club.
“I didn’t know you would be here,” Ana Maria said, clasping both Ivy’s hands in hers. “Is Sebastian here, too?”
Ivy shook her head. “No, he is managing the club this evening. Octavia is off doing something highly secretive,” she said, casting her gaze upward in aggravation, “and I came because Lady Carlyle is a very good customer, and she invited me. I did not want to refuse, especially since I was certain I would see you.”
“Let’s go sit on the terrace for a moment. It has been far too long since we’ve seen one another.” Because she and Ana Maria’s brother were spending most of their time alone together lately, leaving Octavia to manage the club and Sebastian’s dogs.
Ivy nodded, taking Ana Maria’s arm in hers. The two ladies made their way through the crowd to the double doors that were flung open to let in a modicum of a breeze.
“Over there,” Ana Maria said, nodding toward a bench at the far end of the terrace.
The night air was refreshing, and Ana Maria took a few great gulps of it, already feeling more relaxed.
Would she ever feel entirely comfortable in a room filled with Society’s finest people?
She doubted it. Especially since she didn’t particularly want to be in a room with Society’s finest people—she’d far rather go to a club such as Miss Ivy’s, which admitted anybody, as long as they had money to gamble with. Or to fabric shops where she could meet people who were equally passionate about warp and weft.
“I understand you and Octavia have been spending time together,” Ivy said as she sat down, smoothing her skirts over her lap. “I don’t think she would admit it, but I believe Octavia has been lonely since Sebastian and I set up our own household.”
Ana Maria chuckled. “Your sister is keeping me from being lonely as well. Now that Sebastian has gone, and everything has changed.” And she did still have friends from her former life, but she and her friends were both acutely aware that they now inhabited different worlds. She couldn’t seriously complain to Jane or any of the other household workers about her discomfort at attending parties; they would think she was being spoiled. Which she supposed she would be. But it wasn’t as though she could just decide to return to her old life, so this new life had to be improved somehow.
Which brought her to her plan.
“Your sister and I have spent some time together visiting fabric houses. I believe she plans to redecorate the club?”
Ivy nodded. “I think it’s a good thing—it will keep her from mischief. Hopefully,” she added, with a sigh that indicated an older sister’s long-suffering. “She said you were excellent at it, that she could rely entirely on your taste.”
Ana Maria felt a warmth spread through her at the compliment. “That is good to hear. Because I wish to do the same for other places. Institutions like the Society for Poor and Unfortunate Children. I know it might seem frivolous to focus on redecorating those places, when they want food and shelter, but it is my belief that people will respond more to a place that appears to be well kept, and will want to donate more than if the house they lived in was shabby and poorly maintained.” She’d also ensure that Thaddeus donate some of his vast ducal wealth to those places, but she didn’t need to share that with Ivy at this moment. Since Thaddeus didn’t know yet.
“You are correct,” Ivy said in an enthusiastic tone. “When I opened the club, not only did I have to provide an excellent gaming experience, I had to make sure my customers got a certain feeling from being there. It wasn’t enough just to have tables and dealers and good play. I took pains with the interior design, since Miss Ivy’s was a different experience than other clubs. And you wish me to let Sebastian know?”
Ana Maria blinked in surprise. “Oh, I can tell him myself. I wanted to tell you first, as a businesswoman, to see if you thought it made sense.”
“Will you charge the institutions for your services, then?” Ivy asked with a confused expression.
“No, but I will present those places as proof that I can do the work. And, eventually, I hope that some people who can actually afford it will hire me.”
Ivy grinned. “You’d better be careful, that sounds perilously close to being a lady who works. I thought you fancy aristocrats weren’t supposed