This event would certainly not win any prizes for most interesting or unusual of the season, but Ophelia was inclined to be forgiving; she had been to events thrown by Mrs. Daphnel before and had not known her to be an unkind host, and it wasn't as though the season had even properly started yet. Besides, after meeting the young Miss Daphnel before dinner, Ophelia was quite certain she understood the reason for the lack of splendor; anything more spectacular would have so outshone the girl she would have been forgotten in a moment. Ophelia was glad her first child had been a boy. If she had such a gawky, awkward daughter to foist upon society it would certainly have been the death of her.

The card game after dinner promised to be a diversion, at least. After having her husband explain the rules to her (not that she misunderstood them when they were explained by the hostess, but she liked to ask him questions just to ensure he realized how very necessary he was to her, even if she had to exaggerate her need in order to do so), she took a seat across from a not-entirely-unfamiliar face.

"I'm certain we've met," she said confidently. "At one of Mr. Pettigrew's events, I think — you were at a house party there ages ago, and that Vablatsky woman read the most sensational fortune for you, isn't that so?"

(this was the same house party where Mr. Devine had rescued her from the depths of Mr. Pettigrew's koi pond, but she did not particularly want to bring that little incident up; she had put her ungraceful debutante days behind her and was an Established Woman of Society now).

August Echelon-Arnost