“Utterly scandalous,” Lady North Barrows declared to no one in particular at luncheon. She gestured to the clear soup before her, as yet untasted, and a footman promptly removed it. Sophia knew that Lady North Barrows had strong feelings about the merit—or the lack—of a clear soup. The older woman was nothing if not consistent. “But that line of the family was not always so, to be sure.
As the fish course was served, Sophia watched the girls, ensuring that they chose the proper utensils. It was only to ensure their tutelage that she had been permitted to join the other guests at the meal, and that of Lady North Barrows’ insistence. Sophia had been seated below the girls but close enough that they could glance her way for confirmation on their choices. Eurydice did so, showing her usual ca
