Dancing With the Gull by Sue London – New Release #revengeofthewallflowers

Dancing With the Gull by Sue London
Revenge of the Wallflowers Book 14

Lady Penelope Barshaw is known as a shy, sweet girl among the ton. She’s perfectly happy fading into the background of balls and supper parties because Society makes her feel quite awkward. Her reticence is disturbed, however, as she sees a number of viragos lined up to entrap a gentleman.

Lord Henry Greer, Henny to his friends, is known as a capital chap. He stays close to his best friends, however, because the vagaries of Society are a mystery to him. Nothing ever works quite the way it is supposed to, and now that his parents expect him to marry, he finds it impossible to determine a suitable wife.

Shop Now | Shop the series

Make sure to Join the Reading Group on Facebook for more Wallflower fun! https://www.facebook.com/groups/512417114427511

Excerpt

Yet again, Penelope found herself overhearing conversations she would rather not.

“I’ve heard that he’s quite dim,” the first voice said.

“Good,” the second said, her voice laced with humor. “He’ll be dim enough that he won’t notice me spending all of that lovely money.”

The first snorted. “His friends keep a keen eye on him, you might not find that as easy as you suspect. Further, his mother is not likely to think well of a girl hoping to elevate herself.”

“She’s never in Town,” the second said breezily. “What can she do once her boy is married?”

At that the first lady gave a sardonic chuckle. “Don’t forget that Lord Sharpe, who is ever in his shadow, is not precisely polite when warning off a woman.”

The second huffed. “Lud, Cissy, you could make a vicar swear! Let me dream.”

Penelope was quite certain who the voices belonged to, and who they were talking about. She turned to Mary and Cissy with a viciously sweet smile. “Miss Coates! Miss Williams! How delightful to see you here. I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation. Whoever could you be referring to?”

The two young women looked stunned, as people often did when Penelope decided to engage with them. Her mother described her mode of discourse at such times as ‘overbearingly charming’, rather a bit like the wolf in Red Riding Hood. Her mother was forever lecturing her that she should learn to do things by halves. Neither too quiet, nor too loud. Neither retiring, nor overbearing. The good Lord knew that if she could, she would. It would, however, not be in this lifetime, and certainly not to dangle lures for a husband.

Pen snapped out her pleated fan and fluttered it, looking over the men in attendance. “Hmm, dim. Could it be Lord Vance perhaps? Oh, wait, Lord Barnes. I could quite see you with Lord Barnes, Miss Coates. You would suit.” The man’s naturally protruding eyes and small mouth made him look like a perpetually surprised fish, which was precisely the expression Miss Coates herself had right now.

“L-lady Penelope,” Miss Coates stuttered. Mary Coates always stuttered when upset, how could Pen have forgotten? It was so uncommonly rare for Penelope to say anything, much less anything harsh, that of course it was surprising to the little viper. The girl blushed bright red and hid behind her fan as her more stalwart friend stepped in front of her.

“Lady Penelope, how very pleasing to see you.”

“You’re just now seeing me? I’m sure it was your nearsightedness again. I’ve been right over there all evening,” she said, blithely waving at a small chair.

Penelope was exhibiting the sort of behavior that gave her mother the vapors, but really! People had been chattering all night about Lord Greer receiving an inheritance, and they had no right. It wasn’t theirs to covet. And all the talk of trying to manipulate him out of it! They should be ashamed of themselves. He wasn’t dim. She couldn’t put her finger on quite what she thought he was, but he wasn’t stupid. What time she’d spent in his company, she’d always found him kind and excruciatingly polite. He liked both horses and dogs, which she thought spoke quite well of him. His two best friends were the sort of foolish dandies that her mother pushed her at, of the stripe that gave her a headache. Lord Greer himself was simply nice, which of course the termagants of the ton assumed meant he was a foolish gull, ripe for their picking. Being deferential and pleasant was likely his greatest danger, accidentally allowing one of these biddies to entrap him.