Oh, he’d overplayed certain parts. Rather like Sophia would do. But overall, he’d been quite believable. Harriet sighed, threw her arms over her head, and stared up at the ceiling. The stranger might not be Captain Frakenham, but he certainly looked the part. Tall, black-haired, broad-shouldered…for some reason, she’d pictured the fictitious captain just that way. She remembered the “captain” lying on the settee, dwarfing the whole room with his presence.

It was so perplexing! Whoever he was, she was certain he was not common born. His accent was impeccable and his clothes made by a master tailor. He also sported an unconscious air of command, as if he was used to people obeying his every whim and whimsy. That air of command hung about him, an almost visible cloak of authority.

Drat it, who was the man? There had to be a clue somewhere. Harriet reached into her pocket and pulled out the ring.

She’d thought for a moment that the captain had recognized it. There’d been an unmistakable gleam in his eyes. But had it been an unconscious reaction? Or had he indeed known the ring as his own but not claimed it?

She fingered the smooth silvered surface, squinting at the decorative runes cut along the edges. It was certainly an odd piece, not at all the sumptuous bauble she’d expect of a man like him.

Did he know who he was? Or was her skeptical imagination interfering with her usual calm logic?

She sighed. All she knew for certain was that she and her family desperately needed him to continue being Captain Frakenham, at least for a while.

Harriet slid the ring over her finger, the metal strangely warm. Her hand tickled as if a feather had run along it starting at the ring and ending at her wrist, where her pulse beat a steady rhythm. How odd.

The light from the window sparkled on the circlet, and Harriet found herself smiling. It was a pretty piece for all its simplicity.

Well, it would look very good locked in her jewelry box, for she wasn’t about to leave it out where it might disappear, especially not if the “captain” suddenly regained his memory and decided it belonged to him.

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. She couldn’t quite decide if he knew who he was or not. There were times when she was certain of it, but then other times he seemed somewhat…lost. Alone. Perhaps he had indeed lost his memory. Why else would he have agreed to assume the captain’s identity? It was a puzzle.

She rubbed her thumb along the ring, turning it so that it sparkled. She supposed she’d better find Mother and see what was to be done with the stranger now that Gower thought the man to be Captain Frakenham. They needed only one—perhaps two—weeks. Surely the stranger could play the part for that length of time.

Harriet supposed she’d better remove the ring. She tugged…but nothing happened. The ring wouldn’t budge.