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Frank grunted and looked as though he’d protest again, but Goliath kicked his ankle. Frank winced.
“Don’t bicker in front of Miss Fox.” Goliath turned to me. “I’ll speak to the coachman. Tell me where to find him and what you need to know. You can rely on me to be subtle.”
Frank snorted. “You’re as subtle as a giraffe wearing heeled boots.”
“I’ll go too,” Victor said.
“I’m afraid I can’t,” Peter said. “It’s my grandparents’ wedding anniversary tonight. Fifty years they’ve been married. Can you imagine it?”
“A life sentence,” Frank muttered. “Miss Fox, will we be paid for our time if we speak to the coachman?”
“Unfortunately, we don’t have a client for this case,” I said. “I can’t pay you.”
“I’m not available, anyway.”
Goliath and Peter rolled their eyes.
I wentin search of Flossy and found her moping in her suite. She brightened when I suggested we have afternoon tea together. “But first, tell me what’s wrong,” I said. “You look unhappy.”
“It should be a fun time with all the social events starting,” she said. “But Mother hasn’t scheduled any daytime engagements for us.”
“Perhaps you should set up your own.”
“I suppose I am old enough now. Last year, I went wherever she went, but I’m nineteen now. I can do what I want.”
“Within reason, Flossy.”
She wasn’t listening, however. She took a seat at her desk and made notes. I peered over her shoulder. She was listing the names of her friends. “I’m going to invite them all to afternoon tea,” she said without looking up. “Not today, of course. It’s too late. You and I can enjoy today together.”
“Why not ask Amelia Livingstone?”
Her pen stilled. She looked up at me. “Is that a joke?”
“She could probably do with a friend.”
“But notus.”
“Why not us? If the rumors about her virtue have spread beyond the gentlemen, I imagine the invitations are drying up. She’ll be upset, and without a mother to help navigate these stormy waters, she might drown.”
“You feel sorry for her,” she said flatly.
“She made a mistake, Flossy. I won’t condemn her forever for desiring a man who turned out to be a scoundrel. It’s not fair.”
She placed the pen in the stand, leaving behind a dark ink blot on the paper. “It’s not that, Cleo. If the rumor about her has indeed reached the ears of the ladies in the highest levels of society, I will be ostracized too if I associate with her.”
“They’ll overlook it. Everyone knows you’re a virtuous young woman. They’ll see that you’re just being kind to her.”
She jerked her head in the direction of her parents’ suite on the other side of the wall. “Mother and Father would be appalled. They don’t want me to do anything that might jeopardize my reputation. They’d forbid me from seeing her.”
She was probably right. It wasn’t fair of me to put pressure on her.
She caught my hand. “You’re not going to see her, are you? Tell me you won’t, Cleo. If my parents found out—”
“They won’t unless you tell them.” I patted her shoulder. “Now, I’m going to get ready for afternoon tea. I’m hungry.”
She sighed. “So many secrets. It’s exhausting keeping track of them all.”
Afternoon teawith Flossy was pleasant, but I had another motive. We watched ladies come and go. Some of the regular guests greeted us. Some joined us for a few minutes and asked after Aunt Lilian. I smiled and joined in, but all the while, I watched Mr. Chapman.
