Jane took a deep breath. She had two choices. She could admit that she had, indeed, been gallivanting about in her dressing gown, which might give her mother an apoplectic fit. Or she could deny she had been gallivanting about in her dressing gown, which she doubted her mother would believe at the moment. The latter might convince her mother to leave her alone, temporarily at least, until more gossip reached her ears. But the former might cause her mother to realize that the scandal was well on its way to ruining Jane’s reputation, and that alone would be reason enough to keep Jane from attending any of the Season’s events. Oh, yes. That was the obvious choice, then.

“Yes, Mama,” Jane said with a nod. “I was gallivanting about in the middle of the night wearing nothing other than my night rail and dressing gown.” It probably wasn’t prudent to mention the chemise.

Her mother gasped. Her hands fell to her sides. “You were not!”

Jane winced. “You asked and I told you the truth. What did you want me to say?”

“I wanted you to say it was a complete fabrication.”

Jane concentrated on picking lint off the coverlet. “I’m sorry, Mama, but it’s true.”

Her mother paced in front of the large window that looked down over the gardens in the back of the town house. She wrung her hands. “What are we to do?”

“What is there to do?” Jane offered.

“I cannot face my friends and tell them this isn’t true, knowing that it is. You’ll be ruined!”

Jane settled back into the pillows. “I doubt there’s much to be done other than my forgoing social events for the foreseeable future. I’ll just remain here and read. A pity.”

Her mother stopped pacing, put her hands on her hips, and glared at her. “No you don’t. You’re not going to get away with this. Your chaperone will be held accountable for this. Where was Mrs. Bunbury when you were gallivanting about in the middle of the night?”

“I’m certain she was asleep, poor woman.” Jane’s fingers itched to pick up the book she’d left off reading last night.

Hortense Lowndes’s voice simmered with outrage. “If your reputation is ruined, she’ll never find work in this town again. I demand to see Mrs. Bunbury immediately!”

Chapter 41

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE