Lavender's smile instantly faded when she saw Ella waltzing into the ices parlour with her two shadows, Lady Tiffany and Angela. Her stomach turned. Of all people to show up today, it had to be her. Ella had made her life miserable back in finishing school, always mocking her every chance she got.
Lavender leaned closer to Sarah and whispered, "Do you know Angela swore she'd marry before Ella?"
Sarah gasped softly. "I wonder how Ella will feel when she finds out?"
Unfortunately, Ella noticed them whispering. Her eyes narrowed, and she stormed toward their table, her red curls bouncing furiously. "What are you two whispering about?" she demanded, folding her arms.
"Nothing you'd want to hear," Lavender said sweetly. Standing with innocence.
Ella smirked. "Still as rude as ever, aren't you, Lavender? I truly don't understand why you, Lady Sarah, would ever want to be friends with her."
Sarah's face hardened. "Because unlike you, Ella, she's not cruel for sport."
The whole shop went quiet. A few older women nearby turned to watch as Ella laughed sharply. "Cruel? Oh please, I'm simply honest. When the season begins, I'll have every man in Britannia begging for my hand. You'll see."
Lavender raised her brows, pretending to look bored. "You mean every uncultured man, I suppose."
The crowd of women around them gasped and began to whisper. The owner of the ices parlour finally came out, her expression tired. She'd seen too many of these debutante quarrels before. "That's enough, young ladies. Either you behave or you leave."
Lavender and the girls walked out of the ices Parlour before they would be embarrassed by the owner. The woman was known for her sharp tongue.
Ella gave Lavender one last glare. "You girls should stay away from the gentlemen this season," she warned, flipping her hair. "You'll only embarrass yourselves."
Sarah laughed, standing up. "Who would want to stay around an attention seeker like you anyway?"
Tiffany gasped and called Sarah an idiot, but Ella held up her hand, clearly annoyed. "Come, girls," she said sharply. But as she turned to leave, she suddenly bumped into someone someone tall and broad-shouldered.
"I'm sorry, I..." Her voice trailed off when she looked up.
The man standing before her was striking,tall, dark-haired, and dressed in a deep navy coat. His jaw was sharp, his gaze steady and unreadable. He looked like he belonged to another world entirely, one that didn't care for silly gossip or girls in pastel gowns.
Every lady in the shop froze, eyes wide as they looked through the window. Even the married women couldn't help but swoon. Lavender's mind raced before it clicked. She gasped softly and whispered to Sarah, "That's Duke Theodore of Westershire."
But her whisper was heard by Ella, her girls and the Duke.
"The king's nephew?" Sarah whispered back, just as shocked.
Ella immediately fixed her posture, twirling her hair and batting her lashes. "My lord," she began, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.
But the duke didn't even glance her way. Instead, his cold, grey eyes landed on Lavender. "I would appreciate it," he said in a low, deep voice, "if women like you stayed out of gossip and other people's affairs."
Lavender blinked, stunned. "I wasn't gossiping," she said quickly, but he was already turning away. His stare alone made her cheeks burn with anger.
Sarah muttered a few choice words under her breath that made Lavender snort, how dare that so called duke call out her friend. But as Theodore walked out, Lavender's eyes followed him. He'd embarrassed her in front of everyone,and the other girls were snickering.
Her jaw tightened. If there was one thing Lavender Sparrow didn't like, it was being looked down on.
And Duke Theodore of Westershire had just made himself her new least favorite person in all of Britannia.
Lavender's maid Martha felt bad for the Duke. Lavender's hatred for him could land him I'm her new book as the most useless character.