Chapter 35 - Thirty Five
"I’m Delia Ellington."
Delia’s voice, clear and steady, hung in the suddenly silent room. The ladies who had been rushing to hold Duchess Lyra back froze, their hands still hovering in the air. Duchess Adeline, her face still red with anger, stared at the newcomer with open hostility. Every eye in The Gilded Cage was on Delia.
Duchess Lyra, however, gave the most telling reaction. She took a long, slow look at Delia, her gaze sweeping over her from head to toe, taking in her simple dress, her determined expression, and the blue ribbon in her hair. After a moment of silent, intense scrutiny, Lyra turned her back completely and returned to her easel as if nothing had happened. It was a dismissal more profound than any insult she could have spoken.
The tense moment was broken. The day’s activity had clearly come to an end. The noblewomen, sensing the drama was over for now, began to leave one after the other, their whispers following them out the door.
"Goodbye, Lady Isla. A most... eventful day."
"Have a nice afternoon, Lady Isla."
Isla, the club’s founder, greeted them all with a strained but polite smile, her composure returning as she escorted them out. Soon, the magnificent room was empty, leaving her alone with Delia. The silence that remained was heavy with unspoken questions.
Lady Isla turned to Delia, her professional hostess smile gone, replaced by a look of shrewd curiosity. "Thank you for becoming a member here, Lady Delia, but..." she paused, choosing her words carefully. "Don’t you think it is going to be incredibly awkward between you and Duchess Lyra now?"
"I’m here so that things don’t get awkward," Delia replied, her voice surprisingly confident.