Miss Verey’s Proposal

Chapter Six

The trouble with the Season, Jane thought, as she prepared for yet another evening’s entertainment, was that it gave one so little time to think and plan. She could well believe Miss Brantledge’s smug assertion that she had attended fifty balls, twenty-six dinners and fourteen picnics the previous year. Miss Brantledge would be sure to have counted every one. And since the object of the entire exercise appeared to be to wear oneself to a thread as well as find a husband, Jane could see that it worked very well. However, the social demands gave her no chance to develop her scheme for avoiding the marriage with Lord Philip. Jane snapped her fan together sharply in frustration, causing one of the struts to splinter. That evening they were to be the guests of the Duke of Delahaye for a concert at Vauxhall Gardens. Jane’s natural pleasure in visiting so exciting a place was tempered by the thought of close chaperonage and the embarrassment of being in Alex’s company for the first time since the masquerade.

The memory of that evening a week ago was still disturbing to Jane. She had promised herself that she would think of it no more, but she could not help herself. There had been a moment, there in the darkened study, when Jane had been sure Alex was about to kiss her. The look in his eyes, compounded of exasperation and tenderness, had held her rooted to the spot. And she had wanted him to kiss her, had quite ached to be in his arms, with a desperation that puzzled and worried her. Surely it was not at all refined to be subject to such strong feelings? The mutual respect and comfort she had hoped to find one day in marriage were pale and cold in comparison.

Yet evidently Alex had not felt the same. He had had plenty of opportunities to seek her out in the past week-even if it was only to ring a peal over her for her conduct-and he had not chosen to do so. Clearly she had read far more into his behaviour than he had ever intended; the flirtation that she had found so exciting had no doubt seemed tame to him, a diversion quickly forgotten. It was shaming now to remember how his touch had stirred her senses and how much pleasure she had taken in his company.

Besides, Alex was now too occupied with the odious Lady Dennery to have a moment’s thought for Jane. The whole of society was talking about them; they had been seen driving in the Park and Alex squired her to any number of events. Sighing, Jane tried to fix the splintered struts of her fan together again, then cast it away in exasperation. No doubt Lady Dennery would be there that evening and the prospect did not entice.

In one respect only were matters shaping quite well. Lord Philip and Sophia were clearly smitten with each other and therefore quite willing to give Jane as much tacit support as she needed. It only required for her to suggest that she and Sophia exchange partners for a dance, or escorts for a walk, and the substitution was accomplished. However, this could not be achieved as often as Jane would wish under Lady Verey’s beady gaze. She was obliged to endure several tedious dances with Lord Philip during which he spoke in monosyllables, if at all. Jane decided that she would soon need to seek his more active participation in her plans.

They approached Vauxhall by river that evening and the gardens looked remarkably pretty in the fading dusk, with their lantern-lit walks and arbours. Jane thought that it looked very romantic and her sense of humour was tickled at the thought of their ill-assorted party. Lord Philip and Sophia were surely the only true romantics in the group and even if Lord Philip’s intentions were of the purest, he could not declare them openly. Lady Dennery was hunting Alexander Delahaye with a single-minded concentration that had very little to do with romance, as far as Jane could see. Simon seemed forlorn and quiet, and she herself felt quite out of step with the brightly coloured illusion all around.

The concert and the supper were both excellent, despite Lady Dennery’s somewhat sharp asides.

‘What charming children!’ she had said to Lady Verey when first introduced, for all the world, Jane thought, as though she and Sophia were still in leading-reins! Lady Dennery then took it upon herself to intersperse intimate little remarks to Alex with observations on the conduct of young ladies, until Jane was heartily sick of her.

‘Why, Miss Verey, you have a most robust appetite!’ she said archly, picking at her dessert and smiling at Alex. ‘You will find that the gentlemen prefer young ladies who show less partiality for their food! No doubt Lord Philip will bear me out!’

Philip, who had been gazing soulfully at Sophia and had not heard the comment, grunted non-committally. Jane’s cheeks flamed. Lady Dennery’s laugh tinkled out as her sharp gaze appraised Jane’s neat figure. ‘Lud, Miss Verey, I think you should restrain yourself now! Over-indulgence at the table is often a sign of a sadly unsteady character! There is no knowing where such a lack of discipline will lead you later!’

Lady Verey and Lady Eleanor exchanged a horrified look at such vulgarity. Fortunately Jane and Sophia were both looking quite blank, for neither of them had taken her ladyship’s coarse allusion. Simon, catching his mother’s eye, got up and suggested a short stroll in the interval before the concert resumed. He offered his arm to Sophia and in short order Jane and Lord Philip had joined them. The others declined the exercise, making Jane almost burst as she tried to repress a remark on the benefits of activity for a healthy figure.

They admired the little pools and grottoes and sauntered amidst the crowds. All of them studiously avoided speaking of Lady Dennery and more particularly of the possibility that she might become the next Duchess of Delahaye.

Sophia and Philip paused to admire a group of marble statuary whilst Simon and Jane walked on ahead.

‘Are you enjoying all this or do you miss Ambergate, Janey?’ Simon asked suddenly, gesturing at the crowded gardens.

Jane smiled. ‘A little of both, I suppose! I am enjoying the Season, but I shall not be sorry when it ends.’ A shadow fell across her face as she realised that the matter of the marriage to Lord Philip would have to be resolved once and for all by then. In an effort to be cheerful she turned a smile on her brother.

‘What about you, Simon? I suppose you’ll be going home in a couple of months?’

‘I’ll spend some time at Ambergate,’ Simon agreed, ‘but Alex has invited me to Yorkshire for the shooting in August.’

‘Has he!’ Jane realised that she was out-of-proportion cross. The Duke of Delahaye seemed to interfere in everything! ‘After you have helped him marry me off to his brother, I suppose!’

Simon flashed her an ironic glance. ‘We shall have to be quick about it then, or else Philip will have eloped with Sophia!’

Jane sighed, sliding her hand through his arm. ‘So you have noticed it! Yes, their affection is becoming a little too apparent! And whilst it would solve one problem, I suppose-’

‘It would only cause another,’ Simon finished grimly. ‘Alex would be furious and matters would be off to a very bad start!’

‘Yes…’ Jane looked round to see if Sophia and Philip were within earshot. To her surprise they were nowhere to be seen. The empty walks stretched away on either side of the gravel path, dark with their high hedges.

‘Oh! It is too bad! They should have more sense than to slip away together at a place like this! Sophia should be more careful of her reputation and if Lord Philip does not have honourable intentions-’ Jane broke off, afflicted by a powerful guilt. She was all too aware that she had encouraged the couple to spend time together.

Simon was frowning as he scanned the crowds.

‘They cannot have gone far. We may see them if we walk towards the pavilion-’ He broke off suddenly, staring over the heads of the crowd. ‘Well, I’ll be…’

Jane saw that her brother was watching a slender blonde girl who was walking swiftly away from them. At her side, a portly man in a striped red and white waistcoat appeared to be talking to her urgently, almost running to keep up with her. Jane saw her shake her head once, decisively, then the man tried to catch her arm. The couple turned down one of the dark walks, and at the same time, Simon dropped Jane’s arm and darted off after them without another word. Jane stared in stupefaction.

To have gone from being in a party of four to being alone seemed strange and vexatious, but Jane was a sensible girl and realised that she could find her way back to the rotunda with little trouble. There were plenty of people about and she felt quite safe. Far more provoking was Simon’s erratic behaviour. Evidently he had recognised either the girl or her companion, but as to why he had rushed off without a word…Jane started to walk slowly back towards the rotunda. As she passed the pool with the statuary, she thought she saw Philip and Sophia just disappearing around the corner of one of the walks to the right of her. At the same time, Jane glimpsed the tall but unmistakable figure of the Duke of Delahaye coming towards her. She was not sure if he had seen her, but did not want to wait and find out. The first difficult explanation-why she was alone-was linked too closely to the second-where Sophia and Philip were. And if his Grace of Delahaye should come across Lord Philip with Sophia down one of the dark walks…Without further ado, Jane whisked around the hedge and hurried after the disappearing couple.

Although the crowds were thick only a few yards away, here between the high hedges it was dark and silent. Jane came to a crossroads, where a marble nymph reclined in a mossy bower. Looking around, she felt as though she had entered a maze. Any moment she would lose her sense of direction and become completely lost. She was about to abandon Sophia to her fate, turn around and retrace her steps, when she heard a faint noise.

Jane realised that the walk was not as deserted as she had at first thought. The portly gentleman she had seen earlier crossed her view briefly as he turned down a parallel path. The girl was no longer with him and he was skulking in the shadow of the hedge. For some reason Jane shrank back, praying that the gossamer white of her dress would not betray her. There was something so furtive in the man’s behaviour that it made her deeply uneasy.

Then she froze. There was a summerhouse ahead of her at a point where five of the walks converged, and she had just noticed Alex’s tall figure stride into the centre in order to scan the crowds thronging along the main walks. And she could also see the portly gentleman, stalking as quietly as a cat, up the shadowy edge of the nearby path. The moonlight glinted on the white stripes of his waistcoat and on the silver blade in his hand. It seemed ludicrous, yet there was a stealth about the man that was infinitely frightening, and each step took him closer to Alex’s unsuspecting back.

Jane did not wait another moment. She flew down the walk, making as much noise as possible, raced up the steps and tumbled into Alex’s arms. To her left she heard the rustle of leaves and saw the shadows move as the man slipped away as silently as he had come.

‘Your Grace!’

‘Miss Verey? I have been looking for you!’ There was a lazy amusement in Alex’s voice. ‘Whatever can you have-?’ His tone sharpened as he felt her knees give way and she sagged against him. He took her by the upper arms and shook her slightly.

‘What has happened? Has somebody hurt you? Answer me!’

‘No! Oh, you must come away…’ Jane could hear her voice breaking shamefully. Now that the immediate danger was over she found that she was able to neither stand nor speak properly. Alex’s face was very close to hers, his eyes blazing. If he had not held her, she knew she would have fallen.

‘Jane? You must tell me what is wrong!’

Jane took a deep breath. ‘You must come away from this place, your Grace! There is a man with a knife-’

Alex took a swift look around. ‘A pickpocket-’

‘No!’ Jane said, beating her hands against his chest in her agitation. ‘A murderer! He has a knife!’

‘Very well. We will go at once.’ Alex captured both her hands in his own, infinitely reassuring, grip. His voice was very calm. He saw that she was shaking and wrapped his cloak close about her, at the same time urging her forward and down the summerhouse steps towards the crowded paths.

‘Can you manage to walk back to the others, Miss Verey? It is but a step and you are quite safe.’

With Alex’s arm around her and one of her hands still resting in his, Jane managed to walk shakily back towards the main path. Once they had rejoined the press of people wandering back towards the rotunda, Alex let her go and offered her his arm in a more circumspect manner. Jane let out a huge shaky breath.

‘Oh, thank goodness! What a horrid thing to happen!’ She glanced up at Alex’s face and saw that he was frowning. He drew her into one of the lit alcoves and helped her to a seat.

Seeing her look of surprise, he said quickly, ‘We shall go back to the others directly. But first, Miss Verey, can you tell me what happened?’

He was so matter of fact that Jane was determined not to be missish. ‘I saw the man earlier when I was walking with Simon,’ she said, as calmly as possible. ‘He was a fat man in a bulging waistcoat, not some ragged pickpocket. Then, just before I saw you in the summerhouse, I heard a noise and saw him creeping down the walk towards you. He had a knife in his hand! I saw it!’

Alex remained silent. His dark brows were drawn and he looked to be thinking of something far beyond the brightly lit pleasure gardens. Whatever his thoughts were, Jane could tell that they were not pleasant. She shivered.

‘An opportunist thief,’ Alex said easily, after a moment. ‘It was foolish of me to step aside from the crowds, for Vauxhall is well known for its petty thieves and criminals. I am sorry that you should have had such a shocking experience, Miss Verey, but I beg you to forget it. The man missed his chance and will be long gone by now.’

Jane did not reply. Something in her wanted to protest that the man had been no simple thief, but what proof did she have? It was the most obvious explanation. After all, who would intentionally seek Alex out with murder in mind? The idea seemed ridiculous.

‘I think,’ Alex added, very deliberately, ‘that we should not worry the others with this story, Miss Verey. The ladies, in particular, would be most distressed. Which reminds me to ask…’ the frown deepened on his brow ‘…whatever were you doing alone in the dark walks?’

Jane hesitated. This was tricky, since she had no wish to cause trouble for the others. ‘I became separated from the others by accident,’ she said evasively, ‘and was looking for them again when I saw you-and the thief.’

‘I see,’ Alex said drily. ‘How very vague, Miss Verey! You were alone, I suppose?’

‘What do you mean-?’ Jane broke off and blushed. ‘Your Grace!’

‘Well?’

‘Would it have been preferable for me to have been accompanied or alone in such a situation?’ Jane asked spiritedly.

Alex raised an eyebrow. He got up and helped Jane to her feet. ‘Ah, now I know that you are feeling more yourself, Miss Verey! And there you have me, for I am not at all sure!’

They walked back to the rotunda slowly. The music had already started again. Sophia and Philip were sitting several feet apart, looking on her part demure and on his suspiciously cheerful. Simon caught Jane’s eye. His own expression was sheepish. Jane raised a cautionary finger to her lips and he kept obediently silent. She did not wish him to say anything that might contradict the sparse tale that she had already told Alex.

It was only as she was turning back to the orchestra that Jane realised that Alex had also seen her clandestine gesture and was watching her with a look that was both interested and deeply speculative.

Lady Eleanor Fane called at Haye House the following morning at a time that most members of the ton would have considered quite uncivilised. As she let the knocker fall she had a moment of doubt, for she had just remembered how much attention Alex had been lavishing on Lady Dennery the previous night. If she had managed to fix Alex’s interest he would scarcely be receiving guests that morning…Lady Eleanor set her lips firmly as the door started to open. Too late!

Tredpole’s impassive face gave nothing away.

‘I will inquire if his Grace is at home,’ the butler murmured, his stately progress across the hall suggesting that though the answer to his question might be in doubt, he would be equal to any eventuality. Left alone to wait in the drawing-room, Lady Eleanor peered critically into the mirror and fidgeted with her silver-topped stick.

Fortunately the Duke was receiving and did not keep her waiting long.

‘His Grace begs you to join him in the library, my lady,’ Tredpole murmured, preceding Lady Eleanor across the hall.

‘Humph!’ Lady Eleanor replied, secretly relieved not to have found her godson in flagrante.

Alex was sitting at his desk, slowly sipping a cup of coffee, the pungent fumes of which Lady Eleanor could smell across the room. She sniffed appreciatively.

‘Tredpole, another cup, if you please!’ Alex said with a grin, coming forward to kiss his aunt. ‘What can bring you here so early, Aunt Eleanor? You might have found me otherwise occupied!’

Lady Eleanor fixed him with a repressive gaze. ‘Perhaps that accounts for your deplorably high spirits, Alexander!’ she said tartly. ‘I shall not inquire!’ Then, as her nephew’s grin broadened, she added, ‘It is another lady I have come to speak about-Miss Verey! I have been thinking that Philip’s suit progresses very ill. According to Maria Winchester, Philip was spotted in the dark walks with Miss Marchment last night! I begged Maria to keep quiet for the sake of our friendship, but if Philip is pursuing other game…Meanwhile, the on dit is that Blakeney is hoping to fix his interest with Miss Verey, engagement or no! He has certainly been very attentive of late!’

Alex’s smile faded. ‘Blakeney? Are you sure, Aunt Eleanor?’

‘What does it matter if it is Blakeney or some other gentleman?’ Lady Eleanor demanded discontentedly. ‘First the business at Lady Winterstoke’s dinner and now this! Why, it seems to me that the little minx is running rings around you!’

Alex sat down on the corner of his desk, one leg swinging. ‘Do you think so, Aunt Eleanor? It is early days yet, you know!’

Lady Eleanor took a reviving draught of the strong coffee. ‘Decisive action is what is called for here, Alex, not shilly-shallying! Why, anyone would think that you enjoyed crossing swords with the chit!’ She drained her cup, thereby missing her godson’s fleetingly rueful expression. ‘Whilst you are playing games, Philip is engaging the affections of another lady entirely! I should have thought that that would exercise your mind considerably!’

Alex did not seem either surprised or disturbed by this statement. ‘I collect that by that you mean Miss Marchment? Philip has fallen in and out of love more times than I care to count, Aunt! You know that! It means nothing-he will marry where the money dictates!’

‘Miss Marchment is no lightskirt to help Philip while away the time until he weds!’ Lady Eleanor snapped. ‘The girl has fallen head over ears in love with him and this time…this time, Alex, I do believe that Philip may feel the same!’

Alex was examining a paperweight, turning it over in his hands so that the light struck sparks off the deep blue interior. His head was bent and Lady Eleanor could not see his expression.

‘I am certain that you must be mistaken,’ he said levelly. ‘Philip has never shown any sign of attaching himself to a respectable female!’

‘Never before!’ Lady Eleanor tapped her stick on the floor in her agitation. ‘If you do not act quickly, Alex, the Verey match will be lost forever and then how will you square your promise to your grandfather with events?’

Alex looked up, the expression in his dark eyes quite unreadable. ‘No doubt I should think of something…’ he murmured. ‘But I suspect that you had more in mind than to come here to berate me for my lack of action, did you not, ma’am? Unless I miss my guess, you have a plan!’

Lady Eleanor smiled reluctantly, soothed by both her nephew’s teasing and the excellent coffee.

‘Well, well…I thought to lend a helping hand! I had the idea of inviting the Vereys to Malladon!’

Alex put the paperweight down gently. ‘You intend for me to open up Malladon for a house party? Now? In the middle of the Season?’

‘Precisely!’ Lady Eleanor leaned forward. ‘It would not be a party Alex, only a few guests, and not for long! And I would act as hostess for you!’

‘Good of you, ma’am!’ her nephew murmured with irony.

Lady Eleanor was not to be deterred. ‘I know it is the middle of the Season, but I thought that a few days in the country would be the very thing! The trouble with the Season is that too many people are milling around! It is easier to concentrate attention in a smaller group!’

‘One of Miss Verey’s tactics has been to employ others as a distraction,’ Alex observed thoughtfully. ‘It is true that she would find it less easy to be so evasive in so small a group. You realise, however, that Miss Marchment will have to be invited too? Courtesy demands that she should be included.’

‘I suppose we cannot leave the wretched girl behind,’ Lady Eleanor concurred, ‘and really it is too bad of me to describe her thus, for she is the sweetest child, only a threat to your plans!’

‘Plans can always be changed, ma’am,’ Alex observed, but before his aunt could ask for further clarification, he continued. ‘I am gratified to see, however, that you have come round to my way of thinking! Originally you were berating me for believing Miss Verey to be anything other than a witty and charming girl!’

Lady Eleanor smoothed her skirts. ‘Well, I confess that at first I had difficulty in imagining Jane Verey as the artful schemer you described, Alex! But now I have seen the evidence with my own eyes! Oh, she is both witty and charming, I do not dispute that, but therein lies the problem! Girls these day,’ Lady Eleanor said severely, ‘can be too clever for their own good! A little feminine modesty would be more becoming!’

‘Come now, Aunt Eleanor…’ Alex straightened up and strolled over to the mantelpiece ‘…you are too harsh! Miss Verey is not precisely immodest! And she may be wilful but she is still beautiful and engaging-’ He broke off as he saw the arrested expression on Lady Eleanor’s face and finished a little hastily, ‘The perfect wife for Philip, in fact!’

‘For Philip! Of course!’ Lady Eleanor’s lips twitched a little as a certain truth made its presence felt. ‘I am persuaded that Miss Verey will settle quickly enough once the match is made. I am anxious only to avoid a monstrous scandal if Philip takes it into his head to elope with Miss Marchment! That could not be borne, for although the girl is from an entirely respectable family, they have no estate or connections or fortune, and it could not be deemed suitable! So Philip-and Miss Verey-must be brought to the point as soon as may be!’

‘Indeed!’ Alex turned away. ‘I believe that you are correct in thinking that the more intimate atmosphere of the house party might promote our cause. Besides, if the signs are not auspicious, we can always contrive to compromise Miss Verey sufficiently for a betrothal to follow!’

Lady Eleanor looked appalled. ‘Alex! You would not! Your deceit-’

‘Is matched only by that of Miss Verey, I assure you! If she can outwit me then I shall concede defeat gracefully. If not-well, we shall see who is the winner!’

Lady Eleanor said no more, but as she took her leave she found herself scanning once more her nephew’s impervious features and wondering whether she had imagined the moment earlier when Alex had betrayed his own interest in Jane Verey. The way his voice had softened as he spoke of Jane’s beauty and charm, and the indulgent note she had detected…Lady Eleanor suddenly remembered Alex’s sharpened interest when she had mentioned Lord Blakeney paying court to Jane. She smiled a little as she stepped out in the direction of her home in Lower Brook Street. Perhaps she had dreamed it, but she did not think so. And if Alex was already aware of his own feelings, just what did he have in mind for Jane Verey? Certainly not marriage to his brother! The more she thought about it, the more equivocal some of Alex’s remarks seemed, to the point where Lady Eleanor suddenly wondered just which of the Delahaye brothers Miss Jane Verey would be compromised into marrying.

Unaware of the unexpected invitation that was about to come their way, Jane, Sophia and Lady Verey spent the morning in Bond Street attending to some essential shopping. Most improbably, Simon had expressed a wish to accompany them. He had murmured some excuse about needing a new hat and Jane, unusually distracted by the purchase of a white evening gown with an overdress of pale gold, did not at first notice the piercing looks he was giving to all the staff in the modiste’s shop. It was only when her brother had peered behind a curtain and startled a shop assistant who was preparing to model a dress for them that Jane had dragged him to one side.

‘Simon! What on earth are you doing?’ she whispered fiercely. ‘You will have us all expelled from the shop if you keep spying on models in their undergarments!’

Her brother gave her a harassed look. ‘This is Celestine’s, isn’t it, Jane?’

‘Yes of course! That is Celestine herself over there glaring at you! But what is that to the purpose?’

Simon glanced at his mother and Sophia, who were chattering over a dress of pale green. ‘Come outside for a moment and I will tell you.’

The whole story of Simon’s encounter at the masquerade came tumbling out, including how he had danced with a girl then lost her for a while, only to find her again out on the terrace in need of his help.

‘She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, Jane,’ he said unselfconsciously. ‘At first I thought she was a Cyprian come to the masquerade to-’ Simon broke off, grinning at his sister’s rapt expression. ‘Anyway, she ain’t. I could tell. So then I thought she might be a maid, tricked out in her mistress’ dress for the ball, but…’ he wrinkled up his nose ‘…she was no servant. I could tell that too.’

Jane stepped to one side to allow a couple to squeeze past them on the pavement.

‘Yet she would not give you her name?’

‘No, only that she had come alone to the ball. She ran away from me,’ Simon finished. ‘After I’d saved her from Hewetson she simply walked off. Her domino was torn in the struggle and the old Duchess of Merrion spotted her, and thought she recognised the dress underneath. It was extraordinary, Jane! The Duchess was ranting and raving, swearing that the girl had stolen the dress because Celestine had promised her that there had been only one, then the girl just turned on her heel and left, and everyone was speculating about her identity…Can’t think how you missed it!’ He frowned. ‘Where were you, anyway?’

Jane, realising that she had been closeted in the study with the Duke of Delahaye whilst this drama had been unfolding, chose to ignore this question. It would involve too many difficult explanations and also involve an examination of her own feelings. She shrugged, trying to look vague.

‘Goodness knows…But what size was she, Simon?’

Simon looked confused. ‘Size? Who? The Duchess of Merrion?’

‘No, of course not! Your wits have gone a-begging along with your heart!’ Jane said severely. ‘I refer to your young lady! If she was small and slender then a dress made for the Duchess might well have fitted her. The Duchess of Merrion is a short woman, after all! But if she was taller then it is unlikely that it was the same dress, in which case the Duchess might well have made a mistake!’

Simon looked totally baffled. ‘Don’t know what the deuce you’re talking about, Jane! All I know is that I must find her again! Last night-’

‘Yes!’ Jane said wrathfully, remembering that she had not yet had the chance to take him to task for deserting her at Vauxhall. ‘What did you mean by leaving me all alone like that? Why, anything might have happened!’

Simon looked self-conscious. ‘Yes, I do apologise, Janey! I thought I saw her again, you see, so I had no thought but to rush after her! Anyway, it was no good, for she had disappeared. But you must see that I have to find her!’

‘Why?’ Jane asked bluntly. ‘Have you truly thought about this, Simon? You say she was no servant, but how do you know? She might be a governess or a confectioner’s assistant or-’

Simon blushed bright red. ‘Never put you down as a snob, Jane!’

‘Oh, don’t be so foolish! That was not what I meant!’ Jane frowned at him. ‘Think about this, Simon-what would such a girl believe, if a peer of the realm came to find her and tell her that he wished to pursue an acquaintance with her?’

‘Why, that-’ Simon stopped dead.

‘Exactly,’ his sister said drily.

‘Then I should persuade her of my good intentions-’

‘Intentions? Then you wish to marry her?’

Simon thrust a hand through his fair hair. ‘Devil take it, Jane, I don’t know! All I know is that I need to find her! I-’ He broke off, realising that he was about to say that he loved her. It seemed so extraordinary. He had seen the girl twice, for such a brief time. He did not even know her name, and yet…

‘I suppose you think me run quite mad,’ he finished glumly.

Jane looked a little rueful. Privately she thought that her own feelings for Alex made her ill-equipped to judge anyone else. ‘Not really, Simon. I can only respect your feelings. So I shall go and ask Celestine if she can help us. Wait here for me!’

Presently Jane, Sophia and Lady Verey all came out of the modiste’s talking nineteen to the dozen. As they strolled slowly up the pavement in the sunshine, Jane caught her brother’s eye and fell back a little. She took his arm as Lady Verey and Sophia walked on ahead.

‘Well?’ Simon could scarcely contain himself.

‘I spoke to Celestine,’ Jane said softly. ‘There is a girl-her name is Thérèse.’ She felt his arm jerk under her hand, as though she had shocked him. ‘Try to look as though we are talking of something inconsequential,’ she added humorously, ‘unless you wish to acquaint Mama of your plans at this early stage! I hope we are speaking of the same person,’ she added. ‘Slender and very fair?’

Simon nodded speechlessly.

‘Celestine says that she did piece work for her. Bits and pieces of sewing,’ Jane added, seeing that her brother was looking puzzled. ‘It is cheaper for the modiste to employ people only when she needs them. She says that Thérèse was a very good seamstress but that she had to dismiss her because of a complaint from the Duchess of Merrion. Apparently Thérèse borrowed the Duchess’s gown for a masquerade and the Duchess threatened to take all her custom elsewhere…’

They walked on a little in silence.

‘Thérèse…’ Simon said slowly, ‘…is she French?’

‘Yes, an émigrée, Celestine said. She knows little more about her,’ Jane warned. ‘She said that Thérèse kept very much to herself and told no one of her circumstances.’

‘But did she have an address for her? Surely she must…’

Jane gave him an old-fashioned look. ‘You think that she would be anxious to part with such information? She was already deeply suspicious of me and your peering into cupboards and around doors hardly helped! For all that I told her that Thérèse had been recommended to me and I wished her to do some work for me, I believe she thought me a procuress!’

‘Jane!’

Jane delved into her reticule. ‘This is the address she gave me. Do not be surprised if she has already sent to warn her-’

Simon grabbed the paper and held it triumphantly high. ‘Thank you, Jane!’ He kissed her cheek and dashed off down the street.

Lady Verey and Sophia turned to look at Jane in astonishment.

‘Simon has forgotten the hat he wanted,’ Jane said foolishly, grasping at the first excuse that came into her head. ‘He has the details written on the piece of paper. He will join us later for luncheon.’ And he may bring you your new daughter-in-law, she added silently, looking at her mother’s unsuspecting face and wondering a little apprehensively what on earth would happen if he did.