Jane crossed her arms over her chest. “How did you make such a mistake?”

Lucy raised both palms toward the ceiling and shrugged. “He was always there, you know, sitting next to her and being nice to her, and well, Cass is so pretty, and accomplished, and so … Cass. I just assumed…”

Jane pushed up her spectacles and nodded sagely. “That explains it. You’re only assuming now, aren’t you? Upton’s no more in love with me than he was with Cass.”

“No, this time I’m quite sure.” Lucy nodded firmly.

Jane narrowed her eyes. “Sure, how?”

“I told you, he admitted it to Derek and Julian.”

Jane searched her friend’s face, arms still resolutely crossed over her chest. “But did he tell you?”

Lucy didn’t meet her eyes. “Telling Derek is as good as telling me.”

Jane had to concede that point. She was skeptical, but even Lucy, egregiously behaved Lucy, wouldn’t lie about such a thing. She might hint at it. She might heavily imply, but coming right out and declaring that her husband had told her the exact words, that was too much even for the most outlandish of all of Lucy’s plots.

“Now that you’ve told me, Your Grace, what do you suppose I do with this information?”

Lucy leaned back on her palms. “Nothing, obviously. You’re a confirmed bluestocking spinster, after all. I just thought you should know. In case Garrett is perhaps”—she eyed Jane carefully—“acting differently toward you or something of that sort. Is he?”

“Is he what?” Jane’s words were a bit too rushed.

“Acting differently toward you.”

Jane let her hand slide over the copy of Montague’s Treatise on the History of Handwriting and Graphology that sat on her writing table. “No, not that I recall.” Oh, yes he was. But she’d die of embarrassment before she’d tell Lucy about it.

“Not a bit?” Lucy prodded.

“Not that I’ve noticed.” Liar.

“Very well, then. I suppose you should just go about your business as usual and pretend as if you don’t know. In the meantime, we should discuss our plan for Mrs. Bunbury’s introduction to your mother in a few days.”

Jane shook her head to clear it of the prior subject. In the wake of this news about Upton, her plan to fool her mother didn’t seem quite as pressing, but Lucy was correct. Jane’s mother would be appearing in a few days and they needed to have a solid plan in place. Jane’s first attempt at scandal had ended hideously. She was wary of a second attempt.

“I, er, I cannot think of a sufficient scandal,” Jane mumbled.