“You don’t have to share everything with me.” Even though the words were true, and she meant them with all her heart, they made her a little sad. She couldn’t tell him about the Debutante Underground. He wouldn’t tell her about the letters. She’d grown close to Reese over the last few weeks, but maybe they’d come upon a blockade.

When he didn’t reply, she sighed, picked up her portmanteau, and slowly descended the steps toward the hackney cab, keeping her chin raised so he wouldn’t guess how much his silence hurt her.

She gave Fiona’s address to the driver and started to climb inside.

“Sophie.”

She turned to find Reese striding down the stairs. “Next week,” he said, coming to a stop beside her. “Ask me about the letters and I’ll…” He swallowed as though he were in physical pain. “I’ll try to tell you.”

She nodded and shot him a grateful smile. The wall that separated them was still there, but it seemed to Sophie that it shook and crumbled a little. “You have a deal, Lord Warshire. I shall see you next week.”

Chapter 16

“How was last night’s meeting?” Fiona asked.

“Hmm?” Sophie looked up from the potted fern she was watering, blushing as she realized that she, Fiona, and Lily were supposed to be discussing plans for the next Debutante’s Revenge column.

Fiona arched an auburn brow and smiled knowingly. “Were there any topics of particular interest at your Debutante Underground meeting?”

Sophie frowned, trying to remember. Last night’s gathering at the tailor’s shop seemed ages ago, but a few snippets came back to her. “There was a lively decision about whether it’s preferable for one’s partner to make one big, grand gesture or several smaller, thoughtful gestures.”

Lily sat on the edge of her desk, swinging her feet as she pondered the question. “Why must it be an either/or proposition? I think that a worthy gentleman should be capable of both.”

“Agreed,” Sophie said, and her mind filled with images of jewel-colored lanterns, flower crowns, and steaming baths. “But what if, for the sake of argument, you had to pick one or the other?”

Fiona looked up from her easel. “I’d choose small, thoughtful gestures. They’re more meaningful.”

“A big, grand gesture for me,” Lily said. “The sort of thing that a woman will remember forever,” she said dreamily, running her palms over the top of the gorgeous desk—a surprise gift from her handsome husband. “What about you, Soph? Which would you prefer?”

“The small things, I think,” she replied. “More than anything, I’d like someone to hold my hand. To give it a reassuring squeeze at just the right times.”

For a few seconds, the studio was silent. Then Fiona said, “I’ve the feeling you’re thinking about someone in particular. Do you want to talk about him now?”