Chapter 9 #2
A suppressed giggle from the other side of the room distracted Julia, and she looked over to see Miss Burbank staring right at them unapologetically and laughing behind her hand.
She was surrounded by a gaggle of other young girls who seemed to be nervously tittering along with her, although they weren’t pointedly looking over at the Norish sisters with quite the same venom.
Julia wasn’t going to rise to it, though.
She turned her head and ignored their giggling, focusing instead on the scent of the delicious tea in front of her.
Poppy, though, didn’t have such thick skin, and Julia could see her sister was bothered by their blatant obnoxiousness. “Just ignore her,” she said under her breath. “She’s just bitter that Lord Blackwell likes you more.”
“I know.” Poppy looked down into her cup. “But it doesn’t make the situation any easier to bear, knowing that everyone is talking about us. I wish none of this had ever happened.”
“I understand.” Julia took her hand and squeezed it. “Take comfort in knowing that this will all soon be over.”
“Will it, though?” she asked sadly. “We might get Father to come home and sign over our dowries, but even if we do, there’s no guarantee that I’ll find a husband willing to overlook what he did. Perhaps Miss Burbank is right, and we really don’t belong in Society anymore.”
“That’s nonsense,” Julia argued. “Please, dear Poppy, don’t say such things.
You’re letting the gossip get to you. You know how the ton works - one day soon, there will be another scandal and all their attention will be elsewhere.
There are plenty of eligible men who think the opinions of Society are neither here nor there.
Lord Blackwell is doing everything he can just to get away from Miss Burbank, which should tell you enough!
I’m sure that once we have the immediate problem of our fortune sorted out, the offers will start pouring in for your hand.
We’ll be drinking exotic tea in your parlor before you know it. ”
Poppy gave her a weak smile. “Thank you. You always know how to lift my mood. I just wish they weren’t so mean-spirited.”
“Let them think what they like,” Julia replied. “Girls like Miss Burbank are only bored and frustrated with their own lot in life and simply put others down to feel better about themselves.”
“Now, girls, it doesn’t reflect well on you to gossip about others,” came a voice from over Julia’s shoulder, and she looked up in surprise to see the drawn and sneering face of Lady Burbank.
She looked as though she had an unpleasant smell under her nose as she stared down at them.
“Especially good and well-mannered members of polite society, such as my daughter.”
Julia prickled at her tone and wanted to point out the hypocrisy of her statement, given that Miss Burbank had been the one to openly stare and laugh at them.
Still, she was wise enough to keep her mouth shut, knowing that the situation would only worsen if she tried to argue.
Lady Burbank knew it, too, and her sneer turned into a nasty smirk.
“Just because you’ve managed to momentarily capture the attention of the Duke doesn’t mean you belong here, Miss Norish. Remember that.”
“Good evening, girls,” came the voice of Lady Bendon, who had just arrived in the parlor. She bowed her head politely. “Lady Burbank. How is the tea? I’m rather excited to taste it. Lady Witham reported such wonderful things at dinner that I just had to try it for myself.”
“Lady Bendon. I was just telling your nieces here that it’s unkind to speak poorly of ladies behind their backs.”
Julia’s aunt met her gaze and then looked back at Lady Burbank. “I see. I apologize for any misunderstanding that may have occurred.”
“There was no misunderstanding. They were simply gossiping like idle serving girls. It happens, I suppose, when one is brought up poorly. They aren’t to blame for their actions, but it does reflect rather badly on those around them who should know better.”
Julia stood. Enough was enough. She could deal with having Lady Burbank insult her or her father, but it was quite another matter when she began to cast aspersions on her aunt’s good character.
“Lady Burbank, I believe that before you address my aunt in such a way, you should examine your daughter’s own behavior.
She has been intentionally antagonizing us from the moment we arrived, simply because she can’t stand the fact that her would-be fiancé doesn’t want to spend a single second with her. ”
“You have the nerve to say such things about my daughter?” Lady Burbank drew herself up to her full height, looking scandalized.
“You should be grateful to even be here, Miss Norish. If it weren’t for the Duke taking pity on you, and your aunt here, who is far too generous for her own good, you would be out on the street where you belong. ”
“How dare you?” Lady Bendon gasped. “These girls have done nothing to wrong anyone in this room. They can’t be held accountable for the actions of Lord Norish.”
“Not for his actions, perhaps, but having been raised by a man like that, it’s no wonder they’ve never learned any manners,” Lady Burbank sniffed.
“You underestimate the importance of good breeding, Lady Bendon, and you’d do well to distance yourself from the likes of the Norish family if you know what’s good for you. ”
“I think I’m in rather good company, actually.” Aunt Violet stood behind Julia, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Julia raised her head. “Perhaps you should return to your table, Lady Burbank, if you’re so concerned about mixing with the likes of us.”
“I’m going nowhere until you apologize for your crass behavior.”
“Then you shall be waiting a very long time,” Julia declared, sitting back down with her back to Lady Burbank in a clear dismissal. “Perhaps by the time you receive an apology from me, Miss Burbank will have found a man who can stand to be in her company.”
There was a moment of shocked silence from Lady Burbank, and a gasp of rage from the other side of the room.
Miss Burbank rose from her seat and stomped over to their table, having clearly heard Julia’s last remark.
Julia ignored her, looking at the selection of teas and taking her time over deciding which to try next.
Her aunt sat decisively in a seat beside her, reaching over to take some tea leaves, and Poppy looked squarely down at the table.
“You dare to speak that way about a lady?” spat Miss Burbank furiously.
“We’re not the ones who began this affair,” Julia retorted without looking at her.
Her whole body was trembling with adrenaline, and her heart was going a mile a minute, but she wasn’t about to let them know that.
“If you remember, Miss Burbank, you approached me on the very first evening to try to have me falsely accused of theft.”
“Only to show everyone else here that you do not belong. You’re not worthy of sitting here in our presence, pretending to be ladies like the rest of us.
What does it matter what I say about you?
You’re nothing,” she hissed, leaning in close and forcing Julia to meet her eyeline.
Even Lady Burbank put a hand on her shoulder to try to pull her back, but Miss Burbank wrenched it away and continued viciously.
“When the Duke drops you like a stone, and you’ve no protection left, you can be sure you’ll get your due for trying to steal away my fiancé. ”
Julia refused to reply, simply reaching over for her teacup and ignoring the girl in front of her.
Miss Burbank screamed in anger, grabbing the cup first and tipping it all over the front of Julia’s dress.
Julia gasped and stood up in shock, which caused Poppy to jump in surprise.
Her cup flew into the air, its contents spilling all over her and Lady Bendon, then it dropped to the floor and shattered everywhere.
“Come now, my dear, that’s enough.” Lady Burbank took her daughter’s arm. “There’s no need to bother ourselves with these people any further. They won’t be around for much longer in any case.”
With that, the Burbanks left, and the rest of the giggling girls who had surrounded Miss Burbank followed soon afterward. The room emptied until only the three of them were left, dripping with tea and surrounded by shards of broken porcelain.
Julia sighed. “I’m so sorry, Aunt Violet. I shouldn’t have escalated things like that.”
“No, darling, it’s okay,” she reassured her. “You should be proud of yourself. You stood up for us all, and you only said exactly what we all think of her. The rest of the ton is just too scared to admit it.”
“Are you alright, Poppy?” Julia asked.
Poppy nodded, although tears were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. “I think I’d like to go upstairs and change. I can’t wait until this party is over.”
“Come on, let’s all go.” Lady Bendon stood and took her hand, offering her other one to Julia. “It’s almost time for bed in any case.”
Julia shook her head. She needed a little time to clear her head after that encounter, and she was much too worked up to think about sleeping yet.
Her hands were still trembling. “I’ll follow you up shortly.
I’ll just clean up a little bit around here.
The servants have enough to do after that gigantic dinner, so I’m sure they’ll appreciate me tidying our mess. ”
“It should be Miss Burbank doing it,” their aunt sniffed, but nodded. “Well, I’ll see you in the morning then, dear. Don’t be too long, will you? Remember, tomorrow’s another day.”
After her aunt and sister had departed, Julia put her head in her hands.
This was not how she wanted this party to go.
She didn’t feel ashamed of her actions, but she was frustrated that no matter what they did, or how they tried to hold their heads high, everyone else seemed to revile their very presence among them to the point of utterly humiliating them at every turn.
Everyone except Lord Blackwell, that is. And - well - him.