Page 3 of A Lesson in Propriety (Merriweather Academy for Young Ladies #1)
Three
“You’re starting to draw attention with that glare you’re leveling on me,” Elbert all but hissed.
Shoving aside the delightful image of Elbert having to duck to avoid a flying teacup, Drusilla glanced around the tearoom and found Katherine and Julia Drayton sitting forward in their seats, not even bothering to disguise the fact they were gawking at her and Elbert. After sending them a bit of a wink, which was completely unlike her and earned looks of confusion from the two ladies in return, Drusilla folded her hands demurely in her lap and returned her attention to Elbert.
“Do you honestly believe I care about giving the gossipmongers fodder to talk about, given that I’ve clearly been the object of their spitefulness for years?” Drusilla asked.
“Being the object of additional gossip could very well harm your chances with those prospective suitors I’ve found for you.”
“I’d rather move to Chicago and find myself living in a tent than marry any man who only wants to marry me because of my position within society.”
Elbert shoved a cucumber sandwich in his mouth, gave it a few rather intense chews, then washed it down with a hefty slug of tea. “You’re being ridiculous, especially when I know you’re simply refusing to accept one of the men I found for you out of spite. You should be grateful I’ve fixed what could have been a catastrophic financial situation for you.”
“You’re the one who created that catastrophic situation since I, along with my family, would have been financially fine if you would have upheld the deal you made with my father.”
“There is no longer any deal to uphold since the Merriweather money is gone.”
“But there’s every chance the Pinkertons will eventually run Sanford to ground, and when that happens, I’ll no longer be impoverished.”
“Sanford is on the run with millions of dollars, and he’s aboard a yacht that’s capable of taking him anywhere in the world. Given that your family doesn’t have the funds to continue paying the Pinkertons to search for him since bill collectors keep coming out of the woodwork, the likelihood that Sanford will ever be found is slim to none.” Elbert caught her eye. “That means you have no choice but to meet these men from the nouveau riche set, choose one, then marry him.”
“I think not” was all Drusilla had to say to that.
“You’re being overly stubborn, another fault I never realized you possessed.”
“Then it’s a good thing you’ve decided to toss me over since I’m evidently riddled with unfortunate deficiencies.”
“Perhaps you are at that,” Elbert grumbled before he took another sip of his tea and set aside his cup. “Since it’s evident the conversation is only going to go downhill from here, I suppose all that remains now is for you to allow society to know we’ve decided we no longer suit. However, since I’m truly not heartless, no matter that you obviously believe otherwise, know that I’m willing to allow you to keep the pearl bracelet I gave you as a betrothal gift. I will, however, need to have returned to me the Herrington diamonds, which includes the tiara, stomacher, bracelet, and necklace.”
She stilled for the briefest of seconds before her lips took to curving as the true reason behind Elbert’s insistence that she end their engagement suddenly became crystal clear.
“Are you smiling because you’re pleased that I’m willing to let you keep the pearl bracelet?” Elbert asked, the wariness that was once again flickering through his eyes causing her smile to widen.
“I’m smiling because I’ve decided it’s time for cake,” she said before she waved a server over, ordered not one but two slices of cake, then returned her attention to Elbert, finding her soon-to-be-ex-fiancé frowning at her.
“I never said I wanted cake.”
“I didn’t order cake for you.” She picked up her teacup and took a sip. “Since I’m already considered plump, and there’s little likelihood I’ll ever decide to marry, given the unpleasantness of our former alliance, I’m no longer going to worry about how slender I am.”
“You seem oddly cheerful for a woman who’s seemingly going to spend the rest of her life as a spinster, and who’s also going to indulge in an overabundance of sweets, although...” Elbert tilted his head. “You might want to consider that if you don’t marry, you won’t have available funds for basic necessities, which means you won’t have disposable income to indulge in sweets.”
“Then I’ll simply need to discover a way to secure a proper living for myself so I can purchase all the sweets I desire.”
A chuckle was Elbert’s first response to that. “In case you’re unaware of this, you don’t exactly possess any marketable skills.”
“But according to you and a variety of society ladies, I over-excel with matters of proper decorum. Add in the notion that I also apparently look the part of a decorum instructor, and I’m sure I could find work in a finishing school.”
Elbert opened his mouth, but Drusilla was spared the argument she knew was on the tip of his tongue when their server returned to the table, set a piece of cake in front of her, did the same with Elbert, and beat a hasty retreat, undoubtedly because she reached across the table and snagged the piece of cake in front of Elbert, earning a scowl from him in return. She immediately sunk her fork into it and stuffed a large bite into her mouth, a social faux pas if there ever was one.
“Delicious,” she mumbled, taking a second bite and then a third before setting aside her fork when an intriguing idea flashed to mind. “Perhaps, instead of securing a position at a ladies’ academy, I should consider opening a small etiquette school on my own, which would allow me to secure more funds since I could set the price of each lesson instead of drawing a salary.”
“You have no idea how to go about opening a business, nor do you have the capital needed to get any type of finishing school open to begin with.”
She grabbed her fork again, took three bites of cake, then realized she might be eating a little too quickly when she felt the most unladylike inclination to belch. She pushed the plate away from her.
“Contrary to what you seem to believe, Elbert,” she began, “I’m not lacking in intelligence and fully understand that I’ll need some form of capital to open up a small school.” She felt a smile tug at her lips. “It just so happens that I have a way to secure that capital, and it’s all thanks to you.”
Elbert frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll sell your betrothal gift.”
“The pearl bracelet won’t bring you enough money to set up a small school.”
“Of course it won’t ... but the entire Herrington diamond collection will.”
Elbert settled an indulgent look on her. “You can’t sell the Herrington collection because it doesn’t belong to you.”
“And that’s where you’re wrong. It would only not belong to me if I was the one ending our engagement—something I’m convinced you’re aware of, and something that exactly explains why you’ve been so determined to get me to agree to let society know that I’m the one who severed our alliance.” She leaned across the table. “Tell me this—did you make a point to question those ladies who’ve been feeding you unpleasant little tidbits about me regarding the rules of retaining or regaining possession of any gifts a man bestows on his intended?”
Elbert scooted his chair backward a few inches, quite as if he wanted to maintain a certain distance between them. “I may have asked a question or two about broken engagements.”
“And upon asking those questions, did you discover that if a lady ends an engagement, all betrothal gifts are to be returned, but if a gentleman ends matters, she’s allowed to keep them, although most ladies in that position return the gifts because they don’t care to have reminders of whatever scoundrel they almost married?”
It was clear she wasn’t off the mark when Elbert’s face began turning an interesting shade of red.
“I have no issue with you keeping the pearl bracelet, but you certainly can’t keep the diamond collection,” he practically growled, drawing the attention of Mrs. Winthrop, who was sitting at a table close to them and was now looking at Elbert with her mouth a little slack.
Drusilla refused a smile. “If you’re still keen to have everyone in society believe we’re parting on amicable terms, you might want to control that temper of yours and discontinue looking as if you’d like to throttle me.”
Elbert was smiling a second later. “Keeping the Herrington diamonds is not an option because they’re Herrington diamonds and you will not be a Herrington.”
“To point out the obvious, they’re not Herrington diamonds anymore because you gave them to me, which makes them Drusilla diamonds. And I, being in a bit of a financial pickle, know that those diamonds are going to be how I get my family moved and then settled in Chicago. Anything left over will be used to invest in some type of business.”
His face began to mottle. “You cannot truly be considering selling them off to the highest bidder because that is quite beyond the pale, and you are not a lady who ever does anything beyond the pale.”
“But it’s not beyond the pale because, as I’ve already mentioned, proper rules of etiquette allow a lady to keep any trinkets she was given during her engagement period if she finds herself tossed aside. As an overly proper lady, something you suggested I am, I feel compelled to adhere to proper protocol in this matter. That means, since you’re dissolving our engagement, I’m free to do whatever I want with the Herrington diamonds.” She inclined her head. “However, since I’m not completely unreasonable, know that I’d be happy to sell them back to you.”
“You say that as if selling me back the Herrington diamonds is doing me a favor.”
“It is a favor, and before you ask, no, I won’t give you a deal since I’m going to need every penny I can get to simply survive for the foreseeable future.”
A vein began throbbing on Elbert’s temple as he opened his mouth, but then snapped it shut when he shot a look to Mrs. Winthrop, who was now watching their exchange with eyes that were as wide as dinner platters. A blink of an eye later, he was on his feet, his color high and his gaze narrowed on Drusilla.
“I’ll bring you an offer later this evening.”
“Make sure it’s a good offer, or I’m taking the diamonds to Sotheby’s first thing tomorrow morning.”
Elbert’s eyes flashed before he turned and stalked out of the tearoom without another word, every gaze in the room following his departure.
Mrs. Winthrop was standing beside Drusilla a second later. “Good heavens, Miss Merriweather, what in the world just transpired between you and Mr. Herrington?”
“There’s no need to fret, Mrs. Winthrop, as the matter was of little consequence.”
“The two of you were almost shouting at each other at one point.”
Drusilla nodded. “That is what happens when a man decides to end an engagement from out of the blue.”
“Mr. Herrington just ended your engagement—and in the middle of Rutherford’s tearoom?”
“Indeed.”
Mrs. Winthrop patted Drusilla on the shoulder. “I would think you’d find that a situation of great consequence, not little, but would you care to have me fetch you some smelling salts, dear? I don’t know if you realize this or not, but your tone is downright chipper, which given the circumstances, suggests you may be close to a state of hysterics.”
Drusilla grinned, earning a blink from Mrs. Winthrop in return. “There’s no need for smelling salts, Mrs. Winthrop. I assure you, I’m perfectly fine. In fact, I believe my life from this point forward is going to be far more pleasant than it ever would have been if I’d married a man I just discovered is a complete and utter bounder.”
Rising to her feet after giving her lips one last dab on the chance she’d smeared chocolate icing on them while she’d been devouring bite after bite of cake, Drusilla sent Mrs. Winthrop a nod. She then turned and, with her head held high, sailed out of the room and toward an unknown future, but one that would no longer find her married to a most disagreeable gentleman.