Page 29 of Lady Liar (A Series of Senseless Complications #5)

“Your Majesty,” she said, “I never meant to involve The Royal Society. I cannot even understand how the society became involved. I never claimed to know anything about the society or espoused any views on it. Naturally, as it is The Royal Society, with a royal seal, I hold it in the highest regard…Without knowing anything about it. I am entirely sorry to have involved anything royal. I hold all things royal in the highest regard. The very highest. As I’ve said. ”

There was a moment of silence.

Verity hurried on. “I understand that Wedgewood is preferred by Your Majesty and called Queen’s Ware.

Rest assured, whenever my father needs new plates, those will be the plates he purchases.

I believe I can confidently speak for him on that front.

Because they’ve been given the royal seal of approval, so what else would we buy? ”

Verity was well aware that she was babbling now.

It was very hard to stop under the intense gaze of these two formidable ladies.

She forced herself too, though, as she could not think of a single other thing the queen might have endorsed.

Was she even right about Wedgewood? She was not entirely certain!

The queen and Lady Pembroke roared with laughter. Verity hardly knew what to think. She weakly smiled, as that seemed to be the best approach since they were laughing. But what were they laughing about?

After their laughter settled, the queen said, “I believe what Lady Pembroke and I were more interested to hear about was the quip on the print. What does it mean? Fishing for trout on the River Esk and concluding that fish do not see very well out of water? And who is the red-haired gentleman?”

Verity was taken aback. She had really grown very sure that the offense was to do with The Royal Society. What should she say? What could she say?

She realized that the only thing to be said was the truth. The very stupid truth.

The queen selected a mille-feuilles from the tray and sat back, waiting.

“I am afraid, Your Majesty, it is all very stupid. I have been very stupid.”

“Excellent, just what I was hoping for,” the queen said. “Amuse me.”

Verity swallowed. “Yes, well, you see, the red-haired gentleman, that would be Baron Wembly. He is a member of The Royal Society and very scientific-minded. So when I met with him at Almack’s, he mentioned looking into the circulatory systems of slow-moving animals and I…well, I said I was too.”

Lady Pembroke snorted. Queen Charlotte said, “Did you, indeed?”

Verity nodded. “It was not true, though.”

“Not true?” the queen said. “I can hardly believe it.”

Verity understood that comment to be the mockery it was meant to be.

“But how did that lead to the print about fish?” Lady Pembroke asked.

“Yes, well, I decided that I ought to find out about these slow-moving animals and their circulatory systems so I could speak on it and then claim I’d lost interest. To never mention it again after that.

So I did, when Lord Wembly and Lady Pegatha came to dine.

But then somehow it led to claiming I had developed another interest—”

“Another one,” the queen said to Lady Pembroke, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

“You see, Lady Pegatha did really press me to know what it was, and just then one of our footmen had come round with broiled cod…”

“No,” the queen said, clearly enjoying the recounting of Verity’s idiocy.

“And that’s when I said I was looking into whether fish could see out of water.”

“A calamitous series of events,” the queen said, dabbing her lips with a napkin. “Gracious, why did you begin with it?”

Verity shifted in her seat. “I suppose I wished to seem intelligent to Lord Wembly.”

“You could have just read a book and reported on it,” Lady Pembroke pointed out.

Of course, the lady could not know that was precisely what Verity could not do.

“Might I venture to guess that there was interest between you and Lord Wembly and that caused you to claim these absurdities,” Queen Charlotte said.

“Yes, I believe so, I am afraid I was trying to impress him.”

“I have been most amused,” the queen said. “I suppose Lord Wembly takes the whole palaver in stride?”

Verity looked down at her hands, certain she turned twenty shades of red.

“It seems he has taken great offense to it. Which, of course, I understand. He is very dedicated to The Royal Society. He was meant to meet me at Lady Jellerbey’s candlelight picnic, we had made arrangements. But he did not come. Understandably.”

“You understand it?” Lady Pembroke asked.

“I do not understand it,” the queen said. “What lord cannot stand up to a bit of teasing?”

Of course, Verity had no answer to that.

“Quite a few, I believe, Your Majesty,” Lady Pembroke said. “Taking oneself seriously has become a sport for a certain type of gentleman these days.”

“I do not like it,” the queen said. She tapped her chin. “Perhaps Lord Wembly ought to be taught to laugh at himself. Yes, leave it to me.”

Verity was certain she’d gone wide-eyed. What did the queen mean by it? She could not guess, though Lady Pembroke had nodded approvingly.

“What is the next society gathering you attend?”

“Oh, that would be Lady Darlington’s masque, Your Majesty. If I am in spirits to attend.”

“Chin up, Lady Verity. It does nobody any good to weep in a corner, you may take my word for it. Lady Darlington’s masque is in two days from now, if I am not mistaken.

Until then, you are to sequester yourself at home.

Go nowhere, admit nobody, see nobody. Tell your father I will take you both to the masque.

Now be off, you ridiculous girl. On no account invent one more story about what you are studying.

No slow-moving animals, no fish, nor any other living creature. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Verity said, her thoughts racing ahead. Why was she to hide away? Why would the queen escort her to the masque? What in the world did the queen have in store for Lord Wembly? She burned to know all of it and could ask none of it.

“What costume do you intend on wearing?”

“Oh, as to that, I was only to wear a simple domino,” Verity said.

Her older sisters had given much thought to their costumes, but there was something that had put her off it.

Wearing a costume felt akin to being a fraud and she was already a fraud with a terrible secret.

It seemed somehow wrong to don a costume—a fraud acting as a further fraud, she supposed.

Madame LaFray had been very put out over Verity not wishing for an elaborate costume made, but she felt almost repelled by the idea. It would have felt as if she were strutting around with her head held high when she had no right to do it.

“No, a domino will be entirely unacceptable,” the queen said. “I will send something to the duke’s house. Lady Pembroke will assist me in the effort.”

“Ah, we do like a project,” Lady Pembroke said.

She was to wear a costume from the queen. Should she say she was a fraud? Should she say she could not even read and had hidden it, lied about it really, all her life?

“Off with you,” the queen said. “Return to your father and follow my instructions.”

Lady Pembroke rose, and Verity hurriedly did too.

They curtsied and were dismissed from the queen’s presence.

She was on her way home. Verity supposed she should look toward the positive aspects of it.

She was not being sent to prison, she was not banished from Town.

What was to come next, she could not know.

However, she had come out of Buckingham House for the most part unscathed. It was a far better outcome than she’d imagined when she went into it.