The girls’ voices had increased in volume until Selena was fairly certain she wasn’t the only one eavesdropping on the conversation. The twins had perked up considerably, their attention no doubt snagged. Even as she thought it was not the sort of establishment that she wanted her sisters to visit, she couldn’t help but consider that it would be a nice escape for them. She could limit their exposure to the ballroom. Perhaps she would confide in them and take them with her, although her reasons for going were far more unsavory than theirs would be and she would have to slip away unnoticed without igniting their curiosity. Better to leave them at home.

“Honestly, girls,” one of the matrons, Lady Marrow, chastised. “This is entirely inappropriate conversation for the occasion.”

“I thought the place was myth,” Lady Waverly, another matron, said.

“No, it exists, and it’s absolutely marvelous,” Lady Hortense exclaimed, her voice rife with excitement.

“It is an establishment owned by someone born in shame. It’s not to be tolerated, and you shouldn’t be associated with him,” Lady Marrow stated sternly.

Selena caught sight of Lady Elverton sitting perfectly still and stiffly, her face an unreadable mask. Her father was a baron, although whispers abounded that she was not welcomed into his home. It was rumored she’d been the Earl of Elverton’s mistress before his wife had wretchedly drowned in a boating mishap. Nearly thirty years had passed since the tragedy and her marriage to the earl, yet still she was barely accepted or tolerated by the ton, although it didn’t seem to bother her overly much. Selena hadn’t yet been born when the scandal had taken place, so she couldn’t testify to the veracity of the rumors and wasn’t certain whether they had faded or intensified over the years.

“He once told me I was pretty.” Lady Cecily had the unfortunate distinction of having rather large teeth that her upper lip couldn’t quite cover.

“He is a scoundrel of the first water,” Lady Marrow insisted. “Of course, he is going to flirt and tell you what you wish to hear. He wants something from you.”

What could he possibly want from Selena that she wasn’t willing to give him? She’d practically thrown herself at him, and he had yet to catch her fully.

“But he’s ever so nice,” one of the younger ladies said.

“So is the devil when he’s seeking to take your soul.” One of Lady Marrow’s brows shot up so high it nearly disappeared in her hair.

“Despite the rumors regarding the Trewloves’ origins, they don’t seem a bad lot,” Selena said.

Gasps at her audacity pounded her. Or perhaps it was simply that no one had expected her to escape her grief long enough to speak.

“You are pretty, Lady Cecily. I suspect he merely wanted to compliment your looks, and nothing more.”