Her own smile was limpid.

Sylvia sniffed.

"Then we must hope he is not too often from your side," she. said with an answering spark of malice.

Frederica knew that the girl referred to the Carol's reputation as a rake and was just about to deliver a scathing set-down when she caught Miss Milliken's slight frown and subsided. Milly had warned her that this sort of thing was bound to happen, given her fiancee's popularity with the ladies.

She had not expected it quite so soon, however.

Shortly after this exchange, Frederica and Miss Milliken took their leave.

"I am proud of the way you handled Miss Thackeray, Frederica," said Miss Milliken as they walked the short distance to their next call. "I am amazed that Bertha could have raised such an ill-mannered girl. Pray do not let her words trouble you."

Frederica agreed that she would not, though she could not help but wonder what sort of attacks would be levelled at her as she became more visible in Society. There were pits and snares that she had not even considered, it would seem. They had not been above five minutes in Lady Wimberly's drawing-room when two other ladies came to call, making Frederica aware of yet another tangle awaiting her. One of the newcomers was Lady Elizabeth, Lord Garvey's wife, with whom, as Miss Cherrystone, she had conversed at some length only three nights before!

Frederica kept. her voice low as she replied to the introductions and, as she had planned to do when she encountered Lord Sea brooke, she avoided meeting Lady Elizabeth's eyes. Instead, she looked at her companion, the d.u.c.h.ess of Ravenham, a lovely woman with unusually long, golden-brown hair.

"Miss Chesterton is but recently arrived in Town, your grace," their hostess told the young d.u.c.h.ess.

"You may have seen her name in the society pages, for it is she who has finally caught our elusive Lord Sea brooke. Their betrothal was announced a few days ago, much to the disappointment of half of the young ladies in London--and their mamas!" She chuckled with amus.e.m.e.nt. Frederica had already discovered that Lady Wimberly had no daughters of her own.

The d.u.c.h.ess of Ravenham, was all that was friendly, and Frederica warmed to her as she and Lady Elizabeth shared stories of their first Season. She was delighted to discover that she and the d.u.c.h.ess, who insisted that Frederica call her Brie, had in common a love for animals.

"Though now I find that most of my time is taken up with a different sort of animal, with which I had no previous experience," said the d.u.c.h.ess, laughing.

"Brie! Are you calling my nephew an animal?" asked Lady Elizabeth in mock indignation.

In an aside to Frederica she said,

"If she were not so determined to flout convention by taking on the bulk of little Derek's care herself.

she would have no cause for complaint, you know. But already I begin to think I may follow her example! " She folded her gloved hands against her swollen figure complacently.

Frederica thoroughly agreed with that particular bending of Society's rules.

Certainly she would prefer to have a large part in the care of any children she might have! That thought led inevitably to Lord Sea brooke, and the last time she had seen him.

To distract herself, she turned to Lady Elizabeth and said,

"I.

collect that you and the d.u.c.h.ess are sisters-in-law? " She had become so comfortable in their company that her earlier fears were quite forgotten and she looked directly at the other woman as she spoke.

"Oh, yes! I forgot that you could not have known, being so newly arrived in Town. Brie is married to my brother, Dexter, the Duke of Ravenham." She paused, a slight frown creasing her white brow.

"But are you absolutely certain that we have not met before, Miss Chesterton?

There is something exceedingly familiar about you."

In sudden panic, Frederica averted her eyes. "Perhaps you have met my own brother, Sir Thomas," she said quickly.

"Some people have remarked on a certain resemblance between us."

Lady Elizabeth's brow cleared.

"Oh, yes, I have--at Lord Sea brooke's.

That must be it. "

Frederiea began to breathe normally again, but allowed the others to dominate the conversation for the remainder of the visit. She could not help but hope that a time might come when she could reveal everything to these two ladies, with whom she would like to become friends. Somehow, she thought they just might understand.

GAVIN STIFFLED AN OATH. Three days of diligent sleuthing had brought him no closer to discovering Miss Cherrystone's whereabouts--or origins.

"Are you certain that no one mentioned driving such a person from Upper Brooke Street, perhaps to the outskirts of Town?"

The hackney driver shook his head again. "Not as I c'n recall, re' lord Course, there's nothing much to remember, meaning no offence. Brown hair 'n'

spectacles ain't so very remarkable."

"No, I suppose not." The earl thought hard. What detail could he offer that one of the drivera might have noticed and told his cronies about? While he found Miss Cherrystone far out of the ordinary, there was no denying that her looks bordered on commonplace. Her special 23~ qualities were not likely to be perceived by a jarvey taking her for a short drive.

"young buck with a bright green wig!" the driver was saying.

"Now that's something' I'll recall to me dying day. Or Old Joe--he was tellin' me about some woman insisted on bringing along a peac.o.c.k! I ask you!" The man chortled, wiping one grimy hand across his mouth.

"By gum, if it'd been me" -- Gavin looked up in sudden excitement. Of course!

"Where can I find this Old Joe?" he demanded, interrupting the jarvey's reminiscences about his queerer fares.

He seemed unperturbed, doubtless owing to the gold coin the earl had already given him.

"At this time of day? I don't rightly know. You might try the business district--Threadneedle 'n' such.

A dark blue hackney, he drives, used to belong to Lord Linley, or so he says.

He trailed off, for the eccentric n.o.bleman was already walking quickly back to his own carriage.

"Thank ye, re' lord he called, flipping his easily earned guinea in the air.

"If'n ye need any more questions answered, just come to Chalkie!"

Gavin lost no time in finding the man referred to as Old Joe. As Chalkie had suggested, he was plying the business district at that hour and was more than willing to allow Lord Sea brooke to transfer from his crested carriage into the battered old hackney he drove.

"Chalkie tells me you drove a lady with a caged peac.o.c.k recently,"

said Gavin, climbing up to sit on the box beside the grizzled driver. The old man frowned, but before he could open his mouth, Gavin pulled another guinea from his pocket and the frown was magically smoothed away.

"That I did, re' lord he said promptly.

"Take me to the house where you picked her up and this is yours,"