ACOUNTRYMOUSE

FenellaMiller

ChapterOne'Mama,shallIarrange

tohavetheroofmendedor not?' Emily waited,fists clenched, for hermother,theLadyAltheaGibson,toreply.'What was that, my

love?''Theroof,Mama,shall

I get it repaired?' Hermother frowned andclosedhereyesagain.

'Whatever you please,mylove.Youknowbest.' Emily watched her

mothersinkbackintoadeepsleepandhereyesfilled. It had been sodifferent two years ago,before her father hadbeenkilledinacarriageaccident. Then, GlebeHouse, had been ahappyplace;hermotherlivelyandbeautiful.Now she lay on the

chaise-longue all day,taking no interest inanything, making nodecisions, leavingeverythingtoEmily.Hermother was only twoand forty but lookedyears older. Her lovelybrown hair was fadingand her skin held anunhealthy pallor. Sherealized she waswatching her motherslowly fade away but

there was nothing shecoulddoaboutit.Her father, Mr Peter

Gibson,haddied,takinghis annuity with him.The small estateproducedbarelyenoughrevenue tokeepherself,hermother,andhertwoyounger sisters, Ameliaaged thirteen andSerena aged nine, frompenury. Emily sighedandcrossedtheroomto

pull up the patchworkcomforter, her mother'sskeletal frame barelymaking a dent in thecover,thenshereturnedtothestudytocontinueher find a way to keeptheirsmallfamilyafloat.'Em, are you coming

for a walk with us?Mary says we can goand look forblackberries in thewoods.' Serena already

had her cloak andwalking boots on readyforthepromisedouting.'No,Serena,I'msorry,

I have too much toattend to this morning.But I will be up thisafternoon to see howwell you have learntyesterday's lessons.'Emilyreacheddownandrefastened Serena'sbonnetstring.Theearlyautumn weather was

fine, but since heryounger sisters nearfatal illness twowintersbefore, she hadremained susceptible tochillsandfevers.Serena grinned up at

Emily. 'Millie has notfinished her French soyouhadbetternotcomeup before teatime.'There was a clatter ofbootsontheuncarpetedstairsbehindthem.

'Ihavefinished;donottell-tales,Serena.Ididitjustnow.''Iamdelightedtohear

it, Millie.' Emily kissedher sister andautomatically rectifiedher appearance. 'Mustyou always look soharem-scarem, mydear? If you travelledabout the place a littlemore slowly I'm certainyou would get less

dishevelled.'Amelia Gibsonwas at

that stage when sheappeared to be all legsand arms and flyinghair. But even atthirteen her oval face,withitshugevioleteyes,framedbytumblingnut-brown curls, gavepromise that she wouldbe a great beauty inyearstocome.Millieshookherhead,

dislodging several morestrands of hair fromwhatwasmeanttobeatidy waist-length braid.'I like to run, Em; Iwould never have timeenough to do all thethings Iwish todo inaday if I walkedeverywhere,asyoudo.''I'm a responsible

adult of almost twentyyears. I canhardly raceabout Glebe House.

Mama would bescandalized.' They allknew their belovedmother scarcely noticedtheir existence butEmily liked to pretendthings were as theyshouldbe.Shewoulddoanything to make lifeeasier for Serena andMillieandhermother.Mary, the girls nurse,

appeared, a trifle

breathless, from thenarrow servantspassageway.'Goodness me, Miss

Millie,youfarewearmeout! I can scarce keepupwithyou.''Then don't try,Mary.

We're quite content towait for you.' Mary hadnursed all three of theGibson girls with loveand devotion but wasnow, in her middle

years, finding theenergetic Millie a soretrialtoherplumplegs.'It's unladylike to run

downstairs, Miss Millie,andwellyouknowit.'Fearing another

argument Serenaintervened. She slippedher hand into Mary's.'Mary, shall we go andfetch a basket fromCook? If we're to pickblackberries we will

need something to putthemin,willwenot?''I'll run and get one.

Waithere forme.'Milliewas gone, with a flurryoffadingbluecalicoandcrisp starched cotton,leavingthemnochoice.Emilylaughed.'It'sno

good fretting, Mary.Milliewillgrowoutofit;afterallIdid,didInot?'She watched the threedepart, chattering

happily, down the weedfilled drive, and closedthe heavy oak frontdoor, returning to herduties. It seemed alifetime since she hadeither the freedom, orthe inclination, to dashabouttheplace.The past two years

had been grey andoppressive. Angrily sheslammedthestudydoorbehind her. Her

maternal grandfather,the Earl of Westerham,wasentirelytoblamefortheir present miserablesituation.Her mother, Althea,

had been bornunexpectedly to theCountess when in herforties, and had beenmuch petted and spoiltby both doting parents.Her older brother,Peregrine, had already

left home and marriedwhen his parentspresented him with aninfant sister. He viewedthe whole proceedingswith extreme distasteand had neverexchangedmore than afew words with hissibling.When Altheamarried,

against the wishes ofher parents, one MrPeterGibson, a country

squire of impeccablebirth but moderateincome,herparentshadbeen displeased.However all might havebeen well if theCountess had not diedsoon afterwards beforethey could bereconciled. The Earlblamedhisdaughterforhis wife's death andneverforgaveher.Whilst her father had

been alive, Emily knewher mother had beenabletocontainhergriefat the Earl's harshtreatment, but now themisery of losing herhusbandhaduncoveredthe old wound and itwas proving too muchforher.LadyAltheawassufferingfromanervouscondition, whichbecame worse as eachday passed, which had

started after she hadbecomeawidow.Emily had written to

her grandfather, tellinghim of her father'sdeath,andhermother'spoor health, but hadreceived no response.She knew there was nopoint applying to herUncle Peregrine for hehad died many yearsago. She supposed thatshe must have cousins

andsecondcousinsbutthe connection was toodistant tobeofanyusetohernow.Herspiritssankwhen

shelookedatthepileofpapers on the desk. Alldemands for paymentand she had scarcelyenough funds to coverthem.Andnow the roofhad sprung a leak andthere was nothing shecould do about it. At

this rate Glebe Housewould fall down aroundtheir ears before theyhad the wherewithal torepairit.Shesankbackonone

of the threadbare,sagging chairs and hershoulders slumped.Whatcouldshedo?Wastherenowayoutordidcertain ruin face them?Where could she obtainthe necessarymoney to

solvetheirproblems?Suddenly she sat up;

clapping her hands toher mouth as anincredible idea occurredto her. Yes; it was theonly way. She wouldfindawealthymanandmarryhim.Shefrownedas a potential problemoccurred to her. Shedidn't know any menwealthy or otherwise.But she knew someone

whodid!Shescrambledupand

hurriedovertothedesk.She pushed the pile ofbills to one side andplaced a clean sheet ofpaper in front of her.She would write, onelast time, to hergrandfather.He was, after all, her

guardian, and the headofherhousehold,evenifso far he had ignored

hisduties.She carefully trimmed

a quill and prepared towrite the most difficultletter of her life. Shewas going to ask hergrandfather, the Earl ofWesterham, to find hera suitable husband.Years ago he hadarranged a match forhis daughter, Althea,butshehadrefusedhischoice. Perhaps his

granddaughter'swillingness to bemarried to a man thathe selected would healthe breach between thefamilies.If her mother had

been well Emily wouldnot have contemplatedsuch a drastic step butin the presentcircumstances shedoubted that herdecision would be

questioned.****

'Have you taken leaveof your senses, mylord?' The RightHonourable, SebastianEdward Lessing, theViscountYardley,lookeddown his longaristocratic nose at hisgreat-grandfather, theEarl of Westerham,seated comfortably infront of a roaring apple

woodfire.'Sit down, my boy,

andstopglaringatme.Ihave merely suggestedthat you considermarrying mygranddaughter, EmilyGibson.Idonotseewhyyouaresooutraged.'Thetall,elegantyoung

man,kickedviciouslyata log in the grate,making the sparksshoot up the wide

chimney. 'I have nodesire to become legshackled, my lord. Ihave my duties in thegovernment to perform.Taking a wife in suchcircumstanceswouldbetheheightof folly.GoodGod,sir, Iamhardly inthe country at themoment. Since Boneyescaped from Elba Icouldbesentabroadatanymoment,surelyyou

understandthat?''Exactly, my boy, and

whathappensifyouarekilled?Iknowyouareadiplomat, but you areoftenatthefrontlineofbattle, are you not?'Reluctantly Sebastiannodded. 'You have noheir, with your deaththe title would die out,would you have thathappen?''No, of course not.'

Sebastian turned,flicked a piece of ashfrom his glossy topboots,andstrolled back to stare

unhappily out of thewindow. Acres of lushparkland rolled awayfromhim.Westerham had been

intheLessingfamilyforhundreds of years; heowed it tohisancestorsto ensure it remained

so. He supposed great-grandfatherwascorrect;hereallyhadnochoice.Heneededtomarryandsetuphisnursery.'Verywell,sir;Iaccept

that I need to find awife. But why mysecond cousin Emily? Idid not know of herexistence until fiveminutes ago. And whatmakesyousupposeshewould wish to marry

me?'TheEarlchuckledand

his harsh featuressoftened. 'Here,myboy,read this.' He waved amuchcrumpledpieceofpaper in front ofSebastian who reachedoverandtookit.Hereadthemissivewithgrowingastonishment. Hisfinally arched eyebrowsdisappeared under hisfashionably cropped

hair. His voice drippedwithdisdain.'Emily Gibson, my

lord, is outrageous. Tooffer herself up for salein thismannershowsalack of refinement andbreeding I could notcountenanceinawifeofmine.''How dare you insult

my granddaughter,Yardley.Iwillnothaveaword said against

Emily.' The Earl glaredat his great-grandsonuntil the younger manflushed and lookedaway.Sebastiandidnotoffer an apology. 'It ismy fault, you see; Iblamed her mother formy wife's death. Thechild wrote to me twoyearsagobeggingformyassistance when herfatherdiedbutIignoredher appeal.' The old

man openly wiped hiseyes. 'I am head of thefamily; it is my job totakecareofthem.Ihavebeen very remiss not tohave done so before. Iwant to be reconciledwith my daughter,Althea,beforeImeetmymaker.'Sebastian snorted.

'Well and good, sir. Youcan do that withoutinvolving me in your

plans,canyounot?''I am four and eighty,

my boy, and howeverrobust I appear, I cannot have long left onthis earth. You wish tofind a wife, mygranddaughter wishestofindahusband,whatbetter arrangementcouldtherebe?''I could select a wife

formyself.''Whendoyouhavethe

opportunity? You arenot part of thefashionable set, you donot attend Almack's, ordebutanteballs,howareyou going to meetsomeone more suitable,tellmethat?'Sebastian shook his

head in frustration. Hecould feel himself beingpushed into a corner.Then unexpectedly hesmiled. 'Very well, my

lord.Iwillagreetomeetthis young woman, butif she is not to myliking,Ireservetherightto refuse. Is thatacceptable?'The Earl of

Westerhamsmiledback.'Excellent! I am sureEmily will be a lovelygirl; her mother was adiamond of the firstwateratherage.She iscertainly resourceful

and intelligent. Herletterstomeareproofofthatatleast.''Whendoyouwishme

to return to inspect thegirl?''I intend to send my

carriage for themtoday;it is to be hoped theywould be here by theend of the week. Therearetwoyoungergirlsaswell.Itwillbewonderfulto hear the sound of

childrenaboutthishugeemptyplaceoncemore.'Sebastian shuddered.

He had three unknowncountry cousins tocontend with? What alowering thought; if hedecided to marry theeldest, Emily, hesupposed he would beexpected to provide fortheothertwoaswell.Hehad no dealings withchildren and desired to

keep it that way for aslongaspossible.'Imustreturntotown,

sir. I am wanted inCabinet. I willendeavour to visitWesterham sometimenextweek.'The twomen,soalike

inbothappearanceandpersonality that theyconstantly clashed,parted, for once, onamicable terms. Two

hours after ViscountYardley's departure anenormous crestedtravelling carriage,complete withcoachman, groom andtwopostilions,lumberedout, followed by anemptybaggagecartandtwoarmedoutriders.Noone with any senseriskedtheroadswithoutadequate protectionfrom highway men and

footpads.****

From her hiddenposition at the studywindow Emily watchedthe impressive carriagetrundle up their rutteddrive, her heartpounding withapprehension. Hergrandfather hadresponded to her letterin a way she had notanticipated.

She heard pounding,childish footstepsapproaching down thecorridor.Thestudydoorburst open and MillieandSerenaeruptedintotheroom.'Emcomeandsee. There's a hugecrested coach comingdownthedrive.Whoevercan it be? Do we knowanyonelikethat?'Emilyswallowed. 'Yes,

my love, we do. Don't

you remember that ourgrandfather is the Earlof Westerham? That iswhymotherisknownasLadyAltheaGibson,notMrsGibson.''But Mama does not

speak to him. How canhe be here?' Millie'svoicewasshrill.'Calm yourself,

Amelia,and I'll explain.'Emily waited for hersisters to be quiet. 'I

wrote to grandfatherexplaining that Mamawas unwell and askedhim if he could help inany way.' Never wouldsheadmittohersisters,or hermother, the truecontentsofherletter.'And he has come

himself? Do you thinkhe's in the coach?'Serenapiped.'No, darling, I'm sure

he is not. He must be

wellovereightynow.I'mcertain he would nevertravelsofar.''Thenwhoisit?Why's

thecoachcominghere?''Amelia, don't be so

impatient. I have nomore idea than you do.Now run along and tellEdwards; she will wishto prepare Mama.' Shetook Serena's hand.'You stay with me; wewill go and wait in the

morningroomtogether.'Scarcely ten minutes

later a loud knockingwas heard on the frontdoor.Theoneremainingmaid-servant, Sally,hurried to answer thesummons. Outsidestood an impressivearrayofpeople.Ablackgarbed gentlemanheadedthequeue.'Is Lady Althea

Gibson,athome?'

The girl dropped anervouscurtsy.'Yes,sir,that she is. Will youcome in, please? WhowillItellheriswaiting?''MrFoster,theEarlof

Westerham's man ofbusiness.Ihavealetterfor Miss Emily GibsonandoneforLadyAlthea.Deliver them for meplease.''Please to wait in the

ante-room, sir. I will

takethelettersdirectly.'The frightened girl leftMr Foster in the smallroom next to theentrance hall. Shehesitated,notsureifthewaiting grooms andoutriders should bedirectedelsewhere.'My staff will wait

outside.'"Yes, Mr Foster, sir,

thank you.' The girlhastily closed the door

and scuttled across theshabbyhalltofindMissEmily. She knew LadyAltheawasasleepinherbed,eventhoughitwaspastnoon.'I have two letters

here,MissEmily.''Thank you, I shall

take them both. Couldyou take in somerefreshment for ourvisitor?'With shaking hands

she broke theimpressive seal andunfolded the letter. Heryoungest sisterwatchedanxiously as the colourdrained from Emily'sface.'What is it, Em, is it

bad news? Has ourgrandfatherdied?'Emily pulled herself

together sufficiently toanswer.'No,darling.It'svery good news indeed.

Grandfather has invitedusalltolivewithhimatWesterham. He is totake care of us infuture. Is that notsplendidnews?'

ChapterTwoSerena wondered why

such good news hadcaused her elder sisterto look so frightened.'Don't you wish to go,Em?''Yes, of course, I do.

It's a shock; but awelcome one.' She bentdown to hug her sister.'It has been such aworry,tryingtokeepus

solvent on so littlemoney.When Iwrote tothe Earl I had no ideahe would respond soquickly. That's why Iwas unnerved for amoment, nothing more,I do assure you,sweetheart.''Shall I run and tell

Mama? Shewas alwaysused to talk aboutWesterham and what agreat house it was,

when Papa was alive.She will be pleased toreturn,won'tshe?''I'msureshewill.But

don't go upstairs to tellher; I will come alongdirectlyIhavespokentoMrFoster.Shewasstillasleepa littlewhileago.It will take time forEdwards to get herorganized. We don'twish to make her evenmore unwell do we,

Serena?'Thelittlegirlsolemnly

shook her head, herdark braids flying. 'CanItellMilliethough?'Emily gave her

consent and the childran off, eager to sharethe amazing news withsomeone. Mr Fosterstood up as Emilyentered.Hebowed.'Iamdelightedtomeet

you, Miss Gibson.' He

didn'tofferhishandandEmily did not curtsy,shemerely nodded

politely.Shemightbeaspoor as a countrymouse but she knewhowtobehave.'Ihavereadmy letter,

MrFoster.Itwilltakeusa few days to get readyfor a move toWesterham.''Ofcourseitwill,Miss

Gibson. IhavearrangedtoputupattheBull,inthe next village. I willleave a groom here, ifthat'sacceptable.Pleasesend word with himwhen you're ready todepart.'Emily agreed she

woulddo that.Anextrapair of strong malehandswould be a boonmoving trunks andbelongings down to the

hall. Glebe House nolonger had male indoorservants. She had hadtoletthemgowhenherfatherpassedaway.She picked up her

skirts and ran lightlyupstairs, the letter forhermother inherotherhand. The oneaddressedtoherselfwasburning a hole in herpocket. She felt hercolour rise as she

remembered itscontents. The Earl hadoffered the Gibsonfamily his protectionand wished for them tocome and live with himat Westerham. He hadalsoagreedtofindherasuitable husband butsuggested that it wouldmeet with hiswholeheartedapprovalifsheagreed tomarryhisgreat-grandson, his

heir,hersecondcousin,Sebastian EdwardLessing, ViscountYardley.She knew little of the

man,apartfromhewasfour and twenty yearsold and already arespecteddiplomat.Shealso knew that he livedin London, so mustsuppose he was amember of the ton, a

Corinthian, and a manof taste and wealth.After all he had beenliving on hisexpectationsforyearsasboth his father, andgrandfather, hadpredeceased the Earl ofWesterham.Shesmiled ruefullyat

her faded grey gown,twice made over, andsadly in need ofrenewal. Whatever

would a fashionableman about town see insuch a country mouseasshe?She stopped dead,

clutching the banisterfor support as anappalling thoughtoccurredtoher.Whatifher cousin found hernot to his taste andrefused to marry her?Would they all be sentpacking?Bereturnedto

live in Glebe House?Ferventlysheprayed,asshestoodfrozenhalfwayup the stairs. 'Oh God,please do not let himrefuse me. It would killMama if she was to berestored to her familyhome and then rejectedfor a second time.' Shefeltachillrundownherspine at anotherunwelcomethought.Her mother had been

so ill these last twoyears, spendingmost ofher days lying unseeinganduncaringonherdaybed. Her nights shespent in a laudanuminduced sleep. Howwould the man, hardenough tohave rejectedhis only daughter formarrying against hiswishes, react to herchangedcondition?They couldn't go to

Westerham until hermother was moreherself. She determinedto persuade hermotherto tryand return to thereal world; Emilycontinued her journeyupstairs, the light ofbattle in her amazinghazeleyes.Edwards, Lady

Althea's dresser, hadsucceeded in rousing

her. 'Come along now,my lady, up you get.There's a letter here foryou. It's a long timesince we had a letterisn't it?' Edward'smention of the letterhadbeenthekey.'What is that,

Edwards? A letter didyousay?Handittome,please.' Lady AltheaGibson pushed herstringy hair back from

her pale forehead, quiteunconcerned about herappearance. In heryouth she had been inthe forefront of fashionbut nowadays shescarcely noticed whatshe wore or how shelooked.She justdidnothave the energy to copewith life without herbeloved Peter. But aletter? Now that was

worth waking up for.Thatherdaughterswerelost without her hadlong ago ceased to be aconcern.She was ineffectually

strugglingtopickof theimpressive blob ofsealing wax whensomething about itsshape and imprintcausedher topause. 'Itis from Papa! Edwards,thisisfrommyPapa.'

With shaky fingersshe unfolded the stiffpaper and began toread.Foramoment theheavy black scrawl sheknew so well dancedbefore her eyes. With asupreme effort shefocused and began toread.My dear daughter,

Althea,

Ithasbeenfartoolongsince we are on goodterms. I admit the faulthasbeenmineandwishto make amends, if youwill allow me to. I havesentacarriage tocollectyouandyourthreegirls.I would like you all tomove toWesterhamandlivewithme.Yourfather,RichardLessing.

Althea felt her

stomach roil and wasglad shehadnot eaten.Sheraisedherheadandher eyes were full.'Edwards, I am to gohome.Hehasaskedmetocomehome.Atlast,Ishall have back the lifethatIlost.''I'mdelighted,madam.

That's good newsindeed. But if we're to

travel sixty miles you'llneed to feelwell.At themoment you're notstrong enough to standthejourney.'Before Lady Althea

could answer Emilyentered, her paleserious face for onceanimated and herremarkable eyessparkling. 'Mama, haveyou read your letteryet?'

'Ihave,mydear.Yourgrandfather has invitedus to make his homewith him. Are you notpleased?'I am, of course I am.

Butthereismuchtodobefore we can depart.The carriage and staffthat accompanied it aregoing to put up TheBull, in Misham. We'reto send for them whenwe're ready. I have told

them that we'll needseveral days. Is thatgoing to be sufficient,for you, Mama?' Thiswas addressed at hermother but it was atEdwards that shelooked. Her mother'sdevoted dresser noddedand Emily's smilebecamebroader.'I should think it

woulddo,mydear.ButI must have some new

gownsbeforeweleave.Itwill not do for Papa tothinkmedowdy.''Ihavealreadysentto

Misham and MrsSimpson will be herelater. Jenny's upstairsintheatticsatthisverymoment collecting thelast of the Indianmaterials we have beensaving for such anoccasion as this,' Emilytoldher.

Hermotherfrowned.'Iwill require at leastthree gowns; you andthe girls mustmake dowith one. I doubt thatthere will be enoughmaterial left for you tohavemore.'It's of no matter,

Mama. I'llbecontent tohave one new gown, Icanassureyou.'Emily hoped that it

was true that first

impressions were whatmattered. She wouldwear her new gown tomake her first curtsy,after that she wouldhave to return to hermeagre wardrobe, andsheknewnobodywouldbeimpressedbythat.Lady Althea watched

the play of emotionacross her eldestdaughter's face. 'I shallask Mrs Simpson to

make you and the girlstwo dresses each; it isessential that we allhaveatleastonechangeof raiment.' Exhaustedshe sank back on herpillows.Sheopenedhereyes again withdifficulty, and reachedover to take herdaughter'shand.'Ishalltry harder, my love. Ishallnotbelikethisanylonger.Iwillbeyourold

mother again presently.Waitandsee.'Emily returned the

squeezeandbenttokissher mother's cheek. 'Iknow you will, Mama,andIwillhelpyou.Butit'sgoingtotaketimetorestore you to yourformerhealth.Youmustnotexpecttobebacktonormal inaweekorso;youhavebeenillfortwoyears, and it could be

months before you'refeeling quite well. Butfor the moment youmustthinkabouteatingagain and getting upandmovingaroundyourroom. You have beenlying still for far toolong.'But her mother was

once more asleep, andhad not heard her.Emily turned toEdwards,hereyeshard.

'Giveme the laudanum,Edwards. There will benomore.''But, Miss Emily, her

ladyship cannot sleepwithout it. She'll be indesperate straits if youtake it away.' Emilycontinued to hold outher hand andreluctantly the elderlywoman went to retrievethe three small bottlesof black, noxious fluid

from their hiding place.'Whatever you maythink, miss, your dearmother would not bealive today withoutthat.''I know you're

probablycorrectandI'msorry Edwards. It's notyourfault.ButIhatetoseeherthisway.''Leavemealittlethen,

miss, for when shebecomes too restless;

it's best to stop itgradually,youknow.'Emily hesitated,

unwillingtogivetheevilliquid back. ButEdwards was right; hermotherwouldhavediedfrom grief without thepain being dulled byopium. She examinedthe three small bottles.'Youmay have this, it'shalf full. But it's to bethe last,beverysureof

that.''Once Lady Althea is

back home she will notneed it anymore. Waitand see, Miss Gibson,madam will regain herformer spirits in notime.''I pray that you're

correct. Try andgetherup and dressed; thegirlswillwishtoseeherlater on. They'rebursting with questions

aboutWesterham.'****

The intervening dayswere filled with feverishactivity. Trunks werefound and packed withfavourite books andleisure items. MrsSimpson and her teamofseamstressessnippedand sewed withenthusiasm andproduced the requiredgarmentsinrecordtime.

Theirarrivalwasgreetedwith speechlessadmiration.LadyAlthea,although still too weaktoremainonherfeetallday, was making avalianteffort.Itwasshewhobrokethesilence. 'Mrs Simpson, you

have surpassedyourself. The gowns arebeautiful. I had nonotionthatthe

Indian silk wouldmakeupsowell in thatnewhighwaistedstyle.'The mantua maker

bobbed a curtsy,beaming happily at hercustomer'sdelight. 'Yes,my lady, such delicatematerial is perfect forthe long flowing skirts.Therewas sufficient leftover to make matchingshawls and even trimyour bonnets.' Her

assistants held up theitems for theirinspection.'Mama, you'll look

wonderful in thatgown.Burgundy and gold area perfect combination,'Emily exclaimed,pleasedhermotherwastakinganinterestinherappearance once more.'And I like the longsleeves and highneckline. Your old

burgundy pelisse is anexact match and nowthat it has been takenin, itwill complete youroutfitperfectly.'Serena and Amelia

examined the dressesmade for them from alengthofblueandwhitemuslin. They even hadnew pinafores andstockings. 'Thank you,Em, I love my dresses.'Millieranthematerialof

one through her fingersenjoying its softness.'And your lilac andsilver gown is beautifultoo.''I know, Millie. I was

not sure such a colourcombination wasentirely suitable forsomeonemy age, but itdoes look lovely. I thinkthisnew fashion is veryflattering, especially forsomeone who is as tall

andthinasIam.''The colour is very

becoming, my dear,'Lady Althea said,noticing for the firsttime how much weighthereldestdaughterhadshed.Theoutfitstobeworn

on the journey werehung ready for thefollowing day and theothers carefully packed,in tissue paper, in the

waiting trunks. GlebeHouse was to be closeddown; Holland sheetscoveredallthefurnitureand the shutters werelocked. Cook and herhusband Potts, the soleoutdoor man, were toremainbehindtoactascaretakers.Asalltheirhorseshad

beensold therewerenogroomsorstableboystofindemploymentfor.

Mary, thegirls'nurse,and Jenny, Emily'sAbigail and Edwards,her mother's dresser,were obviously toaccompany them. Sally,the one remaining livein servant, had foundemployment locally.Thedailywomen,who cametodotheheavycleaningand laundry, had beengiven a guinea ascompensation.

Everything was as itshould be. Emily wasstill concerned that hermother was too frail tocopewith the rigoursofa two-day journey butLadyAltheaassuredhershewasstoutenoughtotravel.Five days after the

luxurious coach hadfirst appeared at GlebeHouse it returned tocollect the Gibson

family. Their baggagehad departed theprevious day; it wouldbe waiting for themwhen they arrived atWesterham. Now themoment for departurehadcomethefamilywassilent.Thegirlsstoppedtheir excited chattering;Emily felt her chestconstrict, but LadyAltheawasonlyworriedthat her beloved father

would not welcome heras she hoped. Thehouse she had spenthalf her life in was nolonger somewhere shewishedtobe.Itheldtoomany sad memories,and was a dailyreminder of herinsurmountableloss.Foster would ride on

the box with thecoachman. It would beunseemly for him to

travel inside even ifthere was sufficientroom. He had beenobliged tohireasecondcarriagetotransportthethree servants. He hadexpected them to travelwith the baggage butMiss Gibson hadrefused toagree to this.She had insisted thattheycouldnotmanageatwo-dayjourneywithouttheirpersonalmaids.

The steps were foldedback and the carriagedoor slammed shut.Foster sprung up on tothe box and thecoachmangave the fourhandsome matchingbaystheofficetostart.'Well, we're off. I can

hardly believe we'releavingGlebeHouse forever.'Milliesaid,quietly.Emily shivered. Shecould not bear to

consider the possibilitythatshewouldbefoundwanting by ViscountYardley and they wouldallbesentback.LadyAltheafell intoa

fitful doze and Ameliaand Serena were happywatching the blaze ofautumn colour pass bytheirwindow.Emilywasallowed to situndisturbed andcontemplate the future.

WhatdidSebastianlooklike?Washehandsome?Would he be aconsiderate husband?She smiled as sheremembered how happyher parents had been.Shewantedheruniontobe a loving relationshiplikethat.Sheswallowedas bile rose in herthroat.Her marriage would

never be the same; it

was to be one ofconvenience; ViscountYardleyneededtosetuphis nursery before heleft for the continentandshewasmarryingtoprovide security for herfamily.Exactly what was

involved in 'settingupanursery', she had onlythe vaguest notion.Whatever it was, sheknew, she was not

looking forward to it.These unpleasantthoughts wereinterrupted by hermother,whohadwoken.'Are you quite well,

Emily, my dear? Youhave gone verywhite? Ihopeyouarenotfeelingtravelsick?''No, I'm fine. Just a

little apprehensiveabout starting a newlife. You're going home,

Mama; Westerham isentirelynewtous.''You are all going to

love it; I was so happythere. In some parts itdates back hundreds ofyears, you know. Mygrandfather had a newwingbuiltinthemodernstyle and it is in thispart that we shallreside.' She closed hereyes and her mouthcurved as she thought

about her childhoodhome. 'It has bathingrooms attached to themain suites where onecan take a bathwhenever one wishes.Only the hot water hasto be fetched up; thedirty water escapesdownapipe.'The two younger girls

looked at their motherin astonishment. 'Butwheredoesthewatergo

to, Mama?' Serenaasked.'I have no idea,

darling. I only know itdisappears.''I expect it is directed

outside,' Emily told thegirls. 'We shall have toinvestigate when wearrive.'Foster had arranged

for them to break theirjourneyfornuncheonatThe Bell, a prestigious

postinghouse.The foodprovided was the besttheyhadeatenformorethan two years. Repleteand happy they allsnoozed the afternoonaway. The overnightstop was equallyenjoyable, for only LadyAlthea would ever haveexperienced suchfawning and bowing astheywereoffered.Thebestofeverything

hadbeenbespokenandthey were given theattention such expensemerited. Serena andMilliewere almost sorrywhen the carriageturned into theimpressive stone gatesand began the finalstage of their trip downthe three miles ofimpeccably tendeddrive.Thelengthofthis,and

the splendour of thepark, silenced even thegirls.LadyAlthea'sheadturned eagerly, notingchangesandrecognizinglandmarks she had notseen for twenty-twoyears.Emilysat,staringstraight ahead, feelingmore nauseous by theminute.Shewishedthatshe could vanish fromthesilk-linedcoachandmiraculously return to

GlebeHouse.She realized that her

decision to sacrifice herown happiness toprovide security for hersisterswasnot going tobeeasy.Thenearertheygot to their destinationthemore frightened shebecame.Shewishedshehadnoteatensoheavilyatbreakfast.'Stop; please -- stop.'

She banged frantically

on the coach roof andthe vehicle lurched to astandstill. Not waitingfor the steps, Emilythrew open the door,jumped down, and ranfor the privacy of thebushes where she castup her accounts; shewas watched withconcern by her mother,amusement by hersisters but disgust bytheman,mountedona

magnificent chestnutstallion, his presencehidden by theoverhangingbranchesoftheyewtrees.

ChapterThreeJenny, seeing her

mistress's distress,scrambled down fromher place in thefollowingcarriage.Emilyfinished her retchingandwipedhermouthonthe damp cloth Jennyhandedtoher.Herheadwas spinning and herkneesweak.'Thankyou,Jenny. I am recovered

now.'She stepped away

from the bushes andstood whilst her maidattempted to restoreordertoherappearance.She glanced up to seethree anxious faceswatching from thecarriage.Pinningasmileto her pale face shewalked back andclimbed slowly up thesteps that had been

lowered in her absencebyoneofthepostilions.'I'msosorry,Mama. I

do believe thatsomething I ate atbreakfast must havedisagreedwithme.''And I am sorry, my

dear. I should have gotdown toassist you.ButI am no use in suchcircumstances, as youwellknow.''Please do not

apologise, Mama. I'mquite old enough tovomit on my own.' Sheheard a smotheredgiggle. 'It's quitepermissible to laughgirls.I'mnotsostuffyastoobject.'Amelia grinned. 'You

were very sick, Em; I'mso relieved that you gotout of the carriage intime.'Emily joined in the

laughter. 'Amen to that,Millie.' She reached uptapped, gently, on theroof, and the carriageresumed its statelyprocessdownthedrive.Whilst the girls

exclaimed in wonder atthe extent of the rollingparkland and thehandsome trees bothEmily and Lady Altheasatsilently,immersedintheir own thoughts.

Lady Althea had noreservations about herreturn toWesterham. Itwaswhereshebelongednowthatherhusbandwas no longer alive.

She had accepted herreduced circumstanceshappily when she wassharing them with herbeloved Peter. Withouthim the misery of herpenury had quiteoverwhelmedher.

She knew that nowshe had returned shewouldgetwellagainandbeabletotakeherplacein society. Lady Altheaglanced down at hernew dress and her thinlips curved inappreciation. Soon herfather would replenishthe whole of herwardrobeandshecouldstart re-establishing

herself in the ton. Theseason had barelybegun; in a few weeksshewascertainthatshewouldbestrongenoughtoenjoyescortingEmilytotheballs,soirees,andmusical evenings onofferinLondon.Emily's thoughtswere

not so sanguine. Hermother's happiness,maybeherverylife,wasdependent on her

fulfilling hergrandfather's wishes.She had no doubt thathis benevolence waslinked to her marriagetohisheir,theViscountYardley. If he had trulywished to restore theirfortunes he could havedonesotwoyearssince,when he received thefirst letter asking forhelp.She looked across at

hermother,sothinandfrail, but at least shewas smiling. Edwardshad assured her LadyAlthea was no longertaking laudanum everynight to help her sleep.Everything rested onEmily's shoulders.Well,they were strongenough; she had beenrunning Glebe House,and educating hersisters, for thepast two

years.Shedoubtedthatmany 19-year-oldscould do as she haddone.Comparedtothat,persuading her cousinSebastian to make anoffer should present nodifficulty.'Em,Emily, look, look

at the house! It looksjust like a castle.'Serena tugged at hersister'ssleeve to gain her

attention.Sorry, Serena, I was

wool-gathering. Are wethere?' Emily leanedforward and peered outof the window. 'Goodheavens, it's huge! Andyou never said it washalfcastle,Mama.''Did I not, my dear, I

must have forgot.' Hermother joined them atthe open window. 'It isexactlyasIrememberit.

I am so glad that I ambackhereatlast.Ihavemissed Westerhamevery day I have beenaway.'Emily's brow creased

a little. Was hermother's enthusiasmunnatural? Surely allyoung womanunderstood they had toleave the familial homewhentheyembarkedonmatrimony? Was this

obsession withWesterham a sign thatshe was still unwellafter her prolongedperiod of mentalinstability?'Well, you're home

now, Mama. I cannotwait for you to showusall the places that youhave talked about somuch.'Her mother finally

focused on her eldest

daughter. 'You still lookatriflehagged,mydear.Pinch your cheeks andpressyourlipstogether;try and restore somecolourtoyour face.Youwant to make a goodimpression,doyounot?'Lady Althea smiled andfor the first time in twoyears humour wasreflected in her eyes. 'Ibelieve that one pallidindividual is quite

enough for this family,donotyou?'Emily laughed out

loud; the relief at hermother's return tonormality replacing heranxiety aboutmaking afavourable impression.'Wedolooklikeapairofunderfed sparrows,don't we? But I'mcertain will both berobust again now thatwe'rehere.'

'There're dozens offootmen waiting outsideto greet us, Em. Theylook like soldiers onparade with all thatgreenandgoldfrogging,'Amelia commented inawe.'Do Ihavetospeakto

them?' Serena soundedanxious, as the horsesdropped to a sedatewalk.'No, darling; you

merelynodandsmileatservants. Never offeryourhand,curtsyorsaythank you. It is notdone,youknow.''Not say thank you,

Mama? That's soimpolite. Emily hasalways told us we haveto treat our staff withrespect.''Thatwasallverywell,

Serena,atGlebeHouse.Buthere,atWesterham,

things are donedifferently. You do notwant the staff toconsider you ignorant,do you?' Serena shookher head, all herpleasure squashed byhermother'swords.Sheshrunk up againstEmily'ssideandpushedher cold hand into hersister's. Emily squeezedit and tried to smile. Itwas not a very

convincingeffort.The coach shuddered

to ahalt and therewasinstant activity. Twofootmen jumpedforward,oneopenedthedoor whilst the otherpulled the steps intoposition. The three girlssat immobile, but LadyAlthea surged forward.Regallysheheldoutherhand and a footmantookitandguidedherto

the ground. He bowedagain, she nodded.Withoutwaitingtoseeifher daughters followedshe walked forward,nodding from time totime,herheadhigh,theostrich plumes on herbonnet bobbing as shewent.Emily realized they

had to move. 'Comealong, girls, we'regetting left behind.' She

stood up and, stillclasping Serena's handstepped out, ignoringthe bowing footman.She waited, backstraight, for Amelia tojump down after her,and set off, notwishingher mother to vanishand leave them alone,surrounded by a sea ofunfriendly, superciliousservants.Millie had taken her

otherhandandnowshewasobliged tonegotiatea flight of intimidatingmarblesteps,flankedbyDoric pillars, with nohand available to holdup her skirts. Sheattemptedtoextractonehand from Millie's buther sisters fingerstightened.Drawing a steadying

breath Emily preparedto negotiate the front

steps without treadingon her hem. Somehowshemanaged to lift herdress a little with herfinger tips, in spite ofher sisters, and sheprayed that she wouldnot fall flat onher face.All was well until thelast two steps when aformidable, grey-hairedfigure, stepped out andboweddeeply.His sudden

appearance startled thealready nervous girlsand they both steppedbackwards, attemptingto hide themselvesbehind Emily's slenderframe, jerking her armsand dislodging hertenuous grip on herskirt.Theflimsystuffofher dress swayed freelyand with her next stepshetrappeditunderherboot.Unable to freeher

handstobalance,Emilyfell forward, takingbothgirlswithher,tolandinan ignominious heap atthefeetoftheautocraticbutler,Penfold.Unaware that her

humiliation was beingobserved from thegallery that overlookedthe enormous marblefloored Grand Hall,Emily disentangledherself from her sisters

and staggered to herfeet. Not one of thewatching servants hadstepped forward toassist them and of hermotherwasnosign.Shehad vanished into theinterior intent on re-establishing herself asherfather's'darlinggirl'.The row of footman

remained as statues,faces expressionless,watching her smooth

downherdress.'Areyouhurt, Serena,sweetheart? Did I treadonyourhand?''No, I 'm fine, thank

you, Emily,' Serenawhispered.'I'm unhurt as well,

thank you,' Amelia'svoicewasthread-thininthe silence. Emily'sembarrassmentvanished. What sort ofan establishment was

this, which treatedguestssoinsolently?She stiffenedandmet

the haughty stare ofPenfold. It was his eyesthat dropped first. Heflushed and bowedagain. This time hisaction was deferential.'Miss Gibson, MissAmeliaandMissSerena,welcome to Westerham.His Lordship is waitingto greet you in the

Green with drawing-room, if you will kindlyfollowme.'Emily was not having

this. Shewas not goingto be summoned like aservant before beingallowed to recover fromher travels. 'We will beshown to our rooms,now, if you please. Ishall attend on hislordship when we arerecovered from our

journey.' She raised aneyebrow and Penfoldknew he had met hismatch.'Very well, Miss

Gibson.' He snapped afinger and two footmanstepped forward. 'ShowMiss Gibson, and MissAmeliaandMissSerenatotheirapartments.'He bowed again to

Emily. 'Ifyouwouldlike

to ring when you areready, Miss Gibson? Ishall send someone toescortyoudown.'Emilynodded,butdid

not deign to reply.Holding her torn skirtfirmly in one hand, theother resting on thepolishedbanister,Emilyfollowed the footman.Her sisters, followingher lead, straightenedtheir backs, held their

heads high andmarched up the stairs,side by side, showingtheir solidarity andsupport.The footman led them

uptwoflightsandalongthe corridor haltingoutsideapairofdoubledoors. He opened theseand,stillwithoutawordbeingspoken,hebowedthem into their newhome. Emily sailed into

the room. She waiteduntil she heard thedoors click shut behindthem before releasingher breath. She stared,eyes wide and hermouthopen.'Lookatthis,girls;our

sitting-room is biggerthan the drawing roomatGlebeHouse.''Do you think these

rugs are Persian, Em?Are we allowed to walk

onthem?'Emily laughed. 'Of

course we are, yougoose. They would notbe on the floorotherwise.' The privatesitting-room, withelegant chaise-longuesand delicate gilt chairswaseverythingitshouldbe.Thetwodoorsatthefar end opened into apair of matching bed

chambers.Serena ran forwards

eager to explore. 'CanMillie and I share thisone,Em?Ilovetherose-pink of the bed drapes.Do you see, it matchesthecurtains?'Emily followed the

girls around the room,exclaiming whenexpected, at theopulence of itsappointments, but her

mind was elsewhere,rehearsing what shewouldsayanddowhenshe met her futurehusband and hergrandfather.A discreet door, inset

intothewoodpanelling,opened into a bathingcloset and adjoiningdressing rooms. Jennywas busy sorting outEmily's clothes. Shecurtsied. 'I'm almost

finished, miss. Are youwishing to change yourdress?'Emilyheldatthetorn

skirt for inspection. 'Imust. Is this ruined, orcanyourepairit?''I'msure itwillmend,

Miss Emily. Now, MissAmeliaandMissSerena,run along next-door,Mary's waiting for you.'She smiled as the girlslookedround,puzzled.

'Where's the door,Jenny? I don't see oneanywhere?''Go back into the bed

chamber; you'll seeanother door, you gothroughthere.'Amelia stopped. 'Then

we're not to sleep inhere?''No,MissMillie,thisis

Miss Emily's room. Butyours is just as pretty,it's all done out in

yellowsandgolds.'It took Jenny half an

hour to restore Emily'sappearance. Even herlong chestnut brownhair was re-done andgreen ribbons, thatmatched her secondnew gown, werethreaded through herhair.'There,miss, you look

a picture! Green suitsyou, and the

combination you chose,of emerald silk for theunder skirt and palegreen muslin into theoverdress,isperfect.''Thank you, Jenny.

I'mstillratherpale,butthere'snothing Icandoabout that.' She turnedsideways and her lipscurled in a smile. 'I'malmost invisible fromthis view. It's fortunatethat this new fashion

pushes up one's chest;without that help Iwouldlooklikeaboy.''Go along with you,

miss. You look lovely.No man in his rightmindcouldevermistakeyou for anything but aprettyyounglady.'The maid ran outside

toalertthefootmanwhowas to escort hermistress downstairs.Emily brace herself for

herordeal.AsMillieandSerena were to remainupstairswithMary; shewouldhavetobravethesupercilious stares ofthe staff on her own.Jenny opened the doorandthefootmanbowed.'I am to take you to

his lordship, MissGibson. Would youkindlyfollowme?'Emily nodded and

glided gracefully out of

her sitting-room toretrace her steps downto the Grand Hall. Shehad time to wonderwhere her mother wasand if her reunion withtheEarlhadprogressedwell,andthentheywerein front of imposing,ornatelycarveddoors.Two footmen guarded

each side, like sentries.They sprang forwardand flung open the

double doors, leavingher framed in thedoorway. One of themstepped forward andannounced in a loudvoice. 'Miss EmilyGibson, my lords.' Hebowed and disappearedback down the widecarpetedpassageway.Emily felt unwelcome

perspiration tricklingdown her spine as shewalked into the room.

The elderly gentleman,with a shock of greyhair, impeccably attiredin superfine topcoat,knee breeches andshining top boots,watched his eldestgranddaughterapproach. He smiled,just. 'Welcome toWesterham, my dear.Wearesogladyouhavefound the time to joinus,atlast.'

Emily froze in mid-step and flags of colourappearedonhercheeks.Shedropped intoa low,formal curtsy, dippingher head, not wishingherangertoshow.Withcareful elegance sheroseandmettheEarlofWesterham's criticalgaze. 'I apologize if Ikept you waiting, mylord.'Shestoppedthere,offered no further

explanation,orgreeting,or effusion of delight ather incredible goodfortune.

****The man, leaning

nonchalantly againstthemantelshelf,his fairhair cut fashionablyshort,hidhissmile.Hisgreat-grandfather wouldnotlikethatansweronejot. Sebastian decidedthatmaybehehadbeen

premature in hisjudgement of MissGibson. The girl hadbackbone, andintelligence, and in thatrig she looked almostpresentable.

****The Earl snorted.

Emily ignored him,standing apparentlyrelaxed,waiting for himto introduce her toViscount Yardley. She

dared not risk a glancein the direction of theintimidating gentlemanshe had noticed,observing her, alooffromtheproceedings.The Earl remembered

his manners. 'My dear,allowmetopresentyouto your cousinSebastian, ViscountYardley.'Emilyhalf turnedand

sank into a second

graceful curtsy keepingher eyes down, as wasexpected of a wellbrought up young lady.To her surprise anelegant hand appearedand raised her to herfeet. She looked up tomeetthebluesteyesshehad ever seen. Theyappeared to bore intoher very soul. If hehadhad not been holdingher she would have

taken an involuntarystep backwards.Sebastian raised hergloved hand andpressed theback lightlywith his lips. She wasaware thatalthoughhismouth smiled his eyeswere cautious,assessing her everymoveand, shebelieved,findingherwanting.Incensed she

snatched her hand

back;itwasadeliberateinsult, but she wasunabletohelpherself.Ifhisexpressionhadbeenunfriendlybefore,nowitwas arctic. His eyesnarrowedandshecouldsee him clench histeeth, obviously bitingback a crushing set-down.From somewhere she

found the strength tospeak.'Iamdelightedto

meet you, CousinSebastian.' Her cousinraked her from head totoe, dislike and disdainapparent in his everygesture.'Are you indeed,

cousin? I only wish Icouldsay thesame.'Heturned and half bowedtohisgreat-grandfather.'You will excuse me, Ihope,sir?'Without anotherword

he sauntered out of theroom leaving Emily sofurious she forgot to beinsulted. She glaredafter him, hating him,and for a gloriousmoment forgot that shehadpossiblyjustruinedher family's one chanceofhappiness.

ChapterFour'Well, my child, you

certainly knocked himfrom his high horse.'The Earl chuckled,much amused by hisgranddaughter'sspiritedbehaviour.Emilyswungback to face him, herfacecrumpledandtearsfilling her eyes. 'I haveoffended him, my lord.He will never offer for

me now.' The weight offailurewascrushingherchest.'Come and sit by me,

my dear, and do notlooksowoebegone.Ifhedoesnotwantyou, thatwill be his loss. Thereare plenty more eligiblegentlemen out there foryou to choose from, Icanassureyou.Youareanheiressnow.'Her mouth fell open.

'But I thought I had tomarryViscountYardley.I thought that was thearrangement betweenus.'Her grandfather

frowned. 'Whatarrangement, Emily?Youwrote tomeaskingformyhelp in findingahusband; Sebastian isjust the first suitablebachelor I haveintroducedyouto.'

Emilysatdownbesidethe old man. 'Are yousaying that you do notmind ifmy cousin doesnot offer forme?You'renot going to send usback?''Good God no! Of

course not! Whatevergaveyouthatridiculousnotion?'Emily recalled the

letterfromtheEarl.Inithe had offered to find

her a husband andsuggested thatViscountYardley might do; hehad also offered to givethem a permanenthome. There had beenno mention of sendingthem back. Her feveredimagination hadmanufactured thethreat.Shenodded,hereyesstilldamp. 'It appears I have

misunderstood, my

lord,' she said stiffly.'But after the callousway you have treatedmy mother these pastyears,itissmallwonderthatIdidso.'Heshiftedonhischair

and his lined faceflushed. 'You are rightto take me to task,Emily, my dear. I havebehaved abominably. Iblamed my dear Altheaforhermother'sdemise;

I was so distraught atthe time I was notthinkingrationally.'Emily was

unimpressed. Sheregarded him sternly.'But you also ignoredmy plea for help whenour father died twoyears ago. Surely youwere not stilloverwrought at the lossofthecountessthen?'He shook his head. 'I

have no excuse, otherthanyourappealarrivedon the anniversary ofherdeath.Itwasnotanauspicious time, as youcan imagine, andopenedoldwounds.'Emily jumped to her

feet. She had heardenough of his feebleexcuses.'Onmyfather'sdeath you became thehead of our household,mysistersandmy legal

guardian. You haveshamefullyshirkedyourresponsibilities. If wewere not in suchdesperatestraits,believeme,sir,wewouldnotbeherenow.'Her grandfather

pushed himself up outofhischair.He toweredover her, his facethunderous. 'I shall notbe taken to task by achit of a girl; I am the

Earl of Westerham andyourgrandfatherand I expect to be

treated with respect, atall times. Is thatunderstood?'She felt her courage

desert her. She knewshehadoversteppedthemark and sincerelyregretted herimpertinence, howevertrue her intemperatewords had been she

should have held hertongue. Then her spinestiffened and her headcame up. She returnedhis glare, unbowed. 'Isincerely apologize formy incivility, my lord.You are quite right; Ishould never havespoken so rudely.' Hereyes flasheddangerously and hernostrilsflared.'However,I do not retract my

words for they are thetruth. I merely regretthe way in which theywerespoken.'The Earl's face

becameredderandforahorrible moment Emilythoughthewouldfalltothe ground with anapoplexy. Itwas timetotake her leave. Shedropped a small curtsyand spun, her skirtsflying out revealing her

trimankles,andwalkedbriskly across the acresof polished boards andscattered rugs, prayingshe would reach thedoor before theexplosioncame.Shedidnot.'Come back here,

miss.Ihavenotfinishedwith you yet.' Theroared commandbounced off the walls.She could not in all

consciousness pretendshehadnot heard. Shestopped, and slowlyturnedbacktofacehim.He waited, stony faced,for her to retrace hersteps.Shehalted, twopaces

in front ofhim,keepingher eyes lowered,waitingforthetorrenttobreak over her head.She heard him stepforward and flinched,

expectingtobefelledbya blow. A gnarled, butsurprisingly stronghand, reached out andgrippedherchin,forcinghertolookup.'Well, my dear child,

that was invigorating. Ihavenotenjoyedmyselfsomuchforyears.''I beg your pardon…'

Emilystammered.'I enjoy a good row -

cleans the pipes - do

you not agree? Come,Emily, do not look soworried. The show isover.' He laughed. 'Youwill have to get used tomytemperifyouwishtolive here.' He releasedher chin and took hericy hand. 'You aretrembling, child. I amsorry; Ididnotmeantofrighten you. Come andsitwithme.'Emily allowed herself

tobeledtothesettlebythe fire, grateful for itsreviving warmth. Shewas totally bemused.How could he changefrom terrifying tobenevolent inasecond?She regained hercomposureanddaredtospeak again. 'I don'tunderstand. Are younolongerangrywithme?'He leant over and

patted her hand. 'No,

mydear, I amnot. Youenraged me for amoment; I shouted atyou and then I feltbetter.Itisalwayssoforme. In timeyouwillgetusedtoit.''I'm not going to

retract my words, sir. Ido feel that youmistreated us this lasttwoyears.''I did, my dear. But I

hadnoideayouwerein

such difficulties. Yourlettermerelystatedthatyour father had diedand that Althea wasgrieving and asked if Icould help in anyway,did it not?' Emilynodded. 'However youdidnottellmeyouwereso strapped for cashthat you could not paythebills.'Hescowledatthe thought, causinghertorecoilagain.

She considered hisexplanationandfoundittobe true. 'I hoped youwould send us helpanyway, now that thereason for yourdisapproval had beenremoved.''I am sorry, my dear.

You are quite right toadmonish me; I shouldhaveofferedtohaveyouhere then. I have sadlyneglected my duties;

can you find it in yourheart to forgive an oldmanoffiveandeighty?''Isuppose Imust,sir.

I would not wish agentlemanof your greatage to meet his makerunforgiven.' Her wordswereblandbuthereyessparkled.He chuckled. 'Thank

you, my child. Do youthinkyoucouldcallmegrandfather now I am

forgiven?'She smiled, finding

that she might actuallybecomingtolikehim.'Ican manage that,Grandfather.' Asmatters were settledbetween them and theywereincompleteaccordshe felt emboldened toenquire after LadyAlthea. 'Where is mymother, Grandfather?Didyourreunionnotgo

well?''It went wonderfully.

She forgave me and weembraced fondly.' Hepaused, his faceconcerned. 'Why she isso thin and poorly? Ipray that she has notgot the wastingsickness.''No. It's that after

Papa's death she wasunable to copewith thegriefandfellill.Ibelieve

she is like you in thatrespect.Her appetite allbut vanished and Isincerely believe thatwithout the doses oflaudanum to give herrelease from her painshe would not still bewithus.''She has grieved long

enough. I know, I havewasted half my lifedoing the same. It ishoped the change of

circumstanceswill startthehealingprocess.Shehas retired to herrooms, the emotion ofthe occasion, plus thefatigue of the journey,haveexhaustedher.''I'm sure that shewill

start to recover here.She has been muchmore like herself eversince she received yourletter. It has been adifficult two years,

Grandfather. I cannottellyouhowgladIamtobehereandtonolongerhave the responsibilityof runningGlebeHouseonmyshoulders.'TheEarlsatbackand

studiedhercritically.Hedid not like what hesaw.'Areyouailing,too,Emily? You are stickthin, almost as wastedasmypoorAlthea.''No, Grandfather, I'm

aswellasIcouldbe.I'msurenowthatIamhere,Ishallsoonrecover.''Are you telling me

that yourappearance issolely causedby lackofsustenance? That youhavebeenunabletoputenough food on thetable?'Emily blushed; it was

not something she wasproud of. 'I made surethat Millie and Serena,

and the staff, neverwent without,Grandfather.''God dammit!' The

Earlexploded,forgettinghis manners in hisanger. 'I shall neverforgive myself for this,child.IpromiseI'llmakeit up to you. Never,never,will youwant foranything again. Mypurse is deep and itscontents are entirely at

yourdisposal.Whateveryourequire,itisyours.''Do you mean that,

grandfather? Anythingatall?''Yes, of course. I do

notmake idlepromises.What do you want?Nameit?'She sighed happily. 'I

wish you to wave amagic wand so that Ibecome so beautifulmyobnoxious cousin falls

undermyspellandthenI can turn him awaywith a broken heart.That is what I want.'She sat back, waitingforhislaughter.'Thenthatiswhatyou

shall have. With theright garments anddecent food inside youwewillturnyouintothemost beautiful girl inSurrey.Andifyoubreakthatjackanapesheart,it

would do nomore thanservehimright.''Please, grandfather, I

was only funning. Ididn'tmeanit.''Youdid,mydeargirl.

I saw how he insultedyou;youshallhaveyourrevenge. It's high timethat young man wastaughta lesson.Hehashadthingshisownwayever since he was inleadingstrings.'

Emilygiggled,herwildidea now seemed apossibility. 'I putmyselfin your knowledgeablehands, Grandfather. Bythe by, I do not reallywish to be married atthe moment. It wasmerely a ploy to gainsome money for thefamily.''Excellent! I do not

wishtoloseyouyet,mydear. I feelwearegoing

tobethebestoffriends.We are two of a kind;youremindmeofmyselfatyourage.'Neither of them

mentioned thatSebastian was evenmore like his great-grandfather but theyboththoughtit.

****Emily decided to dine

inhersitting-room,withthe girls, that night. As

shehadnootherdress,changingfordinnerwasan impossibility. Hermother was tooexhausted, after all theexcitement, and hadretired to bed. She hadno desire to eat on herown with hergrandfather. Althoughcordial relations werenow established, Emilywas still finding itdifficult to reconcile the

two sides of the Earl ofWesterham, irascibletyrant onemoment andbenevolent oldgentleman the next. Itwas small wonder, shethought, ViscountYardley had turned outsopompous.Millie andSerenahad

gone off with Mary toexploretheirnewhome.They had alreadyinvestigated the school

rooms upstairs andfound them admirable.Emily supposed agovernesswouldhavetobeemployedtocontinuetheir education. Sheintended to be far toobusylearninghowtobea polished lady of theton insteadofacountrymouse.Becoming bored with

herbookEmilyrang for

Jenny.'I'mgoingoutforawalk;Iwishtochangeinto my brown walkingdressandpelisse.''But that's so old,

miss. You cannot wearsuch an outfit here.'Jenny was shocked tothe core by such asuggestion.'Fustian, Jenny. I

have no other suitablefor a long walk in thegrounds. A mantua

makerhasbeensentforfrom London but, untilshe arrives, and startsrefurbishing ourwardrobes, we mustwear what we have, orstay shut up in ourroomsallday.'Stoutly shod in

scuffedblackhalfboots,an old chip strawbonnet rammed on herhead, she was ready toventure out. Jenny was

left behind. Emily didnot consider thatwalking about thegarden warranted amaidtoaccompanyher.A series of attentive

young footmen sprungto attention at herfootsteps and doorswere openedand closedlike clock work. It waslucky that she, unlikemost of her sex, hadbeen blessed with good

sense of direction andan excellent visualmemory. She arrived inthe Grand Hall withoutgettingherselflostonce.The frosty faced butler,Penfold, materializedbesideher.'Is, Miss Gibson ,

going outside might Ienquire?'Emily almost looked

round to see if Miss

Gibson wasaccompanying her andwas forced to cover herinvoluntary snigger bydiving into her reticule.'Iamintendingtotakeawalk around the parkbefore it gets too dark.'She had to bite hertongue to stop herselffrom asking the self-importantgentlemanforpermissiontogoout.'Will, Miss Gibson,

requireanescortonherperambulations?''No, she will not.'

Emily hurried to thefront door and twofootman opened it witha flourish and bowedher through, likeroyalty.She ran down the

steps and her tinklinglaughter was clearlyheardbySebastian,justreturning from his ride,

and about to take hismagnificent chestnutstallion,Sultan,backtothe stable yard. Insteadhe sent the horseskittering around thecorner,scatteringgravelanddirt,toinvestigate.The sound of a horse

approaching madeEmily pause and sheturnedtofacethenoise.Judging by thestamping and the

jangling, the animalapproaching was largeandspirited.Exactlythekind of horse she likedtorideherself.Sultan danced,

snorting, around thecorner of the building,arriving at exactly thesame time as she did.The horse, startled byhersuddenappearance,half reared, andSebastian swore loudly,

expecting to have afainting female collapseunder his horse'smassivehooves.Emily laughed again,

stepped sideways, andreached up to take thehorse's bit. 'Steady, oldfellow.Nothingtogetsoexcited about.' Sheplacedher freehandonthe stallion's nose andbrought it down to herlevel. 'You're a

handsome boy, are younot?' She breathed,open mouthed into thehorse's flaring nostrils,the odd actionestablishing an instantrapport with thenormallysavagebeast.Up to that point she

hadquite forgotten thatthe horse had notarrived alone. She hadbeen so occupiedmaking friends she had

not heard his riderdismount.'What the hell do you

thinkyouaredoing?Doyou want to be killed,youstupidgirl?' Emily found herself

nose to nose with afurious man withblazing blue eyes. 'Howdare you speak to melike that? I am not aserving maid.' Theyglaredateachother,her

hugehazeleyesglitteredwith righteousindignation.Sultan, resenting the

attention being takenfrom himself, loweredhis head and nudgedEmily firmly on theback. The unexpectedpushsentherflyingintoa solid wall of muscle.Sebastian, unpreparedwas unable to bracehimself and he lost his

balance and theytumbled backwards ontotheground.The languageheused

wasquitenewtoEmily.Her landing had beenfar softer than his; shewas safely cradled inViscount Yardley'sarms, hehad taken thefull brunt of the hardground. The situationwas ridiculous andEmilylaughed.

'I think,sir, thatyoushould moderate yourlanguage; my ears areburning.'Sebastian's swearing

ceased instantly. Hegrinned, quiteunrepentant, andsuddenly looked muchyounger and lessintimidating. 'And Ithinkyou,MissGibson,should consider yourposition; it is quite

unseemly.'At his words Emily

immediately attemptedto roll away but hisarms tightened, holdingher still. She could feelthe heat flood from topto toe and hated hersecond cousin forcausing her so muchembarrassment.'Please, release me,

immediately. I wish tostandup.'Hervoicewas

little more than awhisper and Sebastianrealized, too late, thathe had gone too far.ThiswasnofastLondondebutante but a shycountrygirl.With one lithe move

hesatup,placingEmilyon the ground besidehimashedidso.Beforeshe could attempt tostand he was up andtakingherhandspulled

hereasilytoherfeet.Hestepped back, hisexpressionserious. 'I apologize, Miss

Gibson; thatwas out oforder.Itreatedyouwithdisrespect and you donotdeservethat.'Emily glanced

nervously upwards.Whatshesawreassuredher. 'I accept yourapology, sir. It appearsthat we are destined to

fall out every time wemeet'He smiled, his eyes

warm with amusement.'Fall over, on thisoccasion, I think,CousinEmily.'Emily felt herself

blush again, but thistime it was for quite adifferent reason. Tocover her disquiet shebusied herself with theshaking out of her

dress, glad shewasnotwearing either of hernew gowns. When shehad recovered hercomposure sheanswered, the tone aslightashis.'Let us hope our

meetings in future areless hazardous, CousinSebastian.' For somereason she felt that herwords might come tobacktohaunther.

ChapterFiveLady Althea opened

her eyes and for amoment was not surewhere she was. Shegazed round thedelightful chamber,decorated in theOriental style. On thebed hangings, and thecurtains, dark redpoppies and lush greenleaves rioted, the

colours nearly as freshas the day they werehungalmostthirtyyearsago.With a sigh of

pleasure she sank backintothepillows,shewashome, sleeping in theroomsshehadoccupieduntilshehaddefiedherparents and marriedPeterGibson.Shecouldremember clearly thedaysheandhermother

had selected the exoticmaterials still hanginghere.For the first time in

two long years she feltcontented with her lot.She believed she wasfinally turning thecorner and could startto live her life withoutthe support of herbeloved husband. Stillsmiling, she leant overand gently tugged the

bellrope.Shewouldriseand take a bath. Usingthe bathing room againaftersolongwouldbeanovelty.Edwards appeared

besideher.'Yesmadam?Areyoureadytorise?''I am, Edwards. But

firstIwouldlikeabath.I do not intend to godownthiseveningsolayout an old gown, anywilldo.'

Her dresser beamed.'Thewaterisonitsway.I heard you sit up andsent word down. Thereis a note come up foryou, my lady, will youreaditnow?'Lady Althea held out

an elegant hand, theveins showing bluethrough her pale skin.She unfolded the paperand seeing the contentslaughed out loud. A

soundEdwardshadnotheardforfartoolong. 'Excellent! The Earl

has arranged forMadame Ducray tocome down from townbringing a selection ofmaterials and readysewed gowns, for us tochoosefrom.Shewillbestaying at Westerhamuntilall fourofushavecompletely renewed ourwardrobes. Is that not

splendidnews?'Edwardsnodded.'Yes,

madam. It's high timeyouallhadnewgowns.'The sound of

clattering buckets wasclearly heard from theadjoining bathing roomandLadyAltheagotoutofbedwithenthusiasm. 'I think I shall have

myhairwashedaswell,Edwards. Perhaps youshould cut it for me; it

hasbecomefartoo longandstraggly,hasitnot?'Two hours later Lady

Althea was restingcomfortably in hersitting-room, her hairfreshly styled and hernavy blue eyes alert.Shewasawaitingavisitfrom her youngerdaughters. What hadbecome of Emily, shehad no idea. Edwardshadsentamessagewith

one of thechambermaids to herroom but had found itunoccupied.SerenaandMilliewere

outside in thepassageway and shesmiledtothinkthatnowherpreciousgirlswouldbe able to grow up inthe same luxurioussurroundings as shehad.Ifshehadhadanyinkling of exactly what

her normally sensibleand sedate eldestdaughter was doing, atthat very moment, shewould have beenhorrified.

****Sultan stamped his

huge hoovesimpatiently, he waseager to return to hiscosy stable. Beingignored again, hesnatchedhisbridlefrom

his master's handstretchinghisnosehighinto the air. It had thedesiredeffect.'Stand,sir.Enoughof

that nonsense.'Sebastiansaid,laughingathismount'santics.'Ibelievehe'stryingto

tell you that he wishesto be in his stable, notstandingabouthere.'Emilyreachedupand

strokedthevelvetynose.

Shewas already in lovewith this horse. Shewoulddearlylovetoridehim but knew hercousin would neveragree to such a thing.But somethingpromptedhertoask.'Wouldyoupermitme

to ride Sultan? He'ssimilar to the stallion Iwas forced to sell aftermyfatherdied.'Sebastian's eyebrows

shot up under his hair.'Good God! Are yousaying you have riddensuch an animalyourself?'Emily laughed,

delighted she hadsurprised her cousin.'Indeed I have; and I'mnotashamedtosaythatI always rode astride. Ihave a habit speciallymadeforthatpurpose.''Idonotbelieve it.No

girl alive could ride ahorselikeSultansafely.'She bristled and hersmile vanished. Howdare he call her a liar!Emily threw back herhead and challengedhim.'Givemea legupand

you will see just howwrongyouare.'For a moment

Sebastian hesitated; itwas an outrageous

suggestion.Thenhesawthe fury in herremarkable eyes anddecided it would nothurt her to learn asharp lesson. He wouldcallherbluff. 'Very well; we will

take him somewheresafer.Thebackpaddockwill do.' He viewed herdusty old-fashioneddress as they walkedtowards the field. 'Do

you to need to changeintoyourhabit?'She shook her head.

'No, this skirt is fullenough;Ishallmanage.'Sultan,ondiscovering

he was not to be putinto his box, began toshowhisdispleasurebysidlingandthrowinghishead about. Emily wasbeginning to regret herrash decision but shewould not back down;

she wished her cousinto discover that, unlikethe usual debutantes,there was more to herthan feminine fripperiesandinanechatter.It quite escaped her

attention that so far, intheirbriefacquaintance,she had not shown theslightest sign of beingeither feminine or achatterbox.'Are you certain you

wishtogothroughwiththis,cousin?Iwillquiteunderstand if you feelyouarenotuptoridingSultan when he is inthismood.'Ifhehadnotaccompanied thesuggestion with asuperior smile Emilymight have agreed. Inspiteofherprowessasahorse woman, she wasstarting to think thatshewouldnotbeunable

to a control theoverexcitedanimal.'No, definitely not. I

have said I shall ridehim and ride him Ishall.'Theyhadreachedthe three acre meadowinwhichthehousecowsand miscellaneouspoultry lived. The gatelatch was stiff andSultan refused to standstillandallowSebastianto open it. Without a

second thought Emilysteppedupandremovedthe bridle from hercousin'shand.'Stop that, silly boy;'

she murmured as shewalked him in a small,tight circle. The horsewas so surprised to beled by such a smallhuman that he loweredhis huge head andnuzzled her back.'That's better; I don't

understandwhatallthefussisabout.''The gate is open.

Bringhimin,'Sebastiansnapped, annoyed thathis horse was behavinglike a donkey with hissmugcousin.Emily led Sultan into

the field and heard thegate clang with anunnecessarilyloudbangbehind her, makingSultan shy violently,

liftingheroffherfeetforasecond. 'It'sall right,boy, it's

only a silly gate.Slammed by a sillyperson. Calm downnow.'Sebastian almost

snatchedthereinsback.'You had better adjusttheleatherstosuityou.Ishallholdhimforyou.'She held the stirrup

under her arm, the

quickest way to judgethe length she needed,and moved the buckleup five holes. She wentround toalter theotherand was then ready tomount. She knewSebastianwasexpectingher to back down; shewould not give him thesatisfaction. Shegathered up the reins.She could barely reachthe horses withers; she

bent back her leg andfeltSebastian take it and

then she was in thesaddle and Sultan washerresponsibility.She settled herself

more securely andslackened the reins,allowing Sultan to flexhis neck, or had he sodesired, to take hold ofthebitandboltoffwithher. She heard a sharp

intake of breath besideher and knew hercousin was regrettinghis rash move and wasabout to step back andgrabthebridle.She clicked her

tongue and squeezedher legs firmly and thehorse moved awaysmoothly into a perfect,balanced trot. Emilyrelaxed; the handsomechestnut was a joy to

ride, the mostresponsive mount shehadeverhadShepushedhimintoa

canter and took him ina figure of eight aroundthe paddock. On thesecondcircuitsheaskedhim for a flying changeand he obliged. Sheforgot everything in theexhilaration of theexperience. She wasunaware that she was

showing an indecentamount of leg or thatshe had attracted alarge audience ofgrooms and stablehands as word of herexploits had spreadroundtheyard.She rode Sultan for

twenty minutes beforedeciding it was time toallow him to return tohisbox.Afterall,hehadalready been ridden

hard by his owner allafternoon.Shereinedinsmoothly at the gate,herfaceflushedandhereyes sparkling. It wasonly then she noticedtherowofgrinningfaceslined up against thefence.Good heavens, had

the entire staff ofWesterham come out tosee her? She alsobecame aware that her

cousin was not sharingher pleasure. Sebastianwas standing, armsfolded, his full lipscurled in superciliousdisdain.Herheartplummeted.

Why had she allowedpride to push her intosuch a situation? Shecould feel the warmafternoonbreezecoolingher bare calves andknew she had made a

dreadful error ofjudgement.Inthespaceof twentyshortminutesshe had destroyed herpreciousreputation.Shehad also broughtdisgrace to her motherandhergrandfather.Shamefaced, she did

not wait for assistancetodismount.Sheswungher leg over the saddleanddropped expertly tothe ground. She patted

Sultan'sneck,afterallitwas not his fault shehadmade an exhibitionofherselfandoutwardlycalm she handed hisreins to a waitinggroom.Without bothering to

speak she turned andwalked through theopen gate, and headheld high, the sunglinting on her russethair, she stalked,

apparentlyunconcerned, back tothehouse.Once inside she flew

up the stairs and ranalong the passageways.It was far too late toworry aboutscandalizing the staffwith such immodestbehaviour. Her sittingroom was mercifullyempty; at least hersisterswerenotthereto

witnessherhumiliation.She found her maid inthe box room that wasnowherown. 'Jenny, can you

preparemeahotbath.Ishall not get dressedagain. I'm going toretire. I have a severemegrim.'Her abigail wisely

refrained fromcommenting on the factthat her mistress

smelled strongly ofhorse and her onceclean dress was nowliberally covered withchestnut hair. Nor didsheremindEmilythatitwas her sister Ameliawho normally sufferedfrom sick headaches,nother.Somewhatrestoredby

her total immersion inwarm water, Emilyretired to her imposing,

old-fashioned, four-poster bed, and firmlypulled the heavydamask curtainsaround her. She hadalways considered suchbedsassuitableonlyforelderly folk but thatafternoon she wasgrateful she could hidein the privacy thedrapescreated.In the pink gloom,

little sunlight filtered

through the heavymaterial, she sat andconsidered her position.She had been atWesterham scarcely aday and had alreadymanaged to offend justabout everyone shehadmet.Shehadvomitedinthe bushes in front ofMrFoster,causedhergrandfathertolosehis

temper and offendedher, extremely high in

the instep, CousinSebastian,not oncebuttwice.It was a good thing

she no longer had topersuade him to marryher. She would neverforget the look ofabsolute disgust on hisfaceasheleantcasuallyagainst the paddockfence. It would beforever etched on hermind. She did not care

that he held her indislikeforheropinionofhimwasequallydismal.However the good

opinion of both hermother and grandfatherwere quite a differentmatter. Her behaviourwould have beenconsideredunacceptableeven for Millie. And asshe was still legallyunderthecontrolof theearl, he could

administer whateverpunishment he felt shedeserved. If it had beenAmelia at fault shesupposedhecouldordera sound spanking, butshewasreasonablysureshewouldbeconsideredtoo old to receive suchtreatment.Slowly her lips curled

in a rueful smile. Shewasactuallydiscipliningherself.Afterallshehad

putherselftobedatfiveo'clock in the afternoonwithoutanysupper,hadshe not? As her emptystomach grumbledalarmingly, she realizeditwasgoingtobeaverylong and uncomfortabletimeuntilbreakfast.Emily stretched out

her aching limbs, for ithad been so long sinceshe had last ridden herbody was protesting,

and settled down. Heronlyrecoursewastotryand sleep the hoursaway.Unfortunatelyherdreamswerenothappy.She spent the entirenight being pursued byirate persons of varyingagesandsizesbutallofthem, withoutexception, possessed apair of startlingly blueeyes.

****

Sebastian watchedEmilywalkawayand,inspite of his disgust ather total disregard forthe acceptableproprieties, he felt asmall measure ofadmiration at hercourage. He pushedhimself away from thefence and. ignoring thespeculativestaresofthestaff, strolled off in thedirectionof

the house. He foundhimself grinning as hepictured his cousinriding his horse sosuperbly; hewas forcedto admit that he hadnever seen a betterfemaleriderandneitherwere there many menwho could manage aspirited stallion likeSultanthewayshehad.He had accepted her

inappropriate challenge

expectingher to renege,giving him the welcomeopportunity toadminister a sharp set-down.Ifhehadthoughtfor a moment that sheactually intended toride, astride, in herwalkingdress,hewouldnever have agreed. Nowshe had disgracedherself in front of halftheoutsidestaff.A ladywould never have

exposed herself to suchridicule,eventoproveapoint.Heshudderedtothink

whattheearlwouldsaywhen he heard, asinevitably he would,about her exploits. Andthe wretched girl's poormother, what of her?She was obviouslyunwell; would herdaughter'sunpardonablebehaviour

cause Lady Althea tosufferarelapse?He stopped. Itwas as

though someone hadthrownan icybucketofwater over his head.How could he becastigating his cousinwhen the entire episodewas entirely his fault?She could not haveriddenifhehadnotonlyagreed, but activelygivenhertheassistance

sheneededtomount.Hefelthisfacesuffuse

with unaccustomedshame.What had comeover him? He was adiplomat, renowned forhis level headednessand sharp intellect, buthe had allowed himselfto be drawn into anappalling escapadesolelybecausehispridehadbeendented.He swore, vilely, to

himself, and lashed outat a nearby pedestalupon which a shinymarble cherub rested.The agonizing pain thatshot up his foot wasenough to bring him tohis senses. It was hisfault. He had somehowto make amends. Hewasagentlemanandhecould not allow hiscousin tobeblamed forsomething that was his

responsibility.Forhertolose her good namewouldbe intolerable,hecouldseethatnow.Buthowhewas to saveherfromcertainruinhehadnottheslightestnotion.The earl explained to

him his only course ofaction, in no uncertainterms. 'Good God, boy,thisisadisaster!Itisofyourmaking,whatwereyouthinkingof?Wordof

Emily's exploits will beall over the county bymorning. Your stupidbehaviour has ruinedthe reputation of anunspoiled countrymiss.She did not know thatwhat she proposedwould destroy her. Youcertainlydid.'Sebastian almost

hung his head. He hadnot felt so wretchedsince he was a

schoolboy and beenreprimanded for achildishprank.Howwasitpossiblethatadowdy,beanpole of a chit, hadcausedhimtobehavesobadly when enragedPrussian generals hadfailedtomovehim?'I accept full

responsibility for theincident, sir. It shouldnever have happened. Iknow that. It was

inexcusable of me toallowmy cousin to rideastride, in public,improperlydressed.'His great-grandfather

snorted. 'Are you tryingto imply,sir, that if shehad been wearing ahabit and ridden inprivate that such adisplaywouldhavebeenacceptable?''No, of course, I am

not. I just meant…' he

stopped, there wasnothing to say. He wasguilty as charged andready to do whatever ittooktoputthingsright.If Sebastian had seenhis grandfather'ssatisfiedsmilewhilsthewas staringmorosely athisboots,hemighthavebeen more alert. Mighthave reacted morequickly, been able toextricate himself from

thetrap.'AndIhaveyourword

thatyouarepreparedtodo whatever it takes toremedythesituation?''Yes,sir,youhave.''Very well; you have

noalternative,youmustofferforEmily.Theonlyway her reputation canbe salvaged is bybecoming your fiancé.People will forgive whattakes place between a

betrothed couple,however outlandish itmightbe.'Sebastian's head shot

up, his eyes wide, hiscomplexion white. Hemettheimplacablestareand knew he had nochoice.'Iagree,mylord.I will offer for hertomorrow.''Well done, my boy;

youhavemadetherightdecision.' The Earl of

Westerham left,chuckling happily,leaving the prospectivebridegroomsitting,headin his hands, in totalmisery. It was not justEmily's life that hadbeen ruined by hisstupidity, he had alsoruinedhisown.

ChapterSixThe late September

sunpouredthroughthewindow bathing theroom in golden light.Emilydidn'tnotice.Shewaspreparingherselftobravetheoutsideworld,to face the inevitablesniggers and sneersfrom the hundreds ofWesterham staff whoknew, even better than

its occupants, exactlyhow a lady shouldbehave.The mantle clock

struck eight.Was it tooearlytoventuredowninsearch of sustenance?She hoped she wouldfeel more confidentwhen her hunger wassatisfied, but shedoubtedit.'Jenny, do you think

thereisanyfoodputout

in the breakfastparlour?''Shall I go down and

find out, miss? Youdon't want to have awastedjourney.'Whist she waited for

hermaid's returnEmilypaced the room quiteunaware what anattractive picture shepresented.Hernormallypalecheekswereprettilyflushed, her eyes

sparkled and the sunshone in her russethair. But although thesmall waist and flowingskirt of her sage greendressflatteredher,evento the most partial ofviewers, she was overthin. The front of herbodice was little fullerthantheback.'They are putting out

the chafing dishes now,miss. His lordship likes

tobreakhisfastearly,Iamtold.''Thank you, Jenny. I

will go down. I have toface him sometime, Isuppose.'A footman sprung to

attention at herapproach, barely hidinghissmile.Heopenedtheparlour door with anexaggeratedflourishandshowedherin.

****

The room was notempty.ViscountYardleywas at that verymoment piling his platehigh with a mixture ofsliced ham, coddledeggs and fieldmushrooms. He hadhad little sleep and hisface was drawn andgrey.Whenheheardthedooropenhelookedup,his expression irritated.This instantly changed

toabsolutehorrorwhenhe saw who hadinterrupted him. Wasthere to be no respite?Surely a condemnedmancouldbeallowedtoeat his last meal inpeace?

****Emily saw his

expressionandinstantlyherhacklesrose. Inherlong, mostly sleepless,night she had come to

the same conclusion asher grandfather. Shewould not be in thismessifitwasnotforthemanstaringsorudelyather.Shewastemptedtoretreatandleavehimtoeat his meal in peacebut she was famishedand, howeverdisagreeablehercousin,she was not going toleave the room withoutfilling her empty

stomach.Sebastiannodded,his

brimming plate still inhis hand, and Emilynoddedback.Sheknewthecorrectetiquettewasfor a lady to be seatedand the gentleman towaitonher.Shouldshesit or help herself? Herstomach gurgledalarmingly and madethedecisionforher.The plates were still

warm and the foodsmelt appetizing. Ladiesdidn't pile their platesbut Emily didn't care;she had been halfstarved for the last twoyearsandnowherbodycraved nourishment.Ignoring her cousin sheput a random selectionofhot foodonherplateand took it to the farend of the long diningtable.Thenshereturned

for several slices of hottoast and a large pat offreshlychurnedbutter.She heard what

sounded suspiciouslylike a snort of laughter,quickly repressed, andglanced up. Sebastianwas having difficultycontaininghismirth.'Is thereanythingelse

I can get you CousinEmily? You appear tohavemissed out on the

coldcutsandmuffins.'Emilytriedtoswallow

her retort but it burstoutofitsownvolition.'Ifyou had spent the pasttwo years living on aslittle as I have youwould also wish to fillyourplate.'This unexpected

answer caused him toswear. 'Dammit, Emily,are you tellingme yoursituation has been so

dire that there was notenough food on yourtable?''Yes, that is exactly

what I am telling you,sir.Whatlittletherewaswent to my sisters andmother first, I made dowithwhatwasleft.'Heshookhishead;for

a moment unable tothink of somethingappropriatetosay.'Iamsorry to hear that, my

dear. It is almostunbelievable that yourfamilyhasbeeninsuchpoor circumstanceswhen your grandfathercouldhaveprovidedyouwith everything youneeded.'Emily dived into her

breakfast too hungry toanswer. Only when theplatewashalfemptydidshe pause and lookup.She found, to her

astonishment, thatinstead of seeing a pairof critical blue eyesstaring back at her shewas on her own.Viscount Yardley hadvanished.Shehadbeenso engrossed in herexcellent repast, shehad not heard himdepart. His breakfastremained, untouched,onthebuffet.She sighed,

exasperated that herCousin Sebastian wasso finicky he could notbeartoseealadyeatasheartily as she did. Forthe second time intwenty-four hours shecongratulatedherselfona lucky escape; beingmarried to such astickler would betediousintheextreme.

****Sebastianwatchedhis

young cousin devouringher food and instead ofbeing revolted he wasangry, furiously angry.Now he knew that herpallor and extremethinnesswascausedbysemi-starvation, hecould see that within afew weeks Emily wouldbe a lovely youngwoman. In fact shewould be a diamond ofthefirstwater.

His march throughthe house had takenhim to the earl'sapartments. Thefootman knocked at thedoor and announcedhim.'Good heavens, my

boy, this is an earlyvisit.What has broughtyou here in such apucker?'Sebastian gestured

impatiently for the

footman to leave thembefore he spoke. Hisvoicewascontrolledbuthisfuryquiteapparent. 'Howcanyouaccuse

me of ruining Emily'slife, sir, when you haveallowed the poor girl toslowly starve thesepasttwo years? It isunpardonable. If youwere a younger man Iwouldcallyouout.'The Earl recoiled and

graspedachair-backforsupport.Heappearedtocrumble and suddenlyhe was no longer awealthy, powerfularistocrat but avulnerable old man.Sebastian realized, toolate,hehadallowedhisanger at Emily'streatment to overcomehis common sense.What sort of diplomatwas he? Why he was

behavinglikeaveritablegreenhorn he had noidea.Astriplingstraightfrom schoolwould havebettermanners.Instantly remorseful

his anger evaporated. 'Iamsorry,grandfather; Ididnotmeantodistressyou.' He came forwardandhelped theoldmantoa chair,waitinguntilhe was seated andcomfortable before he

spoke again. 'Emily'shalf starved; how couldyouhaveallowedthistohappen?' His enquirywasmildthistime.The old man

shrugged. 'I did notknow how bad thingswere. I know that is noexcuse but I intend tomakeamendsforitnow.Thosegirlswillwant fornothing,Ipromiseyou.Iwant to give Emily a

season, if that is whatshewouldlike.'Sebastiancouldsense

areprieve.IfEmilywentto London, it waspossibleshewouldmeetsomeone more to herliking. She hadmade itpatently obvious thatshe held him in littleregard.'That sounds like an

excellentidea,sir''I am glad you

approve, my boy.' Hehad now recovered hiscomposure and wasonce more in control.'As your fiancé she willhave entrée to all thebest homes. A younglady needs to see theworld a little beforesettlingdown.''I have not asked her

yet, Grandfather. Haveyou considered the veryreal possibility that she

will refuse me? We donotsuityouknow.''Stuff and nonsense!

Emily will do as she isbid, once things havebeen explained to her.'He paused, lost inthought. 'Iwill speak toher after I have brokenmy fast. Then you willmake her an offer. Iexpect you to appear ateleven o'clock sharp, in

the library, is thatunderstood?''Yes, sir. I shall be

there.' He had nooption,hehadgivenhisword and he was nowobliged to ask a mostunsuitablegirl tobehiswife. He shuddered ashe considered themayhem she couldcause in the refinedworld of internationaldiplomacy. But he had

promised. He wasobliged to marry herunless she could bepersuadedtocryoff.Hismobile mouth slowlycurled at the corners.Whatifhemadehimselfso objectionable Emilydecided that his wealthand title would notcompensate her forbeing shackled to him.Sebastianbowed.'Ifyouwillexcuseme,

sir, I will speak to youlater,whenall issettledbetweenmy cousin andI.''Seethatyoudo.'

****Emily swallowed the

lasttwomorselsofhamand placed her cutleryon her plate. Shepushed back her chairand looked longingly atthe remaining food stillspread out on the

sideboard.Didshehaveroom,perhaps,forahotmuffin with bramblejelly?The door opened and

her grandfather wasbowed in. Immediatelyshe curtsied, droppinghereyespolitely.'Goodmorning,sir.''Good morning, my

dear Emily. Please donot rush off; you cankeep me company. Will

you take a dish of teawhilstIbreakmyfast?'Emily straightened,

her eyes widening.Whatever she had beenexpecting it is not sucha convivial greeting. 'Iwould love to, thankyou,' she added with asmile, 'I can highlyrecommend the hamand coddled eggs andthe muffins lookdeliciousalso.'

He chuckled, hisfaded blue eyes almostdisappearing in thecreases. 'Youmay serveme,child,withwhateveryou enjoyed yourself. Ihave a devil of a jobdeciding.'The footman retreated

once theearlwassafelyseated. Happily Emilyselected a variety oftempting items, but didnot overfill the plate.

She felt sure that anelderlygentlemanwouldnotwishtoconsumethesame amount of foodshe had managed. Heappeared satisfied withher choices andcommenced his mealwhilstshefetchedhimamug of porter andpoured tea into adelicate porcelain cupforherself.She could delay no

more;shewouldhavetotake the chair besidehim. He allowed her tosettle before he spoke.'Whatwereyouthinkingof child? Your displayyesterday is the talk ofWesterham and by thiseveningwillbethetopicof conversation in everyhouse in theneighbourhood.' Emilyhad expected him torant and rave and this

quiet enquiry made herblushwithshame.'Iamsorry,mylord. I

was provoked. I knowthatisnoexcuse,butitcould not havehappened withoutViscount Yardley'sassistance. He is moreculpable than me. It isto him you shouldapportion blame. Ithought he was adiplomat. Is he not

supposed to know howto behave in allcircumstances?''Exactly,my dear girl.

Yardleyacceptsthefaultwas his, even if theactions were yours. Heis ready to take thenecessary steps to saveyourreputation.''I do not understand.

How can he doanything? It's too late,the damage is done.'

Emily choked back asob. 'Mama will bedestroyed by this. Shehadsuchhighhopesforme,andIshallneverbereceived in society now,shallI?''Youwill,ifyouexcept

Yardley'soffer.''His offer…' she

stammered. 'Are yousaying I must marryhim in order to putthings right?'Shegazed

at her grandfather; hereyes widened and thecolour left her face.'Surely not? There hasto be another way. Ihave no more wish tomarry Viscount Yardleythen he has to marryme.''Nonsense! You will

dealadmirablytogether.If you do not accept itwill not just be yourgood name that will be

lost. His will be gonealso. Do you wish toruin him as well asyourself?''Of course not.' She

hung her head.Whatever she decided,her moment offoolishnesswasgoingtocause a lifetime'smisery. She had nochoice, but at least thisway her sisters, hermother and her

grandfather would behappy. After all, onlyyesterday she had beencontemplating marriageto Sebastian as thesolution to her family'sproblems. Her positionnow was no different,really.She raised her head

and pulled back hershoulders. Nobodywould ever know howshe felt about the

situation.'I shall accept

ViscountYardley'soffer,when he makes one. Ishall be honoured tobecome his betrothed,whatever thecircumstances thatpromoted it.' Her smilewas pitiful but hebeamed back, delightedhe had achieved hisobjectivesosoon.'Goodgirl.Youwillnot

regret it. Sebastian canbe a little stiff neckedbut never doubt hisintelligenceandhisgoodheart.' He wiped hismouth on his starchedwhitenapkin. 'Now,runalong, my dear. I amsure you wish to seeyourmotheranddeliveryourgoodnews.Iexpectyou to be the library

at eleveno'clock sharp.'Still smiling brightly

Emily rose gracefully toher feet, curtsied, andwent, not to see hermother as suggested,butbacktoherroomtofind the privacy shecraved.Jenny was in the

dressing-room mendingher torn dress. 'I'mgoingtoride.Pleasefindmyhabitrightaway.'Less than fifteen

minuteslaterEmilyhad

escaped outside andwas hurrying, headdown, towards thestables. Sebastian wasgoing thesamewaybutfrom the rear of thehouse. He had beenstriding round thegarden perfecting hisplan.Emily walked straight

into him. Instinctivelyhe closed his armsaround her, protecting

her from harm. Theimpact of their collisioncaused him to staggerbackwards into thethick yew hedge thatbordered the path. Itsbulkpreventedasecondfall.'Goodgrief,Emily!You

almost had us over.'Sebastian said, as hecarefully straightenedandreplacedherfeetonthepath.

'I beg your pardon; Iwasnot lookingwhere Iwas going. I hope I didnot harm you?' Hervoice was high andstrained. She tried tosmileandrelaxherrigidpose. 'I am hoping tofind a mount; do youthink there is onesuitableforme?'He stepped back,

brushingtheleavesanddebris from his person.

'Aslongyoudonotwishto ride Sultan, as I amabout to go out myself.Will you accompanyme?Icanshowyoutheestate,ifyouwishtoseeit?'Emily took the olive

branch.'Iwouldloveto,thank you, CousinSebastian. And I canassure you I might beimpulsive but I'm notstupid. I have no

intention of settingtongues wagging asecondtime.''I am glad to hear it.'

He offered her his armandshe felt itwouldbeuncivil to refuse. Themomentherhandrestedon the rough fabric ofhis riding jacket sheknew it to have been amistake. She felt hismuscles bunch beneathher light hold and

believed that hisreaction demonstratedhis antipathy to hertouch. She could nothavebeenmorewrong.Theprogresshadbeen

noted by an observantstable boy and Sultan,and a spirited greymare,weresaddledandwaiting when theyarrived in the yard.Emily looked aroundwithapproval.Thewell-

swept cobbles, freshlypainted boxes and theglossy, enquiring headshangingoverhalfdoors,toldher that thiswasawell-keptstableyard.Then she saw the

horses, standing readyand her smile, for thefirst time thatmorning,became genuine.Without pausing shestepped up to the hugechestnut stallion and

rubbed his nose. Helowered his head toallow her to pull hisears. 'Good morning, you

handsome fellow. Howare you today?' Theanimal whickered andlippedher facewithhiswhiskered mouth. 'Sillything; you're too big forkisses.' As she steppedawayshebecameawarethat she was, once

more, the centre of acircle of interestedspectators.HereyesmetSebastian's, they werenot censorious, butamused.'I'msorry;butIcouldnotresistgreetinghim.'Grinning he leant

downandwithapockethandkerchief wipedawaythetrailofslobberhishorsehadleftonherforehead. 'There is no

need to apologise;Sultan is sorely inneedof friends. He iscordially disliked by allthe grooms and ladswho attend to him. Forsome strange reasonhehas fallen under yourspell,Cousin.''You are bamming

me? Sultan is not wild,he'sagentlegiant.''I think his stable lad

would dispute that, my

dear.' He smiled; hiseyes alight withlaughter, making himsuddenly lookapproachable and lesssevere. 'Do you likePolly, your mount? Sheis a fast ride but I amcertain that you willhave no difficultyhandling her, evenridingside-saddle.'Emily turned her

attention to the mare,

who was moreinterested in flirtingwith the stallion. 'I loveher. If I can not haveSultan for my own, Ishall happily settle forPolly.'Theheadgroomthrew

her up into the saddleand shehookedone leground the raisedpommel. The othergroom fitted her neatlybooted foot into the

singlestirrup.Sebastianvaultedinto

his saddle unaided andgathereduphisreins. 'Ithought we would taketheroutethroughHomeWoods, there arehedges,logsandditchestojump,andthencomebackacrossthepark.''That sounds perfect.

It's so long since I'vebeen able to ride and Ihave missed it

dreadfully.'They clattered out of

the yard in easyconversation. He hadquite forgotten his vowto alienate his futurewife by his obnoxiousbehaviour. She hadquite forgotten that shedisliked him. Thedreaded appointment inthe library wastemporarily pushedasidebytheexhilaration

oftheride.Theyarrivedbacktwo

hours later, hot andmud-spattered, havingspent the entire timewithout speaking acrossword.Theyparted,amicably, and whenthey returned to theirapartments to changetheir garments neitherof them gave a thoughtto what faced them inthelibrary.

****Sebastiandressedina

coat from Westons, cutsquare at the front asthe newest fashiondictated. It took hisman, Morrison, twentyminutes to ease himinto this and his skintight inexpressibles andhighly polishedHessians. He tied hisown neck cloth in anintricate arrangement

he had devised forhimself. Satisfied, hestrode from hischamber, his jawclenched and hisexpressiongrim.Hewasfacedwiththe

prospectofspendingtherest of his life in thecompanyofsomeonehescarcely knew. It was arecipefordisaster.Thenhisexpressionrelaxedalittle as he recalled the

pleasant two hours hehad just spent in hercompany. He nowconsideredthathisplanto trick Emily intobreaking theengagement wasreprehensible andhardly appropriate toman of his elevatedpositionandhedecidedhehadnooptionbuttoabandonit.

****

'I have repaired yourlilac gown,miss; it's allreadyforyou,andItookthe liberty of calling upabath.''Thank you, Jenny. I

willnotwearthatdress,anolderonewillsuffice.'For a moment she waspuzzled by her maid'slook of horror at thesuggestion. Then shefelt as though she hadswallowed

a stone. For in lessthan an hour she wassupposed to be in thelibraryreadytoagreetomarryhercousin.It was so unfair! She

had been given her lifebackbyhergrandfatherand had thrown it allaway by a moment offoolhardiness.Sheknewshe had no choice. Shecouldn't understandwhy the prospect of

marrying her cousinfilled her with suchdread. After all he washandsome, intelligent,wealthyandtitled.Mostdebutantes would loveto be in her position.Why was she so setagainstthematch?

ChapterSevenThe harsh sound of a

clock striking the hourmade Emily jump. Shewaslate.Howcouldthathave happened? Shequickened her steps,liftedher skirt, and ranlightly downstairs.Where was the library?The vast hall wasdeserted, and none ofthe usual footmen in

sight. There were fiveroutes for her to selectfrom but she had noideawhichonetotake.Frantically she

searched for a bell-cordin order to summonassistance but foundnone. Then she had aninspired notion; shewould open the frontdoor and knock loudlyon it; thatwould surelybring Penfold out of

hiding.Pleased with her

scheme she turned theheavyknobandsteppedout into the morningsunshine. The treeswere so lovely in theirautumn colours thatshe became distractedand released her holdon the door. Its swungshut with an ominousclunk. She spun roundtoo late, the door was

firmly closed. She liftedtheheavybrassknockerand banged it. Shewaited expectantly.There was no sound offootsteps hurrying toher summons. Shebangedagain,withsuchforce that she hurt herhand. Yesterday thewretched place hadbeenoverrunwithstaff,where were they alltoday?

She decided toabandon the front doorand search for anotherentrance. Penfold, whohad been closeted withMrs Todd, thehousekeeper, openedthedoortoseeaflashoflilac vanish round thecorner. It was not hisplace to question thestrange ways of hisbetters, so quietly shutthedoorandwentabout

hisbusiness.Emily was breathless,

and the hem of herdresslimpanddustybythe time she finallyfound a side door thatopened. She burst in,startling two parlourmaids about theirduties.'Thank Heavens! I

have found someone.Please could you directmetothelibrary?'

The younger girlrecovered first. 'Yes,miss, if you would caretofollowme.'Emily was late, very

late. Her hair wasescaping from its pinsand the hem of herdress was mired but inherurgencyshefailedtonotice.

****Sebastian was glaring

out across the park; he

did not like to be keptwaiting. The sound ofher hurrying footstepsalerted him. He turned,and stood, legs slightlyapart, arms rigidlybesidehim,andwaited.'Miss Gibson, my

lord.' The maid, dutydone, disappeared butnot before she hadnoted the Viscount'sexpression and Emily'sappearance.Bothwould

bedescribedindetailtothe rest of the staffwhen they sat down forsupperthatnight.Emily curtsiedandas

her eyes dropped shesaw the appalling stateofherdress.Herspiritssunk even lower. Thiswas not an auspiciousstart. She raised herhead and shrivelledunder the icy stare ofher future husband.

Where was the friendlyman she had just beenoutridingwith?There was an

interminable silence;Emilydidnotspeak,shefelt too ill. Sebastianknew if he opened hismouth too soon hewould say somethingtheywouldbothregret. Emily recovered her

composure. 'I mustapologize for keeping

you waiting, sir.' Shewas about to explainwhyshewaslatebutheforestalled her. Shenoticed that thereappeared to besomething wrong withhisbreathing.'For God's sake, sit

down, Emily and let usget this farcecompleted.'Everyinstincttoldher

to flee from this

formidablemanbutherfeetrefusedtomove.Hetookastep towardsherand fearing thathewasgoing to strike her, sheretreated until hershaking back was hardagainst the door, hereyeswide. 'Please, I'm sorry. I

got locked out.' To hershame she feltunwantedtearsspilloutand trickle down her

cheeks.'It is I who must

apologize, Emily.'Sebastiantookherhandand gently drew hertowards a sofa. 'Sitdown,mydear, youareshaking. I should nothave frightenedyou likethat;itwasinexcusable.I am behaving like anincompoop. Here, usethis.' Emily felt the softtouch of a linen

handkerchief placedinto her fingers andobedientlywipedeyes.'I am not usually a

watering-pot. I don'tunderstand what'shappening to me. Ipromise you, I amusually a woman ofgoodsense.''It is this wretched

business. It has got tousboth,hasitnot?'Shenodded.'Youhave

no more wish for thisthan I do, do you,CousinSebastian?''No,Idonot.ButIam

afraid we have nochoice, my dear. Ourbehaviouryesterdayhasput us beyond the paleand only theannouncement of ourengagementwillsaveusbothfromruin.''Grandfather told me

you could lose your

position in thegovernmentaswellasinsociety.Isthattrulythecase?''It is; we have no

choice.' Then he smiledand inexplicably herheart turned over. Hereached over and tookherhand. 'MissGibson,will you do me theinestimable honour ofbecomingmywife?'She swallowed twice,

before answering. Thereappeared to be a lumpstuck in her throat.'Yes,mylord,Iwill.'Thepull on her handcontinued and shefound herself beingembraced by twoexceptionally well-muscledarms.'Lookatme,Emily,'he

commanded.Shedidasshe was bid andreceived her first adult

kiss.Thefeelofanothermouth on hers was atfirstalarmingbutslowlyshe relaxed and beganto enjoy the strangesensation.'There, it is done.'

Viscount Yardleyreleased her and stoodup. 'I assume you willtell Lady Althea ourgoodnews?''Yes, of course I will.

Whathappensnext?Are

we obliged to doanythingelse?''No; I am returning to

Town after I havespoken to the Earl.' Hebowed formally and,without furtherconversation,strodeoutoftheroom.Emily stared at the

closed-door scarcelyable to comprehendwhat had just takenplace. In the space of

thirty minutes she hadbeen shouted out,scared half to death,comforted, proposed to,kissed and abandoned.Itwastoomuchtotakein. Shakily she got toher feet and began towalk around the room,trying to bring order tohertumbledthoughts.She was still in the

library when her sisterdiscovered her. Millie

greeted her with ascreamofdelight.'Em, here you are! I

havebeen searching foryou for hours.Everything is like agame of hide and goseek in this hugehouse.'Emily put down her

book and returned hersister's happy smile. 'Iknow, Millie, I got lostthis morning and have

notdaredventureoutofhere again. Is there aparticular reason youareseekingme?''Yes, Madame Ducray

fromLondonhasarrivedand has boxes ofsamples and things toshow you. Mama hasgot dressed and takensome breakfast. I loveWesterham; we're goingtobesohappyhere.''I'm sure you're right.

Come along then, shallwe try and findMama'sapartments or ring forassistance?''We had better ring;

she will be gettinganxious.'Lady Althea greeted

herdaughtersasthoughthey had been lost forweeks. 'My dears, atlast, I have been soworried. Where everhave you been for so

long?''Emwashiding in the

library; it took me forevertofindher.''Well you are both

here now. MadameDucray has set up inyour sitting-room,Emily.She iswaiting toseeusthere.'Serena bounced off

the chaise-longue. 'Shallthere be dresses forme

aswell,Mama?''Of course, my love.

Your grandfather saidwearetohavewhateverwewish.He has placedno restrictions onexpenditure.'It was only then that

Emily realized hermotherandsisterswereignorant of either herscandalousbehaviourorher precipitateengagement.

'Mama, I have tospeak with you first.Millie, take Serena intoMadame and tell herthatweshallbealonginafewminutes.''Canwestartchoosing

material for ourdressesandpinafores?'LadyAltheaanswered.

'Yesyoucan,mydears.Madamewilldirectyourattention to those mostsuitableforgirlsofyour

age.'Mary led her charges

away leaving Emily andher mother alone. 'Youhave not heard whathappened yesterday,haveyouMama?''I heard that you and

Papa fell out but werereconciled immediately.I also heard thatViscount Yardley andyou were at daggersdrawn.Surelytherecan

notbeanythingelse?''I'm afraid there is.

YouhadbettersitdownwhilstItellyou.'When Emily finished

her story her motherwasshockedspeechless,butonlyforamoment.'Am I to understand

that you are nowengaged to be marriedtoViscountYardleyandhe has departed forTown without bothering

tospeaktome?'Emily nodded. 'He

asked grandfather'spermission to addressme. I suppose he feltthatwassufficient.'Lady Althea was

incensed.Sheknewshehad been slighted anddidnot take itkindly. 'Ithinkitistheoutsideofenough.Ihaveknownofhis existence scarcely aday and already I

cordially dislike him.You shall not marryhim, Emily, I will nothaveit.''ButifIdonot,bothof

us will lose ourreputations. Thescandal will also reflecton both you and thegirls.Icannotallowthattohappen.'Her mother pursed

herlipsthenhereyeslitup. 'I have it, Emily.

When we havereplenished ourwardrobes, we shall goto Town. Although it isnot high Season therewill stillbeplentygoingon.Wecanbereadyinamonth or less. I shallwrite at once to all myold acquaintances andget invitations for us tothe most prestigiousdances and soirees. AsViscount Yardley's

fiancé, and mydaughter, you will beacceptedeverywhere.'Emily interrupted her

mother's excited plans.'Butwhy?Howwill thathelp?''It is as plain as the

nose on your face, mylove. You will beconsidered a success,your reputation will berestored and then youcan break the

engagement andnoonewill think twice aboutit.''What reason shall I

givefordoingso?Idon'twish to be called a jilton top of everythingelse.''Weshall justsayyou

do not suit after all. Iwill think of something.Papa has promised tomake all of you agenerous settlement.

Youarenowanheiress.There will be noshortage of eligiblesuitors, I can assureyou.'Emily did not point

out that she really hadno desire to bemarriedto anyone. It seemed ashame to dampen hermother's enthusiasm. Itwas so long since shehad seen her taking aninterestinanything.

'Is there no way thatViscount Yardley couldcry off withoutdamaginghisname?''No,mylove.Theman

ishonourboundtokeephispromise,butsocietyunderstands that it isawoman's privilege tochange hermind.' LadyAlthea rose. 'Come,Madame will think usdiscourteous if we donotappear.'

****Emily's sitting-room

had been transformedinto an Indian bazaar.Silks, satins, sarcenetand muslins explodedover chair backs andsofas, cascading intopoolsofliquidcolouronthe polished boards.Upon the occasionaltables were spreadpages from, La Belle

Assemblée, with thelatest fashion plates foradults and childrenalike.The petite

Frenchwoman, herbrindled hair scrapedback into anunflattering bun,fluttered forward, hertiny hands wavingtheatrically. 'Oh, LadyAlthea,MissGibson,weare so 'appy to see you

'ere. I 'ave some lovelygownsmade up for youto wear whilst I amconstructing your newchoices.'Madame ushered her

clients to the oneuncluttered sofa. 'If youwill please to sit 'ere, Iwill 'ave my girls showyou the gowns that arecomplete.' Emily andLady Althea sat wheredirected. There was no

sign of either Millie orSerena.'Where are my girls,

Madame? Surely theyhave not become boredsoquickly?''Ohno,mylady.They

areinthechamberwiththeir nurse, trying onthe new clothes withgreat enthusiasm. Areyouready?Iwillcallmyassistantstobegin.''Can I really select as

many outfits as I wish,Mama? Doesgrandfather havebottomlesspockets?'LadyAltheapattedher

daughter's hand. 'He isoneofthewarmestmeninEngland,my love, sodo not stint yourself. Ipromiseyouthat Ihavenointentionofdoingso.I never thought to havea closet bursting withlovelygownseveragain.

I believed that I hadforgone such luxurieswhen I married yourdearPapa.'Emily tensed, waiting

for the torrent of tearsthat always followedsuch a mention but itdidn'tcome.Shesmiled.'I'm certain that he

wouldwant you to lookbeautiful again. Indeed,you're looking betteralready.I'msurethatin

a fewweeks youwill befeeling fully restoredand well enough totravel to London withme.''I shall, my love, I

shall.' Lady Altheastared intensely at hereldest daughter. 'Youarealsofartoothin,mylove. We must bothendeavour to eat more.Slenderisattractivebutstickthin,Iamafraid,is

not.'Emily giggled. 'If I

continue to eat as I didthis morning I will bethesizeofahorseinnotime' Madame coughedpolitely, drawing theirattention to theentrance of the first ofthe two mannequins.Aftertwohourseventhedelight of selecting newgownswasbeginning topallforallthecompany.

They decided topostpone themeasuringand fitting for theafternoon. LadyAlthea returned

to her rooms promisingshe would eat beforeresting. Emily and hersisters found their wayback downstairs to thesmall dining parlourwhere, they had beeninformed, a coldcollation had been set

upforthem.'I have four new

dresses, with matchingslippers, and bonnetsand ribbons as well.'Serena told Emilyproudly.'And Ihave the same.

How many did youselectEm?'Millieasked.'I am now the proud

possessor of twomorning gowns, two teadresses, one walking

dress with matchingpelisse,andoneeveninggown. I have, naturally,a full complement ofslippers, bonnets,reticules and shawls toaccompanythem.Ishallbesosmartyouwillnotknowme.''Mary says we are

having lots of othergarments madeespecially. I do not seewhen we will have time

to wear them all. And IexpectIwillhavegrownout of them before theyareevenhalfwornout.''You have to change

your outfit every hour,Serena; it is whathappensintheton, isitnot,Em?'Serenalookedsuitably

horrified.Do not tease your

sister, Millie. No,

Serena,youdonothaveto change so often.However,Ibelievethatitis not done to wear thesame dress twice inpublic, but that onlyapplies to adults I amsure.'Thegirlsstared,open-

mouthed.Milliewasthefirsttorecover.'Butthatcan not be right. Itwould mean havinghundredsofdresses;no

one would have somany. It would be toowasteful.''Three hundred and

sixty fivedresses, ifyouwent out every day.'Serena said with awe.'No wonder we havesuch enormous closetsinourchambers.'Emily shookherhead

laughing openly at hersisters. 'Don't take mesoliterally,girls.By'out

in public' I meant to aparty,ball,orsoiree,notwalkingordrivinginthepark.'By theendof theday

the Gibson family wasexhausted, but theywereallwellsatisfiedbythe day's events.Madame Ducray waseven more so, for shereturnedtoLondonwithan order of suchmagnitudeshewouldbe

obliged to take onmoreseamstressesifitwastobecompletedontime.Ithad been arranged thatshe would deliver thefinished items toWesterham within fourweeks,inorderthatanyalterations could bemade before the partydepartedforLondon.

****The Earl of

Westerham's townhouse

was naturally, in thebest part of town, awayfrom the noise andpollutionof the teemingcity streets, but not sofar from the park thatSebastian could notexercise his horse, ordrive his high-perchphaeton.He took himself to

Whites to tell hisacquaintances of hisbetrothal. It was

imperative that thenewsof theengagementwasspreadbeforeothergossip arrived in town.Someone was bound tohear about the ridingdebacle; such anexcitingtitbitofscandalwould be greedilyabsorbed and hurriedonitsway.By theendof theday

Sebastian's face wasstiff from smiling and

his back sore from thecongratulatory slapping.No one questioned hischoice orhis timing;hewas the sole heir to agreat name and it washis duty to producesufficientsonstosecurethe title. What betterway than choosing tomarry his secondcousin?Too dispirited to join

in any card games or

attendoneofthesoireesormusicalstowhichhehad been invited, hereturned home. He haddone his duty, theirreputations were safe.No wedding date hadbeen set, but knowingthe earl, it would besoonerratherthanlater.He scowled as hecontemplated his futuretied to a young womanwith no sense of

decorum and a figurelike a boy's. She didhave lovely eyes and afine head of hair, butsetting up his nurserywith such a female didnot fill him withenthusiasm.The next morning he

reported to his office atHome Guards anddiscovered he wasrequired to leaveimmediately for

Belgium. Napoleon hadescaped from Elba andwas already in Paris,gatheringloyaltroopsasfast as a dog foundfleas. Wellingtonrequired his immediateservices. He caught thenext packet to Calaisand was safelyestablished on theDuke's staff within lessthan a week. Allthoughts of Emily and

their engagement wereforgotten in theexcitement of preparingfor the inevitable battlewiththeFrench.

****Meanwhile, at

Westerham,LadyAltheaslowly recovered bothher looks and herspirits,evenherstragglyhair regained its lustrewiththejudicioususeofhenna. Emily rode out

every day, sometimeswith her sisters,sometimesaccompaniedonlybyagroom.Shegottoknowhergrandfatherand finally forgave himforhisneglect.The ring, which had

once been hergrandmother's,remained unworn onher dresser. When theday came for theirdeparturetoLondonshe

had all but forgottenthat she was engaged.Apartfromthe arrival of this

token,withabriefnote,they had received nocommunication fromViscountYardley,whichbothered her not onejot.

ChapterEightThe Earl of

WesterhamaskedEmilytovisithimprivatelyonthe morning scheduledfortheirdeparture.'Sit down, my dear; I

am going to miss yourcompanywhilst youarein Town. Do not stopawaytoolong.''We intend to return

for the Yuletide

festivities so it will bebut five weeks we areabsent.''Excellent; I have

something specialplannedforyouall.IamintendingtoholdaNewYear's masquerade;Serena and Amelia willloveit.''Willitnotbetoodark

and dangerous forpeople to travel toWesterham,

grandfather?'He chuckled at her

ignorance. 'Goodheavens, my dear, myguests will already behere. Ihave invited fiftypeople to stay. The ballwillbetocelebrateyourforthcoming nuptials.'Emily shivered. 'I havenoticed Emily, that youdo not wear yourbetrothal ring. Is it apoorfit?'

She blushed. 'No,grandfather.It isremissofmebutIdonot,asarule, where anyjewellery. I am alwaysafraidIwillloseit.ButIpromiseIshallputitonimmediately.''Good girl; people will

thinkitoddofyouifyoudo not display itproudly. I believeYardleywillbereturningsoon;itishightimeyou

spent some timetogether.''I am looking forward

toit,'shelied.Shestoodup and came across tokiss her benefactorfarewell. 'I am going tomiss you, Grandfather.You must take care ofyourself whilst we aregone.'He patted her cheek

affectionately. 'I will,minx. And you enjoy

yourself; attend asmany parties andgatherings as you can,makesomenewfriends.IhavegivenAltheasomeextra cards so if thereareanyyouwishtoaddto the house party, youwillbefreetodoso.''Thankyou;Imustgo,

thecarriageiswaiting.Imust not keep thehorses standing, it iscoldthismorning.'

****The Gibson family

made good time andarrivedatLessingHousebymid-afternoon.Therewas still sufficientdaylight for the girls toexclaimindelightattheplaceinwhichtheywereto reside for the nextfive weeks. Millie stoodon the freshly washedpavement and staredup.

'There are four floors.It takes up quite halfthe block.' She gazedaround the selectsquare on which thehouse was situated. 'Itis almost twice the sizeof all the otherdwellings.''It is, my love. And it

is as luxuriouslyappointed asWesterham. We willwant for nothing, I

promiseyou.''May I play in a little

garden in the centre,Mama? It has a lawnand flowerbeds andthere are statues ofladies in it,' Serenaasked.'I am sure Mary will

take you when theweather is fine, if MissQuenbygivesyouleave.'The governess, a

sprightly, middle-aged

lady of superiorknowledge andimpeccable references,nodded and smiled.'Yourmorningswill stillbespentonyourbooks,MissSerena,butIthinkthe afternoons can begiven over to visits andexcursions.Afterallthisis your first time inourcapital city. I am sureLady Althea wishes youto see as much of it is

possible.''Indeed I do, Miss

Quenby. Miss Gibsonand Iwill be out a dealof the time so I amtrusting you to plan asuitableitineraryformyyoungestdaughters.''Miss Quenby has

promised she will takeustotheTowerandtheVauxhallGardens. I amso pleased to be here,Mama, I think I might

burst.''I do hope not, Miss

Serena, it would makesuch a mess on thisclean pavement.' MissQuenbyrepliedsmiling.The London butler,

Digby, fromhis vantagepointat theheadof thesteps, viewed thelaughing group withdisfavour.Emily noticed the

frontdoorwasopenand

bright candlelightspilling out. 'Comealong, everyone, I thinkwe should go in.' Shenoticed the look on thebutler's face andrealized they had beenmaking a spectacle ofthemselves, gawpinglikevillagersatafair.Digbyshowedthemin

and introduced the restof the staff to LadyAlthea. Then they were

conducted to theirapartments at the farside of the spaciousbuilding. In every roomwelcoming fires burntmerrily andcandelabrum glowedwith expensive beeswaxcandles. The youngestgirlshadbeenput,withMissQuenbyandMary,on the attic floor in thenurserywing.Theywerenotimpressed.

'Whydowehavetobeup here? It's cold anddark. Grandfather doesnotmakeussleepinthenurseries.' Serena saidcrossly.'Indeed he does not,

my loves. Nor shall youthis visit.' Lady Altheaturned to thehousekeeper. 'MissAmeliaandMissSerenawill have rooms next toMiss Gibson. And you

will find a morecomfortablechamberforMissQuenby.''Yes, my lady. I'm

sorry, my lady, but MrDigby believes thatchildren belong in thenursery, not on thesecondfloor.'Lady Althea smiled. 'I

quite understand. Maryyoucanremainuphere,JennyandEdwardscanjoinyou.Whenyouhave

fires burning it will bequitecosy.'The girls' belongings

were packed andtransported backdownstairs. It was fulldark by the time theparty was settled toeveryone's satisfaction.After a light supper,served in a prettywithdrawing-room onthe first floor, the girlswere so tired they went

to bed without demure,leaving Emily and hermotheralone.'I think I am going to

retire also, my dear, Iam fatigued after thejourney.'Emilyrangthebellandaparlourmaidappeared to escort hermothertoherrooms.'I am going to explore

for a while. I want todiscover thewhereabouts of the

library and the study.Miss Quenby wishes touseoneof them forherlessons.' Emily waitedfor the young maid toreturn to guide herdownstairs. 'Are therooms on the groundfloor not open, Beth?'She asked the girl onthewaydowntherichlycarpetedstairs.'They are, Miss

Gibson; but they're for

Viscount Yardley's use.'Thegirl grinned. 'You'recoming has fair put oldDigbyoutofsorts,Icantell you, miss. Hecannot abide eitherwomenorchildren.Iamup from Westerham,same as you; all femalestaff are, including MrsLawford. She is underhousekeeper backthere.'Thegirlhaltedinfront of a stout door.

'Thisisthelibrary,MissGibson. Shall I showyouthestudytoo?''Yes, please do. Why

are thereareno flowersanywhere?'Bethgiggled.'Oldsour

face can't abide flowersneither.ShallIsendoutforsometomorrow,MissGibson?''Yes,LadyAlthealikes

the house to be filledwith blooms. Will

someone go to CoventGardenforthem?''That they will, Miss

Gibson. If Mrs Lawfordallows, I'll go myself,and take a couple ofbootboysalongwithmetocarrythem.'Emilydecidedthatthe

study, althoughpresently unlit andchilly, would be morethan adequate for hersister's to take their

lessons. 'I can find my way

back to my rooms,thankyou,Beth,soyoucango.Iintendtositinthe library for a whileand read. I noticed ithas a decent fireburning.''Very well, Miss

Gibson. If you're sure.Goodnight,miss.'Beth vanished

through a door in the

panelling, leaving Emilyalone outside thelibrary. Feeling a littlelike an intruder shepushed open the doorandwentin.Therowsofleather bound booksweremostly dull and ofno interest but shefound a volume on thehistory of London andtook that back to acomfortable, deep-seated, leather chair,

positioned close to thefire.She tucked her feet

under her, smoothingout the delicate folds ofthe skirt of her greenspottedmuslin.Shewasgladthisgownhadlongsleeves and that shehad thought to place acashmere shawl aroundher shoulders. Thecandles she hadpositioned on the

mantelshelf and smallside tables bathed herin a golden glow. Thecombination of warmthand exhaustion causedher head to droop andshefellasleep.She did not hear the

sound of the carriageoutsideor thebustleasanother visitor arrived.She slept through. Thecandles burned downlower and the fire went

out. The cold finallywoke her. The feebleglow of the tworemaining candle stubsrevealed little. Then shefelt the heavy weight inherlapandrememberedwhereshewas.Sheuncurledher legs

with difficulty andstumbled to her feet.Her dress was creasedand her hair, as usual,wasfallingdownaround

her face. Crossly shepulled out theremaining pins andshookherhead,sendingthe waist length curlscascading down herback in a russetwaterfall.The large clock,

ticking loudly in it'swoodencase, toldher itwas past midnight.Everyone would beasleep. She frowned;

why had Jenny notsoughtherout?Hadthegirls not missed theirusual goodnightembrace?One of the candles

guttered and went out.Quickly Emily snatchedup the remaining one;she had to find a roomwith fresh candlesbefore she was left inthepitchblack togropeher way back to her

rooms.The feeble glimmer

showed her the doorand she opened itquietly, not wishing towake the household.She stood, holding hercandle aloft, staringdown the long darkpassageway.Thentoherdelight she saw a crackof yellow escaping froma door further down. Itwas in the opposite

direction to theonesheknew she must takebut, if there wassomeone in the room,they could provide herwith directions and thenecessaryillumination.She did not stop to

consider exactly whothat someonemight be.It was only as shetentatively pushed thedoor open that itoccurred to her the

roomcouldbe occupiedby an intruder. In herterror she dropped thecandle and plungedherself into totaldarkness. She had toflee, but disorientatedby the lackof light,shehad no idea in whichdirection to go. Too lateshe heard the sound ofrapidly approachingfootsteps and the doorcrashedopen.

Emily tried to pressherself against the walland she prayed fordeliverance, what shegotwasa lethalblowtoherrighttempleandshecollapsed, without asound,atherattacker'sfeet.

****'God's teeth!'

Sebastian swore anddropped tohisknees inhorror. He had known

theminutehisclenchedfist landed that he hadmadeaterriblemistake.Itwasonlynowthatheappreciated just howbad.Hehadthoughthehadfelledahouse-maidon an illicit night timejaunt, but this was somuchworse.In the light from his

sitting-room he gentlyscooped hisunconscious fiancé up

and her unbound hairspilled over his arms inwarm thick ripples. Itssoft touch made hisstomach clenchandhispulseaccelerate.Carefully he laid

Emily on the nearestsofa. He dropped againtohiskneesandpushedback the hair from herface. He swore again,moreviciously.Thevividpurple bruise already

appearingonhertemplewas ample evidence ofhis brute force. Helooked around forsomething to press ontheswelling.Therewereonly the dregs of hisclaretdecanter.Itwouldhave to do. He tippedthe thick ruby liquidonto the neck-cloth hehadremovedearlier.The red stains left by

thedampclothmatched

the spreading bruise.Should he call forassistance?Howwasheto explain the presenceof his fiancé, with hairunbound, unconsciousin his private quarters?Whatever explanationwas offered it would bedisbelieved. Theevidencespokeforitself.It had been anassignation in whichthey had violently

disagreed and, in hisfury, he had struck herdown.A faint sound alerted

him.Shewascomingtoher senses. He saw hereyelidsflickerandopen.He stared into herextraordinaryhazeleyesand his chestconstricted. How couldhe ever have thoughther plain? She was themost beautiful and

desirablewomanhehadeverseen.

****Slowly, Emily

returned to fullconsciousness. Herhead hurt and hervisionwasblurred.Thenshe remembered thedoor opening and theviolentblowtoherhead.She stiffened and fearflooded back. She wastrapped, helpless, with

the monster who hadtriedtokillher.Shefeltherself falling back intoa black pit. From adistance she heard afamiliarvoice. 'Emily, it is I,

Sebastian.Youaresafe;I will not hurt youagain. It was anaccident. I thought youwereanintruder.'She lay still,

assimilating his words,

trying to make sensefrom them. It wasSebastian who hadtreated her so cruelly?But hewas inBelgium,howcouldhebehereinLondon? She felt asoothing coolness onher throbbing templeand, although she didnot fully understandwhat she heard, sheknewtheywerewordsofcomfort. She sighed,

relaxedandslipped intoa deep restorativeslumber.

****Sebastian bent down

and rested his fingersunder her jaw, seekingfor her pulse. It wasstrong and regular. Hethanked God she wasasleep and notunconscious again.Sebastian watched her,glad his blow had

apparently not causedherseriousharm.He uncoiled, rubbing

his unshaven jaw, hisexpression troubled. Hewas,forthefirsttimeinhisadultlife,atalosstoknow how to proceed.He could not carry her,undetected, upstairs toher rooms, because hedid not know exactlywhere she had beenplaced. But neither

couldheleaveherhere,in his chambers, shewould be hopelesslycompromised. Evenengaged couples couldnot indulge in suchwantonbehaviour.What he needed were

servants who werediscreet and totallyloyal. His man, Smith,was one; and he wascertain Emily's abigailwould be another. He

pulled the bell andwaitedimpatiently.'Smith, I have a

problem. IfMissGibsonandIaretocomeoutofthis unscathed I amgoingtoneedyourhelp.'Smith, an intelligent

man, took in thesituationataglance.Hehadthesensenottoaskquestions. If he hadseenthebruisemarringEmily's face he might

nothavebeensohelpfulbut it was convenientlycoveredbyherhair.'Ineed toknowwhich

chamber Miss Gibsonhas been given. I alsoneed her maid downhereimmediately.''Yes, sir.' Smith

vanished leavingSebastian to paceanxiously. Ten minuteslater his servantreappeared, Jenny at

hisside.'I have been beside

myself with worry, mylord, when Miss Emilydid not return. I didn'tknow what do for thebest.' Jenny hurriedover to her mistresspuzzled that she lay sostill. She was moreobservant than Smith.'What has happenedhere,mylord?Hastherebeen an accident?' She

knelt beside Emily whostirred a little but didnotwake.Viscount Yardley

coughedandclearedhisthroat unwilling toadmit that it was hewho had caused theinjury. 'I startled MissGibson and she fell,hitting her head; butyouwill findthatshe isasleep, notunconscious.'

Jenny sniffed, whichdid not endear her tohis lordship. 'Sheshould be in her ownbed, sir, not down hereonyoursettle.'He ground his teeth.

'Ifyouwouldtakemetoherrooms,shewillbeinher bed soon enough.'Sebastian, Emilycradled in his arms,followedJenny,withhercandle high, along the

black, silent corridors.Smith padded along infront quietly openingandclosingthedoors.The warm weight of

his sleeping fiancé feltright in Sebastian'sarms. Her head nestledtrustingly on hisshoulder and she hadslidherarmaroundhisneckwhenheliftedher.On reaching her

bedchamberhereleased

her reluctantly, puttinghercarefullyonherbed.Hesteppedback,barelyresisting the temptationto drop a kiss on herbrow. Smith lit hispassage back, allowinghimto follow, immersedinhisthoughts.He realized he was

more than reconciled tohis forthcomingmarriage. Life withEmily would never be

dull. He smiled widely.Fromthispoint forwardhe was determined toturn his considerablecharm and diplomaticskill to winning hisyoungfiancé'sheart.

****Emilyopenedhereyes

andattemptedtoliftherhead but an agonizingpain shot from hertemple to her jaw andforcing her to lie still.

The shutters were stilldrawn and she couldseesunlightthroughthecracks. It wasmorning;it was time to summonher abigail. She tried asecond time to rise andherworld spunand theintensity of the painsickenedher.Sheclosedher eyes until theunpleasant swirlingsensationshadceased.Jenny had heard her

struggles and camebursting in. 'Now, youstay put, Miss Emily.Youtookanastytumblelast night and bangedyour head. I haveinformed Lady Altheaandshe'sonherwaytoseeyou.'Emily felt too unwell

to argue. She raised afeeble hand to indicateheragreementbutmadeno attempt to speak.

Her brain would notengage itself and it wastoo much effort tomarshal her tangledthoughts.Lady Althea arrived

andwashorrifiedtofindher older daughterprostrate. 'My darlinggirl,thisistoobad.Iamsending for the doctorright away. It is a greatpity as I planned tointroduceyou tosociety

today.Wehavecardsforan elegant musicalsoiree at LadyArmitage's house; itwould have been theperfect venue foryou tomakeyourcurtsy.'Emily forced her

tongue, which felt, andacted,likeapieceofwetlamb'swool, to formananswer. 'You go to thesoiree without me,Mama. It would be a

shame forbothofus tomissit.''Verywell,my dear; if

the doctor pronouncesyouwell enough formeto leave you.' Sheglanced around theroom searching forclues. 'Jenny, whatexactlydidMissGibsontripover?'Jenny coloured. 'I've

no idea,my lady. I waselsewhere when it

happened.IhelpedMissEmily into her bed,that'sall.''It is all very odd.'

LadyAltheasmiled.'Butno doubt when MissGibson has recoveredshewillbeabletotellusexactlywhattranspired.'Jenny curtsied and

retired to the safety ofthe dressing room. Sherather doubted that thefull truth of the matter

would ever be revealed,and especially not toLadyAlthea.

ChapterNineThe doctor

pronouncedEmily tobesuffering from a mildconcussion andconfined her to her beduntil he visited again.She felt so wretchedthat she did not argue.She slept most of theday. She was unawarethat twice Smith hadarrived with messages

from his master. Atteatime Emily hadrecovered sufficiently todrink a little barleywater, but still felt toonauseoustoeat.'Your sisters' have

called, twice, but thedoctor said that youwere tohavenovisitorstoday, apart from LadyAlthea,' Jenny told hermistress. She did notmention the missives

from Viscount Yardleythatremainedunopenedonthesidetable.Inheropinion that gentlemanwasmoreculpable thenheowned.At dusk Emily finally

felt well enough to situp. She had an urgentneed to find thecommode. She rang thesmall brass bell hermaidhadplacedbyherbed and waited,

uncomfortably, forassistance. Her head spun

unpleasantly and shewas glad to regain herbed. She noticed theunopened letters on thetable and asked Jennyto hand them to her.She unfolded one andthestrongblackwritingleaptfromthepaper.

MydearEmily,Iamdevastatedtofind

yousounwell.LastnightI had no idea you hadsustained a concussion.IcannotbegintotellyouhowsorryIam.Canyoueverforgiveme?Yoursaffectionately,Yardley.Frowning Emily

opened the second

letter. This should havebeen read before theother.DearEmily,Pleasecouldyoucome

to the rose garden ateleven o'clock, I wish tospeak with you inprivate.Yoursrespectfully,Yardley

Incensed she felt herheadthrobasthebloodpulsed inwavesaroundher body. It matterednotthatthehorridbrutehad mistaken her for aburglar; that was noexcuse, for no robberwould be wearing adressorhavehairdowntotheirwaist.She twisted the

emeraldringaroundherfinger,temptedtotearit

off and return it. Thensanityprevailed.No,shewould allow theengagement to continuefor the present, but theminute she wasestablished in societythe engagement ended.For however much hergrandfather wished it,she was never going totie herself of a man sosteeped in drink andviolence that he could

mistake a woman for aburglar.

****'Where is it we are

going this evening,Mama?''The Galveston's are

throwing a ball tocelebrate their eldestdaughter's engagementto Lord Brackley.Although it is not afashionabletimetoholdsuchaneventIamsure

it will be a sad crush.The Galveston's arefamousfortheirparties.Are you certain you areuptoit,mydear?'Emilynoddedand felt

no ill effects. 'I'm fullyrecovered, thank you.It'shightimeIworeoneof my grand eveninggowns.''ViscountYardleyisin

residence, Emily, mylove. I know you have

notbeenwellenoughtosee him but it wouldhavebeenadvantageousfor him to escort us onyour first appearance.Afterall,heissupposedto be your betrothed.Unfortunately he toldmehedoesnothaveaninvitation.''I am relieved to hear

it, Mama, as I have nodesire to spend aneveninginhiscompany.'

'The card states nineo'clock, but as it couldtake an hour for thecarriagetodeliveruswewill leave at eighto'clock.' She glanced atthemantleclock.'Ihaveorderedalightrepasttobe served to us in ourrooms at six. This willleave us ample time tocomplete ourpreparations.'Emily could not

imagine how changingone's dress couldpossibly take so long. 'Ihave not seen the girlstoday; I believe I heardthem returning fromtheir excursion amomentago.Iamgoingto find out how theyenjoyedtheirvisittotheTower. The lions arealwaysasplendidsight.'Her supper was

waitingforherwhenshe

returned to her ownroom.Althoughshewasnolongersufferingfromaheadacheherappetitehad not returned. Sheviewed the cold cuts,bread-and-butter andpickleswithdisfavour.Jenny appeared from

the bedchamber. 'Ohmiss, I was becominganxious. Your bath hasbeen waiting this pasthalf-hour.'

'I am comingimmediately. I still haveanhourbeforeIneedtobedownstairs.'She soon discovered

why her mother hadsuggested allowing twohours for her toilette.Her elaborate hair styletook so long she hadbarely ten minutes toput on her first realeveninggown.Lady Althea had

wanted her to have allthreemadeupinpastelshades and white forthesewere the expectedcolours foradebutante.Emilyhadrefused.This,as farasshecouldsee,was the only advantagethat being betrothed toViscount Yardleypresented. An engagedyoung lady was allowedmore flexibility in herchoiceofcolour.

She had selectedemerald green silk forthe under skirt and afilmysilvergauzefortheover dress. The bodice,cut low as fashiondemanded, curvedprettily overherbosom.Hermotherhadlenthernecklace of square cutemeralds, set in silver,which complementedheroutfitperfectly.'There, miss, you're

ready. I haven't pulledyou in too tight, there'sno need, you're still soslender.' Jenny steppedback to admire hermistress. 'You look apicture,MissEmily.Andno one could possiblymistake you for a boytonight.'Emily glanced down

and grinned. 'I doappear to haveblossomed in that area,

do I not?' She ran thesilkthroughherfingers.'I feel like a fairytaleprincess. It's a pity Idon't have a PrinceCharmingtoaccompanyme.'Jenny handed Emily

the ribbon attached toher demi-train, hermatching reticule, andfan. 'I hope I don't tripmyselfup,Jenny.Ican'timagine how I shall

manage to dance withsomanybitsandpiecestohold.''Yougiveyourreticule

and fan to Lady Altheawhilstyoudance,miss.''I'm delighted to hear

it. I wish you werecoming too; it seemsunfaironlyoneabigailisallowed to accompanyus.'A tap on the door

remindedEmilyshewas

late. Jenny opened thedoor and a footmanannounced that thecarriage was waitingoutside. In a swirl ofgreen silk Emilyfollowed him alongpassageways anddownstairs. Halfwaydown she risked aglance over thebanisters. She stoppeddead. 'Mama, you look

ravisante! I hardlyrecognized you in thatfabulousgown.'LadyAltheasmiledup

at her daughter, poisedlike a green angel, onthe stairs. 'And so doyou, my love. What aspectacular pair weshall be. You will besurrounded by eligibleyoung men, just youwaitandsee.'Emily continued her

descent and hergurgling laughterechoed round theentrance hall. 'I hopenot, Mama. I do notwish Sebastian to feelobliged to call anyoneout.' Her humorousreply was sufficientreminderofherstatus.'Ireallymeantyouwill

not lack for partners,my love. Even anengaged lady is

permitted todancewithsuitable younggentlemen.Butnomorethan once, but I amsure you alreadyunderstandthatrule.''I do indeed. I'm only

permitted to stand upmorethanoncewithmyfiancé.'A footman handed

them into the carriage.Itscandlelampsbobbedand dipped in the

darkness, the twohorses stamped, theirbreath swirling inclouds around theirhandsome heads.Edwards checked thatEmily's silver-linedeveningcloakwassafelyinside the coach andthatLadyAlthea'sruby-redcreationwasrestingsmoothly on the seat,then theywere ready toleave.

'ThisisthefirsttimeIhave been out in a cityinthedark,Mama.It'sathrilling experience.'Emily peered out of thewindow, catchingglimpses of streetvendor's and lateshoppers on theovercrowdedpavements.As expected it was anhourbeforethecarriagefinally pulled up at thesteps of Galveston

House. Blazingflambeaux illuminatedthe illustrious companyattempting to gainaccess. The steps werealready full of ladies ofvarious ages dressed intheir finest, andgentleman in blacktailcoats and knee-breechesorpantaloons.Emily stared at the

jostling people on thesteps with horror. She

hated crowds. 'I think Ishall go home again,Mama. I have aheadache.'Lady Althea stared

hard at her daughter.'You shall do no suchthing, Emily. We arehere now, and whetheryou like itornot, inwewillgo.'Emily's shoulders

drooped and hermother's expression

softened. 'You do nothave to remain long ifyouaretrulyunwell,mylove. Edwards will bewaiting in awithdrawing-room andshe can summon thecarriage to returnwheneveryouwish.'Aliveriedfootman,his

gold frogging glitteringin the torchlight,assisted them from thecarriage.Edwardsshook

outtheirskirtsandtheyshuffled forward withthe rest. Once insideEmily began to enjoyherself. There was somuchtosee.Therewereolder guests stillwearing elaborate wigsand white face paintwithblackbeautyspots.Some gentlemen werestill dressed in theearlier fashion ofbrightly coloured

evening coats, bedeckedwith silver and hugegoldbuttons.Girls of similar age to

her were, she noticed,uniformly dressed inwhite or pastel shades.For an instant shewishedhadpaidheedtoher mother, but thenshe held up her headand her beautiful hazeleyes flashed defiantly.She was not an insipid

debutante on thelookout for a richhusband;shehadaringalreadyonherfinger.At last Emily and her

mother were makingtheir curtsey. LadyGalveston greeted themwith unrestraineddelight.Muchkissingofcheeks and exclaimingtook place before theywere sent on their waytojointhemillingcrowd

thronging the GrandSalon. Lady Altheasailedahead,theostrichfeathers in her headwavinggaily.'We shall sit here,my

love, close to the dancefloor.' A lovely blondegirl sitting demurely onachairnext toherownmama smiled awelcome.Emily smiled back. 'I

amEmilyGibson;thisis

my very first ball.' Herneighbour glanced toher mother forpermission beforeanswering. 'I am Maria

Fitzwilliam. I came outthissummer,andthisisonlythethirdballIhaveattended.'LadyAltheanoddedto

MrsFitzwilliamandshenodded back. Contactestablished the older

womansettleddown fora comfortable coze. TheFitzwilliam's were anexcellent family andextremely well-connected. Edwardsdisappeared, discreetly,with their cloaks andEmily'sspareslippers. A footman

approached with a trayof champagne, followedclosely by one with atrayoforgeat.Thetrays

appearedidentical.WithagrinathernewfriendEmily daringly selectedchampagne, Mariasensibly took the non-alcoholicbeverage.Maria spotted Emily's

engagement ring. Longgloves were de rigueurbutitwaspermissibletohave them finishing atthe knuckles if one sowished.

'Miss Gibson, you arebetrothed. How luckyyou are. I have still tofind anyone remotelysuitable.'Lady Althea smiled at

her disingenuousremark. 'ViscountYardley is an excellentmatch. My father, theEarl of Westerham, isdelightedthathisheiristo marry hisgranddaughter.'

Maria was suitablyimpressed and MrsFitzwilliam as delightedas their hostess thatsuch a lovely youngheiress was already offthemarriagemart.'Are you expecting

Viscount Yardley toattend tonight?' Mariainquiredpolitely.'No; I believe he is

otherwiseengaged.Heisadiplomatandhistime

is not his own.' LadyAltheaanswered.Emily sipped her

drink, enjoying the waythe bubbles tickled hernose.Ittasteddelicious,coldandcrisp.Shetooka large swallow and toher astonishment herworld appeared to tiltalarmingly. Could it beher injury or thisinnocuous lookingdrink?

An ungloved, malehand, reached over andremoved the glass fromhergrasp. 'Ibelieve,mylove, that you havemistakenly selectedchampagne.'Her eyes flew up to

meettheamusedgazeofher fiancé. She wasabouttoprotestwhenawarning in his eyesmade her swallow thewords. She smiled

ruefullyashepulledhertoherfeet.'Ididnotexpecttosee

you here tonight,Sebastian, but I ampleased, of course, thatyouhavecome.'All four women were

now on their feet. Hebowed deeply to LadyAlthea. 'I am delightedto see you looking sowell, Lady Althea. It isquite clear from whom

your daughter hasinheritedherbeauty.'Lady Althea simpered

andquite forgotshedidnot like her great-nephew. 'Allow me tointroduce MrsFitzwilliam and herdaughter, MissFitzwilliam, to you, mylord.'He bowed to Mrs

Fitzwilliam and noddedand smiled at Maria. 'I

believe the first set isforming,shallwego,mydear?' Emily was given no

choice in the matter,but was whisked awaydown the ballroom tojoin the other couples.Shewasnotusuallylostfor words, but thishandsome man,resplendent in fullevening rig, his blondehair shining, his cravat

falling in snowy folds,heldinplacebyasingleemerald pin, was like astranger. A veryattractivestranger.She had seen him in

his riding gear and inhis country eveningapparel but dressed ashe was, in black, helooked magnificent.Every debutante'sdream,a real-lifePrinceCharming. Then she

recalled that scarcelythreedaysbeforehehadknocked herunconscious and shestill had the bruise toproveit.She attempted to

snatchherarmfromhisbut his grip tightened.He bent his mouth towhisper in her ear, toonlookers it appearedmerely the gesture of aman besotted, but they

could not hear hiswords.'You will not cause a

scene here, Emily. Youarea childno longer, itwould do you good torememberthat.'She tried a second

time, more subtly, toremoveherhand. 'Iwillnot stand up with youandneitherwill Imarryyou. You're anunspeakable brute,' she

hissed.'If you persist in this

nonsense you will seejust how much of abrute I can be,my girl.Now, behave yourself.This is not the time forsuchdiscussions.''Thenwhen?Ipromise

you, I will not danceuntilIhaveananswerIamsatisfiedwith.''We will talk later on

the terrace, after this

dance is finished.' Herresistance ceased andwith a false smiledpinned to her face sheallowedhimtoguideherto the set. She dippedand curtsied, skippedand galloped whenrequired, outwardly abeautiful young womanenjoying her debut inthe company of herfiancé.Lady Althea watched

withaproudsmile.Shewas basking in herdaughter's success.Several oldacquaintances haddrifted over to see herand complemented heronherownappearance.Happy that herdaughter was in goodhands she accepted aninvitationtoplayahandof whist in one of theside roomssetaside for

thatpurpose.Emily allowed her

fiancé to lead her fromthe floor and she wasdismayed to find hermotherno longer inherappointed place. Shewas regretting her rashchallenge and wishedheartily to back out ofthepromised tête-à-tête.Theuncompromisingsetof Viscount Yardley's

shoulders and thegrimnessofhis featuresdidnotbodewell.'My mother is not

here, sir. I do not haveherpermissiontogooutontheterrace.''You need no

permission; you areunder my protection.'Hethreadedhersmartlythrough the press ofpeople and outside.Therewereseveralother

couples already there,cooling down after theirexertions on the dancefloor.'It's too cold here, I

wish to go in again, ifyou please. I do notwanttocatchachill.'Without a word he

swung around andmarched her backinside. She could feelthe muscles of hisforearm tighten. Where

was he taking her?Wherewas hermother?Shewriggledherfingersbuttheywereheldfirm.Thenfromfeelingfearfulshe was flooded withrighteousindignation.How dare this man

drag her, against herwill, about the place?Ignoringthetwocouplesstandingquietlytalking,she flung her weightbackwards, taking her

captor by surprise. Hisgrip slackened and shewas free. Every instincttold her to make goodher escape but herangermadeherbrave.She stood her ground

andstaredatSebastian,icy rage in her eyes.'Enough, sir. I will notbe manhandled likethis. I will speak withyou here, and you willlisten.' That four other

peoplewere rivetedalsodid not bother her. Sheremoved her ring andheld it out. 'Here, sir,thisIbelieve,isyours.Iwantnoneofit.'

****Too astonished to

protest he instinctivelyheld out his hand andfelt his token drop intohispalm.Hestaredatitindisbelief.By the timehehadrecoveredhisex-

fiancéhadvanishedintotheballroom.Howcouldthis have happened?She had made him alaughing stock.Word ofhis dismissal wouldalready be passingroundthegatheringlikewildfire.His fists closed and

the jewel bit into hispalm. He took severaldeep breaths. His furyburned inside him, but

he banked it down.Apparentlyunconcernedhe smiled at theinterested spectators,casuallyslippedtheringinto his waistcoatpocket, and saunteredoff, as though he hadnotacareintheworld.No one would have

suspected that beforethe night was out heintended to deal out apunishment to Emily

that would necessitatehertakingallhermealsstanding up for theforeseeablefuture.In the ballroomEmily

was instantly engulfedinaseaofgentlemenalleager to scribble theirnames on her dancecard. She had nointention of honouringthese assignations. Shewanted to return home,at once, but until she

found her mother, shewas trapped. Anymomentshe feared thatthe man she had justpublicly jilted wouldappear to exact hisrevenge.

ChapterTenEmily nodded, dipped

and smiled, promisingshe was to return in afew moments, butalways moving steadilyaway from the doubledoors that led to thepassageway. She hopedshecouldhideherselfinthe crowd, butsuspectedthathervividgreen gown and

chestnut hair wouldmakehereasytospot.She found herself in

the almost emptyreceiving hall, all theexpected guests havingarrived. Lord and LadyGalveston and theirdaughter Sophia andher fiancé had desertedtheir post on the stairsthat led down to thelower floors andfreedom.

Emily hesitated,should she go up ordown? Edwards wasupstairs waiting;downstairs somewhereshe would find thecarriage. She made herdecision and ranupstairs,herdressheldhigh, exposing farmoreanklethanwasseemly.A helpful

chambermaid appearedat her side and guided

her to the rooms inwhich the ladies couldretire and repair theravagesofaneveningonthe dance floor. Onenquiring Emilydiscovered that all themaids, dressers, andabigails were elsewherebut the girl promisedEdwards would befetched to herimmediately.Shefeltasifherheart

wastryingtoescapetheconfines of her bodice;hermouthwasdry andintermittent tremorsshook her tall, slenderframe. The other ladiesintheroomwatchedhercovertly; like colourfulvultures they waited,certain they would beable to pick up somejuicy gossip to tell theirfriends.The servant's door

opened and Edwardshurried in. She hadEmily's greenand silvercloakoverherarm. 'I am sorry you are

feeling unwell, MissEmily. I have asked forthe carriage to bebroughtroundatonce.'Emilyquicklytookher

cue. 'I think I wasimprudent to come outso soon after my fall,Edwards. I should have

heeded the doctor'sadvice and rested a fewdays longer.' EdwardscleverlybrushedEmily'shair aside revealing thelivid purple blue bruisethat marred the rightsideofherforeheadandranbackintohercurls.Thewatcherssighed -

no gossip here - theflushed girl was merelyunwell. With an injurylike that onher temple,

itwashardlysurprising.'I should sit down,

Miss Emily. Itmight besome time before theysend for us. Thecarriagecouldbeseveralstreetsaway.'Emily allowed herself

tobeseatedonachaise-longue. 'What aboutLady Althea? How willshe return if I take thecarriage?'

'Do not fret, miss; Ihave sent amessage toLadyAlthea; she's quitecontent to wait until itreturns to collect her.She's in no hurry toleave.'Ladiescameandwent

but still they did notreceive the longed forsummons. Emilyflinchedeverytimedooropened expecting afuriousViscountYardley

to burst in and accosther. It was a full forty-five minutes before afootman arrived toescort them. The soundof the quartet playingand the tinkle oflaughter accompaniedEmily for it was almostmidnight and the ballwasinfullswing.Emilysawnooneshe

knew as she hurrieddown with Edwards

closebehindher.Atthedoorsheturned. 'I can return alone,

Edwards. I wish you toremain here in caseLadyAltheaneedsyou.'Edwards did not

protest.'Verywell,miss.I will see you to thecarriageandthenreturntowait.'Emily mounted the

carriage steps and felther fear slip away; she

sank back onto thesilken squabs in thewelcomedarknessofthespacious interior.Edwards stepped backand the steps werefolded. The door closed,the coachman clickedand the horses shooktheirheads'.With a sigh of relief

she settledherselfmorecomfortably. She wassafe, at least until the

morning, and by thattime, she prayed,Sebastian would havecalmed down.Something, a slightnoise, an almostimperceptiblemovementat the far side of thecoach, alerted her. Shedid not turn her head,shedidnotneedto.Shewasnotalone.Themanshewassodesperate toescape from was inside

thecarriagewithher.Icy tremors ran down

her spine. She wastrapped. He was aviolentman-hadhenotalready mowed herdown? And servants, ifthey valued theirpositions, did notinterfere in theirmaster'sbusiness.She must not give

herself away. He mustnotknowshewasaware

of him. Her hand slidacross to the doorhandleandbeganto liftit. She kept her faceaverted, pretending shewassleeping,prayinghewouldnotannouncehispresence for a fewsecondslonger.There,shefeltitmove.

Without consciousthought,soterrifiedshedidnotstop toconsidertheconsequences,Emily

threwopenthedoorandjumped out into thedarkness, glad thehorses were still at awalk. She thought sheheard him shout but,remembering herfrequent falls whenlearningtorideherponyyearsago,curledherselfintoaballtolandonthecobbles,shoulderfirst.The impact jarred the

breath from her body

but, otherwise unhurt,she scrambled to herfeet and gathering hercloakabouthershefleddown the pavement,heedless of hersurroundings, onlywishing to escape fromthe man in the coach.Eventheshorttimeshehad been inside withhim, she had beenaware of the angerpulsing towards her.

Sheknewhehatedher,knewhe intended to doherharm.She heard him call

after her but this onlymade her run faster.She ran round cornerafter corner until shewas sure she was safefrom her pursuer. Shecollapsed against arailing, gulping in air,hoping to discoverwhere her mad dash

hadtakenher.Thelightfrom the full moonshowed that shewas ina residential road awayfrom the mainthoroughfare. Tallhousesloomedoneitherside,theirwindowsdarkand uninviting. Whathad she been thinkingof? No girl of sensewould leap from thesafety a carriage andtake to the streets

unprotected.She felt her fear flood

back; it would havebeen better to havefaced Sebastian, but itwastoolatetorepine.Ifshe could retrace herpath and return to themain route at leastthere she mightrecognize herwhereabouts.Her slippers were

ruined, her dress and

cloaktorn,herelaboratehairstyle in disarray.Then she rememberedher jewels. Her fingersflew to her head; thetiara was still in place.She pulled it out andthen carefully removedher long ear bobs andunfastened hernecklace; there was nopoint in advertising herwealth.She opened her

reticule, luckily stillsuspended from herwrist,andwasabout todrop them in when shereconsidered. Perhapsher jewellery would besafer concealedsomewhere on herperson.Shedroppedtheprecious items into thebag then hastily liftedher skirts and tied theribbon to her drawers.Shesmootheddownher

skirt and could see notelltale bulge. Satisfiedshe had done all shecould protect hermother's heirlooms shebegan to walk back,hoping her stupiditywould not end indisaster.Even Sebastian's

anger began to seempreferable to beingalone,coldandfootsore,at midnight in a

deserted London street.Herheartskippedas,inthe distance, she heardthe welcome sound ofcarriage wheels oncobbles. She increasedherpace,thesoonershewas back on the mainthoroughfarethebetter.She emerged,

bedraggled and weary,toseethetail-lightsofacarriage bobbing awayin the distance. The

wide street wasotherwise abandoned.No linkmen, nogentlemen returningfoxed, from their clubs.She had no idea whereshe was or whatdirection to turn in. Itstarted to rain.Miserably she trudgedon. She rounded thecorner and on seeing agroup of young buckswalking down the

opposite pavementshrunk into theshadows, hoping theywouldpassbyunaware.'Whatho? I spya fair

damsel,' one of themcalled, and leaving hiscompanions to follow iftheywished,he lurchedfrom the path andheadedtowardsEmily.She had no option,

face them or flee. Shestepped away from the

wall and back straight,expression severe, shewaited, every inch alady, however unlikelythat might appear. Theinebriated young manstopped. He bowedalmostpitchingontohisface in the gutter. Hesmiled, but it did notreachhiseyes.'Can I be of

assistance,myfairlady?You appear to be in

somedistress.'Emilytriedtothinkof

a plausible explanation.She could hear therattle of a carriageapproaching at speed.Thenthecrashofadoorand running footstepsandshewassweptfromher feet into a crushingembrace.'You little idiot! What

were you thinking of?'Sebastian turned toher

would be rescuer. 'Ithank you, sir, for yourkindoffer,butmyfiancéissafewithme.'The first of theman's

twocompanionshad,bythis time, joined himand, even as drunk asthey were, they realizedthat their prey was lostto them. This tall,formidable gentlemanhadmurder inhiseyes.They backed away,

bowing and mutteringpleasantries, leavingEmily and Sebastianaloneonthepath.Uncontrollable shivers

rackedherbodyandherknees began to buckle.'Come,sweetheart,Iwilltake you home.We cantalk in the morningwhen we are bothrecovered.'Emily snuggled into

Sebastian's warm arms

and felt safe andcosseted.Fromfearsomeogre he had beentransformed, in hermuddled mind, togallant saviour. Onarrival at LessingHouse, he carried herswiftly through thedeserted corridors andleft her in the capablehandsofhermaid,whowas beginning towonder why her young

lady always returnedinjuredand indisarray,when in the Viscount'scompany.

****Emily did not stir

untilnoonthenextday.She suffered no illeffects fromherexploitsbut her beautifuleveningdressandcloakwere ruined beyondrepair. She had aleisurely bath and

selected an especiallybecoming spriggedmuslinmorning-gowninpale peach. Her headwas aching a trifle soshe asked Jenny tobraid her hair looselyand leave it in a single,shiny plait hangingdownherback.The enormity of her

behaviour, from thepublic humiliation ofher fiancé to the stupid

leapoutof thecarriage,filled her with remorseand shame. She knewshe had to face thereckoning sometime, soitmightaswellbenow.'Jenny,doyouknowif

Viscount Yardley is inthehouse?''Yes, miss, he sent a

message enquiring afteryourhealthandsaidhewouldbewaitingforyouin the library,

whatevertimeyourose.'Emily shuddered. 'Areyou unwell, miss? Ihope you have notcaughtachillfromyourexperienceslastnight.''I amsure Ihavenot,

thank you. I am veryfortunate to feel noeffects,apartfromastiffshoulder.'Her maid offered no

comment.How anybodycould manage to fall

from a moving carriageshe could not imagine,unless that Viscounthad been up to histricks again. And whyhad Miss Emily'sreticulebeenfastenedtoher drawers? It was amystery, and nomistake.'Do you wish me to

accompany downstairs,miss?Icouldsitquietlyandactaschaperone.'

'It's a kind offer, butno, I think not.' Emilyalmost smiled, as sheimagined Sebastian'sexpressionifshearrivedwithhermaidintow.She paused outside

thelibrarytosteadyherracing pulse and tidyherskirts.Herheadwasthrobbing and hershoulder achedabominably. She smiledruefully, itwasnomore

than she deserved. Shewanted to turnandrunback upstairs to thesanctuary of herbedchamber, but thatwould only postponethis unpleasantinterview.Gathering her failing

courage she pushedopen the door andstepped in,unconsciously bracingherself foranonslaught

ofabuse.Sebastianhadbeen staring out of thewindow at the raindripping from the trees.He heard the door andswung round, hisexpression severe. Butwhen he saw thebeautiful, ashen facedgirl, framed in thedoorway, his facechanged instantly toconcern.He strode across to

take her limp, coldhands in his, chafingthem to bring backsome warmth. 'Emily,you pea-goose, youshould not be up. Youdo not look at all thething.' He led her,unresisting, to a wellpaddedsettle,pulledupclose to the fire. 'Sithere,sweetheart. Ihavealready rung for somehot chocolate. Maybe

that will restore somecolourtoyourcheeks.'This unexpected

kindness was Emily'sundoing. Her eyes filledand tears trickledunchecked down herface.'God's teeth! I am a

brute,' she heard himswear, not for the firsttime. Then she was onhis lap, with his armsfirmly around her. 'I do

not mean to frightenyou, darling, you mustknowthatIwouldneverharm a single hair onyourhead.'Emily raised her

tearstainedfacetohis,awaterysmilecurvingherlips. 'Unless I drive youtoitbymyirresponsibleand unforgivablebehaviour.'He chuckled, wiping

awayher tearswithhis

thumbs. 'I admit lastnight my intention wasto spank some senseintoyourlovelyhead.'She settled more

comfortably into hisarms.'Andnow?''Andnow,Ifindtomy

astonishment that Ihave forgiven you,again.' He frowned, hisvolte face sendingshockwaves down her

spine.Her fear reflectedon her face. 'Do notpanic, you silly girl; Ishallnotdoitthistime.But, I promise, if everyou do anything sostupid again you willsincerelyregretit.'Emily raised her

eyebrows. 'I can assureyou, Ihaveno intentionofjiltingyouinpublicasecondtime.'He shook his head in

disbelief.'Idonotgiveadamn for that. I amtalking about jumpingfrom a moving carriageand running away intothe night. I have neverbeen so scared. EvenBoney's crack troopshave not engenderedsuch fear in me. IthoughtIwouldnotfindyouintime.'Hebenthishead and touched hislips to hers in a gentle

kiss.'I find,' he said, when

he finally raised hishead, 'that you havestolen my heart, littlecousin. I did not knowsuch a thing couldhappen,andsofast.'Hersmilewasradiant.

'And I, although I havefoughthardnotto,havebecome besotted withyou,CousinSebastian.''What ever are we

goingtodoaboutit?''I cannot imagine, I

amquiteataloss.'In answer he pulled

her tightly to his heart.'Canyoufeelit,darling?It beats just for you.How soon can Ipersuade you to marryme?' He smoothed herhair, and touched hislipssoftlytoherbruisedface. 'I can not imaginewhyyouloveme,Emily.

I have behavedappallingly. I am, Ipromise you, knownthroughoutEuropeasacalm and reasonableman, not given to wildtempers anduncontrollablerages.'She laughed and,

wriggling free of hisloose grip, resumed herseat on the sofa. 'And Idonot,asarule,behavelike a hoyden with as

much commonsense asa chicken.' Her ringlesshandstillrestedinhis.'I have something to

ask you, my love. Willyoumarryme?Willyoudo me the honour ofbecoming my wife? Willyou make me thehappiest man inEngland? You mustanswer me from yourheart. Iwill understandif you feel that you

cannot tie yourself to abrutelikeme.'Her answering smile

made his heart turnover. 'I love you, andyouloveme,thatisallIeverwantedinamatch.I do not care howvolatile our relationshipwill prove to be; if wetruly love each other, itwillsurvive.'Instantly he looked

younger, more like the

man of scarcely fourandtwentythathewas.He smiled and his eyesbored into hers. 'Youstill have not answeredmy question. Are yougoingtomarryme?Andhowsoon?'She tipped her head

assheconsidered.'Well,I promised Grandfatherwewould return for theChristmas festivitiesperhaps we could be

married then,make itadoublecelebration.'To her astonishment

he leapt to his feetyelling out in triumph.The sound of smashingcrockery outside thedoor announced theunfortunate demise ofthe expected hotchocolate. Sebastianfroze inmid-air andhislook of horror sentEmily into a fit of

giggles.'For God's sake,

Emily, desist. The poorgirl will think you arelaughing at herexpense.'Stilllaughing,sheran

acrosstoopenthedoor.Outside a smilingparlour-maid wasscooping up the mess.'There is no hurry formychocolate;Iamsorrythat Viscount Yardley

startledyou.''Not to worry, Miss

Gibson. It'sgrandwhenagentlemanissohappythat he shouts it outlikethat.'Emily closed the door

and turned to face theman she had promisedtospend the restofherlife with. He waswatching the play ofemotionscrossherface.'Ihavesomethinghere

thatbelongs toyou,mylove.'Sheheldoutherhand

and he slipped theemeraldringbackwhereitbelonged.

Copyright©2007byFenellaMiller

OriginallypublishedbyDCThomson,UK,inMyWeeklyStoryCollectionElectronicallypublishedin2007byBelgraveHouse/RegencyReadsALLRIGHTSRESERVEDNoportionofthisbookmaybereprintedinwholeorinpart,byprinting,faxing,E-mail,copyingelectronicallyorbyanyothermeanswithoutpermissionofthepublisher.Formoreinformation,contactBelgrave

House,190BelgraveAvenue,SanFrancisco,CA94117-4228http://www.RegencyReads.comElectronicsales:ebooks@belgravehouse.comThisisaworkoffiction.Allnamesinthispublicationarefictitiousandanyresemblancetoanypersonlivingordeadiscoincidental.