaze dropped to the tabletop. “We do not stay in any one place long enough for me to gain many true friends. We’ve been in London longer than most anywhere else, yet, other than Odette”—she looked briefly up, smiling—“I have not made any friends.”
“I haven’t, either,” Odette confessed. “I hadn’t anticipated how much having a friend would mean during the Season. All we are ever told to concentrate on is suitors.”
“Indeed.” Tabitha looked to her fully once more. “But you do seem to have something of a friendship with Mr. Lexington. And, of course, you grew up with Mr. Hewitt.”
“You know Mr. Hewitt as well.” Odette managed the observation without sounding bitter. To her even greater surprise, she didn’t truly feel bitter.
“Yes,” Tabitha said, “but he goes to great lengths not to spend any time with me if he can help it. I cannot blame him. It is difficult for gentlemen and ladies to spend time with each other when Society is so eager to create rumors whenever possible.”
Mrs. Northrop set her teacup down and folded her hands in front of her on the table. “You wish to avoid rumors connecting your name with Mr. Hewitt’s?”
Odette’s eyes pulled wide. This was hitting a bit too close to the mark.
“No one wishes to force a gentleman’s hand,” Tabitha answered.
Not quite the answer she would have preferred. Something more along the lines of “I have so little romantic interest in Mr. Hewitt that I cannot countenance the idea of even a whispered connection between us” would have been far better.
“Mr. Lexington appeared to enjoy your company at the Salsteads’ ball,” Mrs. Northrop said. “And Mr. Hewitt rode out with you in Hyde Park. Odette happily invited you on today’s excursion. I believe you have forged more connections than you realize.”
