page29 (1/2)
“Good heavens, show her in!” she cried “What are you waiting for?” As Bantas exiting, she turned to her grand niece “The Demowerys, my dear Excellent fareat hostess, and their papa is the Earl of St Denys—and even his Royal Highness is afraid of him Of, I wish you had taken more trouble with your hair It is such a jumble I don’t knohat Lady Rand will think”
Delilah bit back the automatic retort that she didn’t care two strahat Lady Rand thought She did care, very much
This was the first female visitor they’d had since they’d arrived, and Delilah’s heart fluttered with anxiety as she pushed hairpins back into place If Lady Rand didn’t like what she saw, Miss Desmond was doomed
That she was to be spared social destruction for the ti was evident within five an by apologising to Lady Potterby for presuotten—acquaintance, but she understood that Lady Potterby had known her mama
“Of course I have not forgotten your lovely mother,” said Lady Potterby “Indeed, to see you is to see her again, as she was in her first Season”
Lady Rand gave her a gratified s to Delilah, “came out in the same Season I am very sorry your mother has not come to Toith you,” she went on, as Lady Potterby’s eyes opened wide in consternation “I should have so liked to eous women I have ever heard of”
“She believed her presence would reflect badly on me,” said Delilah, deter frown “Men are forgiven everything and woe, you see, is not the quality usually attributed to her”
Lady Rand esture of dismissal “The world is too often unjust and utterly blind ‘Convention is the ruler of all’—and no one understands that soled by convention”
Miss Desmond’s rather defensive mien softened “Yet we cannot each make our own rules or we should have chaos,” said she “So our elders tell us, anyhow Ma her you countenance the overthrow of civilisation?”
“Delilah, pray do not be impertinent,” Lady Potterby warned
“Are you ienuously “I thought we’d e to enjoy myself” She turned her enormous hazel eyes full upon Lady Potterby “Pray let us continue I was about to quote Ovid”
“Ovid?” Miss Des her brains for the apt quotation, while her great aunt appeared ready to faint from shock
“I was about to reods have their own rules’”
“And Maratified she will be to hear of it!”
The exchange folloas so rapid, so filled with Greek, Latin, and French, that Lady Potterby threw up her hands in defeat Still, unbecoht be, it was a conversation, and both young woiven Lady Potterby a turn, for she’d instantly expected race, like those they had endured at Rossingley Hall
Lady Rand was evidently not of the Gathers’s ilk, however Even if she had odd notions, she was one of the few permitted them An eccentric Lady Rand was still a Demowery, a member of one of Society’s first families If she liked Delilah—and it appeared she did—the rest of the Beau Monde must learn to like her as well
The Beau Monde received its first lesson the following afternoon, when Lady Rand took Miss Des in Hyde Park and made short work of any persons who dared show her co less than deferential courtesy
The second lesson was provided on the evening of the following day, when Lady Andover’s dinner guests found the Devil’s daughter in their midst
By the third day, the invitations began trickling in to Potterby House It had been discovered in the interim that Lady Rand and Miss Desmond were bosom-bows, not to be parted More important, it had also been learned that Miss Desmond had taken tea with Lady Rand’s motherin-law, the Countess of St Denys