Louise shuddered. “If I was, it was a very fleeting infatuation and long over now. I am like my brother Bertie in temperament. A voluptuary, and a fickle one at that—which is very like Bertie, now I come to think of it.”

“Louise! For heaven’s sake.”

“Oh, don’t be such a prude. Are you saying it is different for you and your priest? Is he terribly proper?”

“Not terribly,” Margaret retorted, stung, “but he did exercise restraint.”

“Meaning that I did not?”

“Stop sniping at me just to make yourself feel better and tell me what in heaven’s name you are going to do.”

“I really don’t know. What I absolutely must not do is cry.” Louise dabbed furiously at her eyes. “I shall get through it somehow. Her Majesty will never forgive me, but she won’t risk any sort of public scandal. I will tell you something, M. For the first time in my life, I am glad that my father is not alive.”

If her own mother was a widow, Margaret wondered, would her fate be different? No, no, that was a dreadful way to think. “Before you go, Lou . . .”

“I must get back to the queen. What is it? Out with it, you have that look, as if you are bracing yourself to tell me something awful. I hope you have not been as lax as I have. The queen can’t disown me, but your father is perfectly capable of doing just that. After all, he’s done it before.”

Margaret laughed bitterly. “And he’s doing it again. I’m being sent away for good. As far away as possible, as far as he is concerned.”

Louise’s eyes widened. “So he found out about the priest?”

“No, no, it has nothing to do with Sebastian—at least not directly. It’s because I told him I won’t marry Killin.”

“I still don’t understand why you will not, when you’ve been girding your loins to do just that for the last six months. So, you are to be sent back to Dalkeith again, are you?”

“No, Powerscourt in Ireland, actually!” Margaret said, stung by her friend’s selfishness and lack of sympathy.

“Goodness, your father really is coming down hard on you. In that case I’m not at all sure I’ll be able to risk even writing to you. When are you going?”

“Tonight, as soon as Lenchen and her prince depart.”

“But they are leaving any minute now!” A tear escaped Louise’s eye, but she wiped it viciously away. “Very well then, I must cope as best as I can without you.”

“I’ll be with you in spirit. And you’ll be with me, too, won’t you?”

“Yes. Of course.” But Louise was already straightening her back and looking over her shoulder. “You must swear not to breathe a word of what I told you to anyone. Do you promise?”