Gossip is her Weapon

Lord Melo’s brow rose on his forehead, then relaxed. “Aaah, I forgot Gristolans only carry their father’s Surname…” he took a sip of his brandy; just enough to wet his palette. “Well, since you’re already so keen on calling her by my name; it would please you to know it will simply be Lady Katell Isadira de Melo… It is our child who will take my surname as their own…

His question surprised her, and her eyes widened just slightly. That he should be asking her of all people... had no one told him of the relationship between the Miss Cromwell and the Miss Clayton? The dramatic falling-out couldn’t have been forgotten. His question seemed sincere, and Lea thought it best to keep the idea alive. “Oh. Poor dear. She must be suffering quite a lot.”

It simply wouldn’t do to destroy Katell’s relationship so early on. Why bother making the woman miserable? Besides, if she held on to this, perhaps... perhaps Lord Melo would prove to be of a different breed than Katell. One more accessible to her and her family. “She is a romantic sort at heart. The kind who delights in sincerity and emotion.” A cruel barb of a remark rose in her mind, but she was quick to check it and prevent it from showing in any way. “I have had very little contact with her since she left for Serkonos; I suppose her mind was on other things than letter writing. But in her youth...”

“Miss Cromwell,” Lord Melo said with a courteous bow. He had a soft, gentle smile that breathed confidence and relaxation. “The pleasure is all mine. I’ve heard many good things about you from my Darling Katell.” He wasn’t an unhandsome man, exactly, but it appeared the man could deal with a little less sun, and a little more exercise. Still, though, he dressed extravagantly well for a Serkonan. “I trust all is going well tonight?”

Stella lingered nearby, with her hands neatly folded. Clearly; she was trying to keep an eye on things- until she was dragged off in another obligation to socialize on behalf of her absent daughter.

Greetingsexchanged they all settled down, Gabriel casually lacing both gloved handsthrough each other on his lap. In his pocket, the letter burned like a beacon,Gabriel wanting nothing but to pull it out and tear it open, have another readof it.

What wasUriel playing at, exactly? Raphael was the one to have marital duties, he had been given to the Abbey and he had done all demanded of him as thesecond son. The unexpected added duty was not something he was particularlylooking forward and Lord Arius had mentioned ‘witnesses’, which meant the negotiations between his Father and theCromwells were final.

For amoment Gabriel assessed how Lea held herself; she was the classical, darkhaired Gristolian beauty: pale, dark eyes and hair, youthful (couldn’t be that much younger than him)and holding back, keeping to her Father’s lead. However, he was unsure if itwas out of good breeding or shyness, but it was still too early to judge.

But, it was as her father, her beloved father, had commanded, and she resolved herself to obey, taking comfort in his mother's title, which would be essentially hers.

She glanced again at him, taking in the small hint of surprise in his eyes. Had his father not informed him beforehand of the arrangement?

Arius caught hint of the pall as well, and another drop of disappointment crept into his opinion of Uriel. Now he was obliged to quietly feed him the details of the arrangement without disrupting the glamour of perfect and equal knowledge. But he concealed his irritation and smiled genially. "It is only a meeting yet. I merely hoped he might be here. We agreed you ought to meet privately beforehand."

Gene Tierney’s technicolor movies:

The Return of Frank James (1940)

Belle Starr (1941)

Thunder Birds (1942)

Heaven Can Wait (1943)

Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

On the Riviera (1951)

Way of a Gaucho (1952)

The Egyptian (1954)

Black Widow (1954)