Well, it would have been damaging, except that she acknowledged Blake had been younger and immature when he had got involved with the two women. Foolish. Everyone made errors. He had been respectably engaged to one, and had behaved with weakness but circumspection with the other.
Rosalie had evidently decided she regretted her own error in ever having let him go. Her blandishments became more and more blatant ,until Blake had to pin her wrists to her sides to stop her groping him right in public.
"That is quite enough, Rosalie. I don't know what the game is, but I'm not playing."
"I'm sure you don't know what the game is, not after putting up with these pathetic women as your lovers, especially Leonore. I can show you things you've never-"
"I'm well aware what you've shown people," he said brusquely, once more evading her limpet-like grip. "But there's nothing I want to see of yours. You had your chance. You thought you got a better bargain with Stanton. End of story. I don't make the same mistakes twice."
The blonde pouted prettily. "Now don't be angry, I was young and foolish and married for status. Now I want to marry for love."
"Good luck, then. But it won't be me. I'm not the marrying kind, for one thing. Even if I were, I would have expectations of my wife in terms of character and deportment which I'm afraid you simply could not fulfill. I believe in fidelity, respect. A meeting of minds, not just bodies."
"So that little country bumpkin you've brought here meets your mind, does she?" she sneered.
"Yes, she does, actually," Blake said in an even tone, and summoned Arabella over to join them.
Her eyes widened in surprise and her stomach churned. The last thing she wanted to do was step in on an intimate conversation with the breathtakingly beautiful blonde.
Alistair saw his friend's summons, and escorted her over, ever vigilant in case he had to diffuse an unpleasant scene. Really, the tabbies of the Town got more vicious by the day.
"Arabella, my dear child, please tell Rosalie here all about the fundraising and your plans for the clinic."
Arabella hesitated only a moment before beginning to outline their plans enthusiastically.
Rosalie shot her a look of such intense dislike that Philip now came up to ask Rosalie to take a turn about the room with him before the woman ended up scratching Arabella's eyes out. Not that he didn't think Arabella couldn't handle herself, but why inflict pain on the poor child more than necessary?
He left the trio of friends staring after him in relief. After a short time with Rosalie in a corner, Philip systematically began to flirt with every woman in the room in the most blatant fashion any of them had ever seen.
"I say, what on earth does Philip think he's playing at?" Alistair gasped when their friend's attentions to one woman began to border on the scandalous.
Blake resisted the temptation to cover Arabella's eyes and rush her away. He cleared his throat and said, "I imagine a man censured as he is already feels he has very little to lose."
"Still, he's so intelligent. Was such a prodigiously talented scholar. How can he allow himself to be reduced to being a mere, well, stallion." Alistair blushed and shook his handsome if unusual head of spun silver hair, and said farewell.
But Arabella was not so sure Philip did not know precisely what he was doing, and had amply proven his intelligence by outwitting the spiteful cats. The way every woman he bestowed his attention upon began to simper and cast longing looks at the tall, handsome and reputedly vastly wealthy man soon put an end to their pursuit of Blake.
Then Philip came back, took her to one side, and said in a low tone to Arabella, "You can see what they are now, can't you? Sometimes men are rakes because it's so easy for them to be. These women have no dignity, decorum, morals or scruples. Every one of them here is an adulterer many times over. Blake was deceived in them because he is a trusting and innocent soul."
"I see what you mean now, but really, while I know you are only trying to help, I'm afraid you've gone too far. Your own reputation--"
"I'm sorry you've been astonished and disturbed by some of the things which have been said and done here tonight. But surely you can see that Blake is no worse than any other man if he did avail himself once of what is so evidently offered so freely."
"I don't understand. Why are they doing this?" she said, near tears.
He put one hand comfortingly on her shoulder. "Because you're such a threat to them, my dear. You prove true, pure love really can exist. They envy and fear that. Why would any man settle for a hard, grasping, carping woman like Rosalie, or even Leonore for that matter, when they could try to win someone as warm and loving as you?"