They both pretended not to care about the general lack of invitations that came to Highbury Place but Sidonie had watched their faces fall when their mother rather tactlessly read aloud from fawning newspaper accounts of the glittering balls and soirées of Mayfair which dwelled on the gorgeous dresses worn by the ladies and dashing good looks of the gentlemen and knew that actually both girls felt their exclusion from high society very keenly. ‘Most of these society girls aren’t nearly so pretty or rich as my lovely Eliza,’ Mrs Garland once confided despairingly to Sidonie when she found herself alone with her in the breakfast room. ‘So why isn’t she getting invited to anything? I take her to Hyde Park and all the most fashionable amusements so it isn’t as though they never get to see her.’ ‘They may see her,’ Sidonie said gently, not wanting to hurt Mrs Garland’s feelings, ‘but they don’t know who she is. Oh, they may well ask the name of the pretty fair girl but you must remember that the very highest ton have all known each other since the cradle and their families have been marrying each other for centuries.
