Chapter 19: Countess Thrall's Private Commendation

The invitation arrived the following morning, delivered not by a footman but by the Countess's personal secretary — a distinction Lady Morrow had once explained, in tones of considerable significance, marked the difference between a social obligation and a genuine summons.

The card was cream, the lettering engraved rather than printed, and the phrasing so exquisitely courteous that it took Honoria three readings to confirm it was not, in fact, optional.

*The Countess Thrall requests the pleasure of Miss Vane's company for private tea at half-past ten. The Amaranth Drawing Room. Informal dress.*