Chapter 15

Everyone now seemed determined to speak to him, generally about things of which he knew nothing. Had he met Lord So-and-so? Would he be attending Lady Such-and-such’s soirée the next night? Which clubs did he intend to join? Had he heard about the scandal involving Baron This with the Duchess of That? Leander didn’t have answers to most of the questions and much of the time, he hadn’t the faintest idea what everyone was talking about.

After the first hour, all the names and titles began to blend together. After the second, Leander was beginning to grow weary of the questions and gossip. By the end of the third, he was looking for anywhere he could get some peace and quiet. The lights and noise were making his head ache, while the crowded room was suffocating. The rooms off the ballroom were equally full, one with card players and the other with people resting between dances.