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overreact simply because she might have—oh, very well, she definitely had—lost a smidgen of control while she’d been attempting to drive his obviously high-strung pair of horses.
    There certainly hadn’t been any reason for him to throw himself out of the seat once they’d arrived at Eliza’s and kiss the ground numerous times. After he’d finished that alarming business, he’d jumped to his feet and proceeded to give her a blistering lecture regarding something to the effect that lying about one’s abilities with the reins simply wasn’t done. He’d then proclaimed, in a very loud voice, that she’d taken leave of her senses.
    Why everyone believed him to be an amiable and pleasant sort was beyond her comprehension.
    After he’d apparently run out of words, he resorted to grumpiness and spent the remainder of their time at Eliza’s keeping his distance from her. He even went so far as to let it be known to one and all that he’d rather someone else see her home. That had earned him the old cold shoulder from Eliza and Agatha, but she hadn’t been bothered in the least.
    The last thing she’d wanted to deal with was his continued surliness, so when Agatha offered her a ride, she’d jumped at the chance. She hadn’t even bothered to wish Grayson a good night, though it was unlikely he’d noticed, given his continued attempts to avoid her.
    He really did possess the ability to be extremely annoying when he set his mind to it.
    She shifted on her feet and let out a yelp when a sharp pain pierced her side.
    â€œI do beg your pardon, Miss Murdock,” Mrs. Brown, an alteration lady at B. Altman’s department store, said as she pulled a pin out of the waistband of Felicia’s new gown. “I wasn’t expecting you to move yet again, considering you promised me not five minutes ago you were going to stay still.”
    â€œI did promise that, didn’t I.”
    â€œYou did, several times.”
    Felicia squared her shoulders. “This time I mean it.”
    Mrs. Brown smiled and returned to the task of sticking additional pins into the material but paused when a knock sounded on the door and Agatha stuck her head in.
    â€œAh, there you are, Felicia. I was hoping I’d find you here.”
    It was rapidly becoming apparent that everyone was under the misimpression she was heading for a nervous breakdown. While she appreciated having family and friends who cared about her, it was becoming downright annoying.
    She was not some delicate miss who needed to be coddled or, for that matter, pitied.
    â€œI thought you were going to be working on a story today,” she said as Agatha moseyed into the room.
    â€œI got the first draft written for the New-York Tribune earlier than expected and decided to take the rest of the afternoon off.”
    â€œOf course you did,” Felicia muttered. “How did you know where I was?”
    Agatha strolled over to a gilded mahogany chair upholstered in red velvet and sat down, taking a rather long time to rearrange her skirt before she looked up. “Your mother told me. She showed up at my house an hour or two ago and thought it would be entertaining for me if I joined you.”
    â€œIt’s hardly entertaining to watch a lady get fitted for a new wardrobe, so please don’t feel I’ll take offense if you decide to seek out true amusements.”
    â€œAh, tea, how lovely,” Agatha said as she rose from the chair, glided across the room to the tea cart, poured herself a cup, and took a sip. “Delicious.” She raised the cup in Felicia’s direction, moved back to the chair, resumed her seat, and sent Felicia a cheeky grin.
    It was apparent Agatha was not going anywhere anytime soon.
    â€œThat’s a lovely color of green,” Agatha remarked with a nod toward the dress Felicia was currently wearing. “Although I do believe your mother is a