D is for Deception: A Langley & Porter Mystery

4 Something About Cecily

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-"