What was worse, I was not alone in this sudden shunning. Theodore, as the man who had introduced me, fared far worse than I. He appeared on my doorstep, a sobbing mess, the night I returned. He reeked of brandy. I quickly shuffled him into the parlor where we could be alone. I guided him onto the royal-blue lounge where we had planned so many issues of the Weekly and laid his head on my chest while he wept like a babe.
“I am undone,” he said between sobs. “My reputation is ruined.”
I rocked him, patting his head and cooing affectionately, “There, there. It cannot be so bad.”
Once Theodore regained some measure of control, the story came pouring out of him. “I have nothing. While you were off on your whirlwind tour, all my lecture dates were canceled, invitations to events and parties re
