Selena pinned her friend with a look of awe. “You truly possess a brilliant mind.”
“You should take a page from my book if you wish to shake your watchdog.”
“On the contrary, he is helping me find the club.” In a way.
“When didthatcome about?”
“The day of the parade.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Theodosia clucked her tongue. “Incompetence seems to flow in that man’s blood.”
“Well, I can’t seem to find a group of women hiding in plain sight, so birds of a feather.”
Her friend shook her head. “That is different.”
“Be that as it may, what more must a lady do to get invited? Honestly, I’m at a loss.”
“Warrick might report to your brother. That would make it even harder.”
“He promised not to, and I didn’t tell him about the crest.”Yet. “Perhaps I should let be what will be.” Though the more she thought about her situation, the more she thought that Theodosia might have a point about this club. Whatwerethe club’s intentions?
“And those are the words of a woman searching for meaning?”
“Those are the words of a woman accepting that meaning exists in her present circumstances as well as in her searchfor it.” Selena’s eyes widened as a light flickered in her mind. “Presentcircumstances.”
“Ballroom,” Theodosia said dryly.
“Exactly! Where would women of a secret club congregate at such an event?”
“I honestly cannot say.”
“The cardroom.”
“The cardroom? Why?”
“I seem to recall the women I overhead disappeared into a cardroom.” Why hadn’t she thought about this before?
Theodosia cocked her head to the side. “That doesn’t mean much. They could just enjoy playing cards. Are you sure you are not grasping at straws?”
“Does my speculation seem so farfetched?” She didn’t think so. At this point, even if she was grasping, she’d grasp with a smile on her face.
“Also, don’t old women play cards? Oh, and married women whose husbands are cavorting around.”
“What a ridiculous thing to say.”
“My mother’s words, not mine.”
“Your mother truly is from a different breed of women.”
“By the by,” Theodosia drawled, her voice now dry as the desert. “How did you slip away fromyourwatchdog?”
“Oh, that? As a determined woman does, I suppose. I marched straight through the front door and hailed a hackney.”
“Are hackneys that readily available?”
“Fine, I sent for one ahead of time. Why do you ask?”
“Because your watchdog has been staring at you with blades shooting from his eyeballs since his arrival three minutes ago.”
