All eyes rested on Lady Rachel as she tried her best to act as normal as she could, but her face had already drained of color. Her hands moved to her gown. Lady Stephanie, who had only just noticed the sudden quietness, gently raised her head from the teacup she had been focused on all this while. Her eyes shifted to Lady Rachel, and as she realized what was happening, they widened. Then she spoke.
"This is the first tea gathering that has a sweetener. I hadn't expected it," she said. Though her words were true, she hadn't said them just for that; she also wished to ease the tense atmosphere.
Lady Rhea gave a soft nod.
"Very true, Lady Stephanie. They dont usually serve black tea—my favorite," she added.
Stephanie smiled, and slowly, the atmosphere returned to normal.
