“I do adore Much Ado About Nothing, Daphne, but I cannot go with you to the theater. My reputation is in shreds. I’m sure to be treated like persona non grata were I to attend.”

“Oh, fiddle. You’ll be with me and no one will dare cut you. Not to mention you have the backing of the Countess of Swifdon and the Duchess of Claringdon as well.”

“But Lucy and Cass won’t be with me.”

Daphne threaded her arm over Jane’s. “No, but I will, and I’ll make Mother come, too, if it’ll help.”

Jane laughed. “There’s no need to drag your poor mother into it.”

“Please, Jane. Please come with me.”

Unwinding her arm from Daphne’s, Jane bent to pluck a violet from the path next to their feet. “I don’t know.” She smiled up at Daphne. “I’m still miffed at you for your part in all this, you know. Lucy told me she recruited you.”

Daphne returned her smile. “I can only plead that Lucy Hunt can be quite convincing when she wants to be. She told me I’d be doing you a favor to keep Mrs. Langford occupied.”

Jane stood and twirled the violet between her fingers. “Hmm. That part was true, actually. Perhaps I shouldn’t be miffed at you at all.”

“That’s right.” Daphne nodded happily and the two resumed their stroll. “If you don’t come to the theater tonight for yourself, do it for me.”

Jane blinked. “For you?”

A soft pink blush crept over Daphne’s cheeks. “I heard Captain Cavendish will be at the performance tonight and I…” Daphne bit her lip and glanced away.

Jane arched her brow. “Aren’t quite as indifferent to him as you’d like everyone to believe?”

Daphne shook her head and gave a miserable shrug. “Including myself.”

*   *   *

That night, Jane sat in the Earl of Swifdon’s box at the theater with Daphne Swift at her side. She could feel the disapproving eyes of the ton staring at her from the other boxes.

“At least a dozen sets of quizzing glasses are trained in our direction,” Jane said, wanting to slink back into the shadows.

“Ignore them,” Daphne replied. “Those awful people. If anyone has anything to say about you, they’ll have to say it to me first.” She nodded firmly.

Daphne fluttered her hand in the air. “Let’s talk about something ever so much more pleasant, like how lovely you look this evening.” She turned to give Jane a once-over. “Your hair is different, isn’t it?”

“Thank you.” Jane self-consciously pushed a curl away from her cheek. She’d asked Eloise to arrange her hair in a chignon tonight, not unlike the one she’d worn at the masquerade ball. She’d grown a bit tired of the severe topknot.

“And your gown,” Daphne continued. “It’s … not blue.”