Lucius rolled his eyes. "That is precisely what I do not wish to do. To have my normally peaceful townhouse overrun with people in and out of the schoolroom."

"Lucius, you know you won't deny Philippa,” Maria said. "No matter how much you appear to be difficult and unwieldy, you know what is owed to your family, and you never fail to do your duty.”

Lucius stared at the flowered patterns in the rug. He had not yet launched into either of the purposes of his visit, and he needed to come to the point. “Maria, just what did you mean by inviting Downing here? You did not warn Miss Lockhart. Did you know of his former attachment with her?” So much for going about it delicately.

Maria puckered up, and he thought he saw a twinge of defensiveness in her attitude. “Of course I knew. Downing is an MP, and Charles is one of his benefactors. Charles told me all about the failed engagement, remember? Downing did very well to end the engagement when he did. Do you think he would have been elected to the House of Commons with her as his wife? I assure you, he would not.”

“Very well,” Lucius said. “The engagement ended years ago. Why allow her to be humiliated once again, and at your ball? I had not imagined you to be so cruel.”

Maria stood in impatience and walked across the room to fiddle with papers on the desk. “You, Lucius. You were the reason I invited Mr. Downing at the last minute. I knew he would be at ease with the other guests and that he would accept the invitation, provided he had no other plans. With Charles as his benefactor, how could he do otherwise? But your attentions to Miss Lockhart have been too marked to be missed. Others have noticed as well. Even Lady Harrowden thought there might be something there. And, well”—Maria turned and took a few steps toward him—“now you know she is not suitable. I did not wish for you to be deceived as to her situation.”

Philippa had been watching the discussion but wisely kept silent. Lucius took a steadying breath before replying. “Anyone can know of her situation,” he said. “You need only see that she is engaged as a companion to know she has fallen from elevated circles. There is no reason to drag her name through the mud on top of it.”

Maria stood arms akimbo, her eyes glittering. “It is one thing to be simply impoverished. It is quite another to leave behind unpaid vowels to such a large number of gentlemen as to be quite shocking, the way Lockhart did. And then to drink himself to an early grave? The disgrace has fallen on his family, and it remains there.”

Lucius forced himself to remain seated instead of storming from the room, as he had not yet achieved his other objective in coming. When he spoke, it was in a carefully modulated voice that anyone less obtuse than Maria would have been cautioned by. “Very well, Maria. But to allow her to be shamed publicly—and in your own home—was very badly done.”