London:
A New York-based socialite has accused India-born British novelist Salman Rushdie of showing "unchivalrous behaviour" after he reportedly wooed, and then abruptly dumped her on Facebook.
Rushdie is believed to have met Devorah Rose, the editor of the glossy Social Life magazine, at a party in the Hamptons and later to have joined her at a number of intimate dinners in Manhattan.
But his insistence that there is no romantic relationship between the two of them, led to a scathing response from Rose, 'The Daily Telegraph' reported.
She posted a message on Twitter reading "Never let someone paint you in a negative light" and linking to an apparent series of Facebook messages over the summer where Sir Salman asked if she would like to go for a drink "in real life", noting that the internet "has its limits".
What happened at their meeting is unclear, but according to the 'New York Post' newspaper, Rushdie later sent her a Facebook message in August, appearing to gently end a relationship.
"I'm sorry to say that I don't feel able to pursue what we only just began. I have to confess that I haven't really recovered from the recent collapse of a two-year relationship. I can't help seeing that our lives and worlds (and ages) are very different, and hard to reconcile.
"I think you're a dynamic, passionate, extraordinary person and I apologise for backing away so suddenly. I hope you can understand and excuse me, and that we can remain friends," Rushdie wrote.
Rose responded: "Mr. Rushdie's intentions, like his ridiculous retort, is definition of unchivalrous behaviour. My tweet was friendly, his response was embarrassingly out of proportion, especially when he invited me to several dinners."