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Roland rose too. The time was fast approaching that Lady Serenity would step through his doors. It felt a rather momentous occasion, as it was not just a dinner. It would be an opportunity for the lady to have a look at his house. The house that, with any luck, she would become the mistress of.

*

Charles had returned the stupid dog he’d borrowed from Mr. Robbins.

What a morning. He’d had some idea that the dog and Lady Serenity’s dog might take to each other, but they had not.

At the very least, he’d hoped to interrupt whatever progress Thorpe was making with the lady.

He had not got anywhere with that either.

Rather, he’d been relegated to walking beside Lady Verity with the housekeeper bringing up the rear.

Had he ever had to listen to such drivel in his life?

What was the girl thinking to invent a litany of facts that were not facts at all?

Ancient peoples had once kept spaniels to warn of floods?

Noah, himself, relied on his spaniel to know when to get on his boat? The girl was deranged.

It was possible they were all deranged. The youngest had practically shouted something he supposed was meant to be an apology about some letter she sent that Thorpe claimed he’d not bothered to read.

The other one, Lady Winny or some such, seemed always to be scowling.

And then Lady Serenity herself. If she preferred Thorpe, it did not say much for her mind.

He’d seen the hand brushing that had gone on.

It began to occur to him that merely presenting himself was not proving sufficient to divert Lady Serenity’s attention from his brother. Perhaps she was set on becoming a duchess. But then, she hardly seemed to have enough sense for such practical ambitions.

Now there was to be the dinner at the ungodly hour of six o’clock on account of Lady Vera or Velma or whatever her name was not being able to stay awake.

The girl should be in the nursery under the strict control of a starched governess, not shouting out apologies and attending dinners.

He would go mad if he were seated next to her.

He must do something to move things in his direction.

Thorpe was positively smug at the moment.

The high and mighty marquess believed he was winning.

It could not be allowed to stand. If Thorpe were to prevail it would be a competition lost. Thorpe would wed the lady, and Charles’ defeat would be thrown in his face in perpetuity.

He just must think of something that would once and for all turn the lady’s attentions away from his brother.

*

Serenity had chosen her very best dress to wear to Lord Thorpe’s house. She’d been saving it for the most special of occasions and what could top this?

It was the darkest green silk dress with a matching velvet overlaid skirt that fell down from either side of her hips and showed the silk underneath to good effect.

A gold thread band, patterned as lace, wound round the waist of the silk as the only embellishment.

She wore one of her mother’s necklaces, a square cut emerald in a gold setting.

She was determined to wear the most delicate green satin slippers, despite the damp of the pavement.

As Mrs. Right had fussed with her hair, she could hardly breathe. She’d forced some deep breaths in and counseled herself to stop being such a ninny. It was only that she was soon to walk into his house. His house.

She’d gone downstairs and found the rest of the family waiting in the great hall, including Valor. Serenity was pulled up short regarding her youngest sister’s alarming appearance.

Rather than the usual silk ribbon tying back Valor’s hair, it had been swept up in a style suited to a lady twice her age.

She’d also raided somebody’s jewelry box, Winsome’s, she thought.

They all had such pieces, inherited from their mother.

Except for Valor, as she’d been so young when they’d made their choices of the various jewels that she’d chosen the most worthless but most colorful.

Including the enameled parrot pin she wore on a regular basis.

This night, she’d donned a heavy pearl necklace and a pearl-encrusted tiara that was too big for her head and in danger of slipping down over her eyes.

“Goodness,” Serenity said, staring at her youngest sister.

“I know,” Valor said, looking pleased as Punch. “It’s my first dinner out in society, so I convinced Mrs. Right to put up my hair so I could look elegant.”

“Well now,” the duke said, “a hundred points for originality, I’d call it. Shall we proceed? We do not have far to travel, but it gets on six.”

They set off and as Lord Thorpe lived just two doors down, they arrived in moments. A very starched butler took them into the drawing room, where Lord Thorpe and Lord Charles were waiting.

As the greetings went round, Serenity could not help but to notice the rather wide eyes upon encountering Valor’s current mode of dress. She could also not help but notice that Valor took it as a compliment.

“It goes together, you see,” Valor said. “The necklace and tiara are both pearls, so they match.”

“Indeed, yes, they certainly do,” Lord Thorpe said.

Two footmen entered carrying silver trays and handed out crystal coupes of chilled champagne.

“Good idea, I may take up the habit myself—champagne before dinner to grease the convivial wheels,” the duke said.

It was indeed a charming idea and the coupes given to Winsome, Valor and Verity were just a quarter filled to supply a few sips.

Though, there was something faintly ridiculous in the sight of Valor weighed down by pearls, her hair swept high, sipping from a coupe and then wrinkling her nose over it and putting it on a table.

The drawing room was of similar dimensions as their own, but far different in appearance.

It had a man’s stamp on it with dark leather abounding.

Bookshelves of leatherbound books lined the far wall and ran over top of the fireplace.

Where there were not books, there were various portraits of the family.

One in particular struck her as being most probably Lord Thorpe’s mother, based on the style of the lady’s dress. She was exceedingly pretty.

It was a manly room, but a very fine room.

The starched butler once more appeared. “My lord, you may go through at any time.”

“Thank you, Quinn,” Lord Thorpe said.

His butler’s name was Quinn and he had just smiled at her.

Did he know something about her? Had Lord Thorpe told him anything?

She did not really understand what the relationship would be between a butler of longstanding service and the lord of the house.

She’d never seen it in her own household, having only distant memories of their first butler, Mr. Herring, having a mental collapse and fleeing the estate.

Lord Thorpe held his arm out, though Serenity saw Lord Charles attempt to push forward.

Lord Thorpe seemed to have been ready for the gambit.

Rather hilariously, Valor held out her arm toward Lord Charles and he was all but forced to take her in, though he had to bend down to put out his arm.

The duke laughed aloud over the picture, though Valor proceeded with all dignity.

The dining table was magnificent, a snowy linen cloth set with superb porcelain dishes painted with roses and edged in gold, crystal goblets, highly polished silver, a dozen fine wax candles—the table practically sparkled.

Serenity was most gratified to find herself sitting to Lord Thorpe’s right in the place of honor. She noted Valor on one side of Lord Charles and Verity on the other, which he did not look very enthusiastic about. He likely feared he was to hear more about spaniels, and he was likely correct.

Valor picked up a fork and examined it as the footmen came round filling glasses. She said, “I thought the person being honored would be where Serenity is sitting.”

“It is,” Winsome said, shaking her head in a warning from across the table.

Valor raised her brows as if she did not understand why she was not sitting in her sister’s place. Serenity was beginning to fear that this idea of an early dinner to accommodate her had quite gone to Valor’s head.

“Lady Valor,” Lord Thorpe said, “I placed you thus as my brother made it known that he was very eager to further his acquaintance with you.”

“Oh, I see,” Valor said. “Well, just so you know, Lord Charles, I will never marry, so you spin wheels if that’s what you’re thinking.”

The duke guffawed into his napkin and motioned for the footman to fill up his glass more than it had been.

“And then of course,” Lord Thorpe said, “my brother is quite keen to take in further information about spaniels, Lady Verity.”

Lord Thorpe was clearly teasing his brother and Lord Charles did not seem to take it very well. He wore a very tight smile.

“Consider it my pleasure,” Verity said, “I am always happy to share what I know.”

Goodness, Lord Charles was in for it. And, he seemed to know it.

She might feel sorry for him, but on the other hand, Verity and Valor occupying Lord Charles and her father being entertained by it gave her more chance of conversation between herself and Lord Thorpe.

Except for Winsome, who was very determinedly leaning in their direction to hear what was said.

“I hope you approve of my house, Lady Serenity. What you’ve seen of it anyway.”

“I very thoroughly approve,” Serenity said, certain she was blushing up to the tops of her ears. To mention what she’d seen of it hinted at what she’d not seen of it, which was above stairs in the more private areas of the house. Like the lord’s bedchamber.

She gave a nervous little laugh apropos of nothing. Winsome wrinkled her brow, and Serenity silently scolded that she was not to make a cake of herself just because any rooms not viewed had been hinted at.

The first course had come round and Serenity felt the honor of it.

A white soup was quite an onerous thing to make and must be got just right.

At least, that was what Mrs. Right said about it.

It was generally made for occasions more elaborate than a small dinner, so it must be a compliment of sorts.

Though Verity was just now positing that the spaniel was well known for its ability to warn people of fire while her father snorted into his napkin, Lord Charles turned from her and said, “By the by, Thorpe, I suppose you’ve told Lady Serenity all about Clara.”

Serenity dropped her spoon into her soup. Who was Clara? Why had she not heard the name Clara mentioned before? She was not a sister, Serenity already knew that it was only Lord Thorpe and Lord Charles in the duke’s family. If she was not a sister…