The Duchess and the Devil - Chapter 35.1

In the social world, talk of the Duchess’s relationship with Derrick was a tasty morsel, like a never-ending fire. From time to time they faded away when something unexpected happened in the social world. But after a while, like a phoenix, they were reborn.

— There is no more room to store gifts. What to do with the rest?

The last days have been truly crazy, so Judith has completely forgotten about it, but she is sure that there is enough space.

“I’ll check it myself,” the butler took her to the annex.

Unlike the main building, there was an additional warehouse filled with all the sent things. And indeed – it was impossible to step freely, the family received so many gifts. There seemed to be no end to the objects. Judith crossed her arms, looking around and looking quite embarrassed.

All the gifts were sent with sincere joy about the Duke’s recovery, and therefore required a mandatory response. So now it has become just another headache that Judith has managed to forget about. In addition, it was necessary to write and express gratitude to those who attended the funeral. And tea drinking could help with this.

Tea parties are the true gathering place for rumors of empire. All conversations, even in the Palace, are reduced to women’s tea parties. It has become a real battlefield. And Judith suffered extremely from the eternal scandals surrounding her person and their private life.

But now, even if the Duchess did not like these snake gatherings, she had to take advantage of the situation and receive all the information about the Empire. At the tea party she might learn something interesting about potential candidates for the role of Hannibal. Derrick still did not leave the mansion, did not attend any receptions, so the couple could not get any information from him.

Even if Judith finds only some grains, they can form a big, full-fledged story.

“I’ll be having a tea party soon,” Judith said, looking at the invitation in her hand. She did not know if she needed to go somewhere else, because she could invite only those whom she herself considered useful.

In any case, the tea party will kill two birds with one stone: Judith will learn at least some information and will be able to thank those present at the funeral and those who sent gifts.

Hosting tea parties is a common thing for Duchesses. However, Judith did this only in the first two months of marriage, after which she only accepted invitations from other important persons.

The girl decided to make a list of all potential guests. The huge number of thoughts made her dizzy: the Duchess had not done something like this for a long time, so she felt completely out of place, putting off work every few minutes.

First of all, she made a list based on her own preferences, and Judith also made sure to take into account those who sent a gift, excluding those to whom she was simply going to send a thank-you note. Typically, the size of a tea party varied from five to thirty people, but with a large number of guests, Judith would not be able to devote time to everyone, communicate and learn something important. Therefore, this number was reduced to twelve.

Also, the Duchess immediately excluded from the list those who do not like to keep secrets, but only come to a meeting for the sake of decency. We needed only those who easily and directly support the conversation, discussing all the latest gossip. Although such people seemed to Judith disgusting, now they are indispensable.

Among these was the Marquise Dyer, who was called the empire’s walking information bureau. Initially, it did not have a great impact on society, but now much has changed. The news that she learned immediately spread to all the noble houses like a river. And more often than not, what was said turned out to be the truth, and not simple, unfounded rumors. That is why Marquise can be useful.

Tea parties attended by Madame Dyer were popular among socialites. This could be both a plus and a minus for Judith.

The invitations were sent out one by one. Judith was also quick to get responses from the ladies. And the last to answer was Madame Dyer. The Duchess cautiously opened the envelope, but fortunately that Marquise accepted the invitation.

After agreeing on the final list, preparations for the tea party came to an end. Quite a lot of time passed, and Judith was ready to just collapse lifelessly on the bed and fall asleep.

Finally the day of tea arrived.