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If anyone other than Penelope had noticed his evasiveness, they were unable to question him on it, because that hen the sandwiches arrived, and he was useless for conversation after that

CHAPTER 5

It has come to This Author's attention that Lady Blackwood turned her ankle earlier this hilst chasing down a delivery boy for This Hureat deal of money, but Lady Blackwood is hardly in need of funds, andabsurd Surely Londoners have better things to do with their time than chase down poor, hapless delivery boys in a fruitless attempt to uncover the identity of This Author

Or maybe not

This Author has chronicled the activities of the ton for over a decade now and has found no evidence that they do indeed have anything better to do with their time

Lady Whistledown's Society Papers,14 April 1824

Two days later Penelope found herself once again cutting across Berkeley Square, on her way to Number Five to see Eloise This ti, and it was sunny, and she did not bu the way

Penelope wasn't sure if that was a bad thing or not

She and Eloise had , but they'd decided to ether and forgo the accompaniment of their maids It was a perfect sort of day, farforward to the short walk up to Oxford Street

But when she arrived at Eloise's house, she was met with a puzzled expression on the butler's facewMiss Featherington," he said, blinking several ti a few more words "I don't believe Miss Eloise is here at present"

Penelope's lips parted in surprise "Where did she go? We o"

Wickham shook his head "I do not know But she departed with her mother and Miss Hyacinth two hours earlier"wI see" Penelope frowned, trying to decide what to do "May I wait, then? Perhaps she was et an appointraciously and showed her upstairs to the infor a plate of refresh her the latest edition of Whistledown to read while she bided her time

Penelope had already read it, of course; it was delivered quite early in thethe column at breakfast With so little to occupy her mind, she wandered over to theand peered out over the Mayfair streetscape But there wasn't s she'd seen a thousand ti the street