A bitter taste rose in her mouth at that. Stephen had said it was to protect her, and maybe it was true. His earlier revelation had shaken her. A man had tried to murder him, and she hadn’t let herself think about it. If that man had succeeded, she truly might have been widowed this night.

A coldness slid beneath her skin, like a blade. She didn’t want to think of being alone again. Not after all that had happened.

She stumbled into Lady Thistlewaite. The gray-haired matron wore a saffron silk gown that made her look like a large dandelion.

“Miss Emily Barrow. What a surprise to see you here.” Lady Thistlewaite studied her with eyes eager to pry out the story. “Or should I say, Lady Whitmore?” Her tight smile gleamed, as though she had claimed the greatest gossip prize in all of London.

“Lady Thistlewaite,” Emily responded, with a light nod. She remembered her mother speaking of the dowager viscountess. One of the worst rumormongers in society, she could shred a woman’s reputation faster than a pair of scissors.

“After your father’s tragedy, why, I can hardly believe you are here. Such a scandal, it was.”

Emily said not a word, but the barb had struck true. Lady Thistlewaite knew it, too.

“And you captured the Earl of Whitmore.” The Dowager shook her head in disbelief. “I can hardly believe he would marry a woman such as yourself.”

“We are married, yes.” Though the matron was fishing for more information, Emily refused to give it. She searched the ballroom, desperately hoping for an escape.

“Well…” Lady Thistlewaite paused, her gaze sweeping over Emily. “I do not wish to be the bearer of bad news, but I know you would wish to put the stories to rest. They are saying that you were caught in a compromising position, and the earl wed you to preserve your family honor.”

“That is not true at all.” Emily clenched her gloved hands around her fan, trying hard to hold back her temper. “And I do not believe our marriage is any of your business.”

Lady Thistlewaite stared back as though Emily had slapped her. With a huff of air, she continued on. “My dear, I was only trying to help. You will want to put the stories to rest, won’t you? And how can we ever do that, if you do not tell us why the earl married you?”

“You may ask him that yourself.” Her voice came out harsher than she’d intended, and she tried in vain to escape the matron.

“Now, now. There is no need to take offense.” Lady Thistlewaite placed herself directly in Emily’s path. “But I did think you should be warned. No one else would dare to tell you about this, but I should hate for you to have your feelings hurt. It would be a most awkward situation.”