Furnishings and fittings for every inch of the largest house in Russell Square, as well as refurbishment of their shipboard rooms and the royal guests’ quarters on the Arabella. Carriages and horses for every occasion. Exotic ingredients for Myron’s meals, since he preferred not to eat like an Englishman. Clothing for herself and her husband from the inside out. As frivolous as it seemed, she and Charlotte shopped every day, having, for the most part, successfully stemmed the tide of gossipmongers by having her new butler turn them away at the door. The results of this avoidance were immediately apparent in more dramatic and flowery talk-behind-the-fan wherever she went, but thus far, no one had given her the cut direct, either because other women’s husbands relied on hers for the greater portion of their income, or because she was a favorite of the king. With his implied sponsorship, she received even better service in the shops than she would have inspired as a new countess. Now that Bella was safely in England to stay, she could buy more pretty things than would fit in a sea chest, her gowns needn’t be chosen for sensibility, and for the first time in her adult life, she could spend her husband’s money on anything she wanted, with no question of how she would get it home.
