As it turns out, the lovely little cafe that Cecily Keene took me to was the exact same one that Elena and I had gone to the day we'd run our errands for the ball. It was directly across the street from Nathaniel Harrison's office and, even though he and Elena were away on their honeymoon, I still interrupted the host to request a table in the corner away from the windows. Cecily didn't seem to mind as she was busy returning all of the stares of the women around us.

"So, Gwen," Cecily started as we settled into our table. "I haven't seen you around before. Are you new to London?"

"Somewhat," I answered, looking at the menu to show that the obvious attempt at delving into my past hadn't bothered me. "My family lives in Sussex. We have an estate there that has been in our family for generations. But I visit London often. At present, I'm trying to convince my brother to purchase a manor here but he doesn't share my fondness for the city so it's been an uphill battle. I thought, if I came to investigate some properties myself and returned with news and some of the finer things the city has to offer, he may see the value in such a purchase."

Cecily nodded kindly along as I spoke but her expression hardly changed. It was difficult to tell what she was thinking. I felt as though she was believing me but was not comfortable enough in my supposition to allow myself to become complacent. She had invited me to lunch upon our first meeting. That was an indicator of a woman starved for friendship of any sort. The way she carried herself, haughty and arrogant, the way she stared down every other woman in her presence. She was intimidating and it had alienated the other socialites of her class. She was in need of someone who could handle her abrasive personality and hadn't found that among the elite. That would be an easy enough part to play.

"What about your family?" I asked in the spirit of friendly conversation. "It's nice that you're all together in the shop."

"Oh, we don't live above the shop," she told me, even though I hadn't asked. I noted that for later. She may be rich now but she was still very much the merchant girl trying to prove she deserved her wealth. "We have an estate on the Upper West Side. In truth, I hate venturing to the merchant's district to the shop but father wanted to meet with us so off I went."

I smiled. I wanted, more than anything, to know what that family meeting had entailed but there was no way to ask without sending up a red flag and ruining this faux friendship before it could properly begin.

"Forgive my being so forward," Cecily began then. "But I noticed no ring upon your finger. Are you unmarried?"

"I am," I answered.

"I'm surprised, a beautiful woman like you?"

"Yes, well, it seems my penchant for independence is a trait that men of a certain class seem unable to bear," I told her, not untruthfully. She smiled at that and I saw something of a kindred spirit ignite within her.

"I know the trouble all too well," she told me. "My father would never force me to marry, of course. In fact, I think he quite dreads the day. But my mother is insatiable, pushing suitor after suitor upon me. But they're all a bore and they all suit her purposes far better than mine. Is it so much to ask for to find a handsome gentleman with wealth who can hold a conversation?"

It was. But I did not say as much. Instead, I smiled and told her, "It's quite a thrill to find a like minded woman who understands my hesitation to marry. I tire of the looks I receive from the daft women who throw themselves at every man they meet."

Cecily Keene giggled at that, then composed herself with a roll of her eyes, though she couldn't suppress the smile.

"Oh, I know," she said. "My sisters-in-law are the worst! My two older brothers are married, you know, and-"

"You have two older brothers?"

"Well, three if you count the five minutes that Camden was on this earth before me, which he does," she told me and I nodded. Camden Keene. Where had I heard that name before? "Anyway, my mother absolutely adores those airheads. But I suppose she would. Eloise has given her a grandchild already and Mary's got one on the way because that's what we're really here for, right? To birth new beings into existence. Well, not me, thank you."

"You don't want children?" I asked.

"I don't even want a husband," she told me and then burst out laughing at her own joke. I laughed along and then we fell into a conversation about all of the injustices in the world we women must suffer. That brought us through the rest of the meal. Once we'd finished, Cecily grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of the cafe and toward a hat shop next door. I was laughing along at one of her not entirely appropriate jokes when I spotted Mr. Harrison across the street, exiting his office. I turned away but not quickly enough.

"Miss Porter?" I heard him call in question as we reached the shop.

I spun around to face Cecily and said, "You know what? While we're here, I just remembered I need to post a letter to my brother to let him know I've arrived in the city safely. If you don't mind, I'm going to run to do that. But it should only take a moment. I'll meet you in the shop when I've finished."

Cecily nodded as she turned to enter the building, "Don't take too long."

I waited until she had disappeared into the hat shop before I spun on my heel and headed for the street corner where Nathaniel Harrison was now crossing, look of confusion plain upon his face as we made eye contact.

"Miss Porter," he said in greeting again. "I thought that was you. What are you-"

I grabbed his arm and pulled him into a nearby alley. He did not object to being dragged, just stuttered in surprise as we walked.

"What are you doing?" he asked as I pulled him along. "Was that Cecily Keene you were with? Are you shopping with Cecily Keene?"

Once I was satisfied that we were completely out of earshot, I halted abruptly and turned to face him, hands on my hips.

"Did you change your hair?" he asked then, staring at the top of my head.

"I thought you were on your honeymoon," I snapped.

"It got delayed when a bit of business came up. We're leaving tomorrow."

"You have to promise me that Alexander will not hear a word about this," I spoke, lowly but firmly. He only blinked at me in surprise. "Mr. Harrison. Please. Promise me. Not Alexander and not Elena."

"Not Elena?" he finally stirred from his stunned stupor. "I can't promise you that. Miss Porter, what exactly-"

"I kept your secret," I told him, feeling guilty for such a favor even as I requested it. "Please, Mr. Harrison, for them. It's important."

He glanced down the alley, considering my words, but I didn't have time to wait for his decision. Every moment we stood here we were at risk of being found together.

"Please, Mr. Harrison. I have to go. I know you have questions. Ask Alexander's father. He will tell you everything you need to know. But I have to go and it's best that you don't approach me again."

"Edward knows about this?" he asked but I had already turned away and was making my way back down the alley and onto the street, praying he would go to Edward Langley for answers.

I entered the hat shop a few moments later and reformed my friendly smile to convince Cecily Keene that nothing was amiss. It seemed to work. She didn't ask me a single question about where I had been but merely asked my opinion of a hat she was considering purchasing. I fell into the shopping easily enough, taking pains to ignore the sight of a befuddled Mr. Harrison crossing the street again to return to his office.

I spent the entirety of the afternoon shopping with Cecily Keene in the West End, engaging her in conversation to learn as much about her family as I could. Unfortunately, she seemed far more interested in pretty dresses and silk gloves than whatever business her father had. I kept an eye out for any familiar henchmen throughout the afternoon but doubted that those assigned to me would ever venture to the West End without purpose and, as George Keene did not seem to handle my father's accounts himself, I wasn't too concerned about the men who seemed to be watching Cecily from the shadows as the day went on. Besides the brief encounter with Mr. Harrison, the day went on without incident. That is, until Cecily began to pull me towards a very familiar jewelry shop with an Abbingtons sign displayed prominently above the door.

I dug in my heels so that Cecily Keene could not move me even as she tried to pull me into the shop.

"Come on Gwen, this is one of my favorite shops. I just have to show you Abbingtons," she pouted.

"Right. But it's the boarding house, you see. The one I'm staying at. The landlady gets highly offended if you're late for dinner and, as I've just noticed the time, I'm afraid I should be going. I wouldn't want to get locked out, you see," I told her.

"A boarding house?" she asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "What's a wealthy woman like you doing staying in a boarding house?"

"As I've been unable to convince my brother to purchase a manor here in the city," I reminded her as gently as I could, refraining from rolling my eyes at her inability to put two and two together, "I've really no other options."

"I know!" she exclaimed, a mischievous grin on her painted lips. "You should stay with me tonight!"