Geneva doffed her bonnet and ratty cloak then hung it next to Miss Hale’s. “Is this really necessary?” she mumbled.
“You saw how the duke reacted when he saw you. And there will be much more than him to contend with before the week is through.”
Swallowing a groan, Geneva followed Miss Hale up the stairs to a roomy chamber. “Where’s the butler? And the housekeeper?”
“Oh, I pensioned them off years ago.” Her muffled voice came from inside the wardrobe.
Geneva gasped. “You live here alone? Where are your parents?”
Miss Hale reappeared, her arms ladened down with an array of brightly colored gowns. “I’m one and thirty. I daresay, no one cares if I live alone or not. Besides, the only time it’s a real issue is when my cousin visits. And those occasions are as rare as seeing a full moon in a London night sky.”
A quick burst of laughter erupted from Geneva, acknowledging the irony. “So, never.” London’s night sky was notoriously obliterated with coal smoke in winter.
“Exactly.” Miss Hale moved to the bed and dropped the load of them.
The mounds of fabric caught Geneva by surprise and she blinked.
“We don’t have all night, you know. Strip.”
Startled, Geneva jerked then shook her head. “What the devil?”
“That is an impolite word,” Miss Hale chastised her. “Are you completely uncouth?”
Geneva chuckled, surprised she could manage it. “Is it? I suppose it is.” She eyed the stack of gowns. “Why so many? We’re not attending a ball.”
Miss Hale lifted one shoulder. “Ha! Even if there were, there wouldn’t be any dancing. Sander and Verda don’t allow it.”
“Ah, Miss Isabelle.” The words came out before she could swallow them.
Miss Hale paused in her sorting and turned, facing Geneva, her gaze intense and speculative. “Surely, you didn’t say anything to Noah. He’s quite sensitive regarding the subject.”
“Oh?”
But Miss Hale did not deign to answer. A long silence ensued and Geneva shifted under her scrutiny.
“He showed me his laboratory,” she said, feeling a tad defensive. “I saw the bones.”
Miss Hale shuddered. “I hate that place. He spends all his time in that horrid hovel. I vow, I can hardly breathe when I enter that chamber of torture.”
“Truly? Hmm. I thought it fascinating.” Geneva clenched her fingers until her knuckles showed white, refusing to touch the lovely silks her ink-stained fingers would likely mar.
“You would.” Another tremor, delicate, rippled over Miss Hale. “In any event, you’re right. Isabelle is a sweet girl. Vastly independent, though, without a care for her own well-being. Hence that deplorable limp. Or how she looks to the unsuspecting public.”
“So altruistic you are,” Geneva said dryly. It took a second for the impact of Miss Hale’s words. “‘Deplorable limp’? What do you mean? I thought she was born with the infirmity.” In fact,she was almost certain it was Mr. Oshea who’d used the word ‘deformity.’
Miss Hale didn’t bother with an answer and turned back to the gowns she’d piled on the bed. “How do you know Lady Abra?” Apparently, that line of conversation was not to be.
But Geneva knew the answers would be forthcoming at some point and opted to let the matter slide. “We attended school together.”
“You?” Miss Hale’s amazement grated over her skin.
“Subtle, aren’t you?” Geneva was heartily sick of the insinuations. She rubbed her forehead with the heel of her hand. And tired. She was fatigued beyond words and just wanted to lie down. The possibility of sneaking away occurred to her and she eyed the huge pile of gowns then glanced at the door.
“Your friend wasn’t at all well received.” The nonchalance with which Miss Hale spoke nearly impaled Geneva with a searing blaze of fury.
Her attention abruptly fired back to her host. “Stow it, Miss Hale. Abra is my friend and I shan’t listen to any untoward regarding her.”
But once again, Miss Hale acted as if Geneva hadn’t spoken. “I attended her debut. It was appalling.”
