#6. The Requirements of a Lady (2)

After the debutante ball, Eleonore spent her days following her mother around, and they were quite busy.

Most of that schedule consisted of social gatherings hosted by her mother's old friends.

Wearing suffocating makeup.

Dressed in gowns that made it hard to move.

Made into a beautiful doll who looked ridiculous to her, yet was so beautiful that the ladies could not even bring themselves to envy her, Eleonore became the subject of their conversations.

Some saw the image of an old friend in Eleonore's face.

Others gazed at Etie with open envy, wondering why her daughter was so beautiful.

But Eleonore wasn't simply sitting among the ladies like a lump on a log, dazed and accepting their doting.

The people she met were always different.

The setting, however, was always much the same...