Chapter 51

The next three weeks saw very little activity at Fairfax Manor. The fallout from the dramatic party was inevitably the talk of the town. Milo Westerby had kept his honour and kept the gambling talk out of the papers, but it was impossible to prevent the other aspects of Oliver’s life from becoming common knowledge.

“Not so Barren Baron,” the headlines teased. It mockingly reported how he had successfully sired two children, and a typo on nuptials to “Luptials” was enough of a hint for anyone in their well-bred circles to understand. Octavia’s engagement had come to an unceremonious end, and she was now bunkered at Haddon Hall waiting for the gossip to blow over. 

Servants were approached by visiting writers asking for their experiences of Octavia’s virtue and behaviour. Had she been a pleasant employer they might perhaps hav