“My dearest Maria,

I have thought things over very carefully and I have gone away. If I stay, I shall only bring disgrace and scandal on you and that I cannot bear to do for I love you so dearly. Also I am costing you monies that you can ill afford. You have been so generous and so kind to me and for that I thank you from my whole heart.

I shall be in safe keeping, so you must not worry about me, and I shall find suitable employment so that I can earn my own living and then be a burden on no one.

Pray don’t try to find me, it will only be an embarrassment to you. I love you and I thank you profusely.

Gretna.”

“Can you imagine what I felt when I received – that letter?” Maria asked with a little break in her voice. “How can Gretna find employment or indeed how can she look after herself? When she speaks of costing me monies, that fear of hers was entirely my fault.”

“Why?” the Marquis enquired, his voice expressionless and yet somehow Maria felt that he was not unsympathetic.

“Yesterday after luncheon the Prince wished to go to the races and we found that we were so short of money we could not raise even five pounds between us. We laughed about it and then my old maid, who has been with me for nearly twenty years, begged us to accept her savings so as to tide us over our difficulties. We refused her, of course, but both the Prince and I were deeply touched at her offer. I think that Gretna must have been disturbed that she herself had no money.”

Maria gave a little sob.

“I blame myself utterly for not thinking then that such a scene must be an embarrassment to her. But I have been so happy to have her with me, I love her so dearly that I could not suspicion even for a moment that she might be thinking of leaving.”

“Have you no idea where she has gone?” the Marquis demanded.

“None at all. I have been cudgelling my brains all the morning as to where she was likely to go or where she could have hoped to find employment.”

“Could she have gone back to London?”

“Pray Heaven she has not! If she has, you must find her, my Lord, for I cannot bear to think of her alone and defenceless in that great heartless City. But what puzzles me is why she should think it necessary to run away. What scandal could be attached to her name? Will you not tell me what occurred on Tuesday night?”

There was a pause and then the Marquis asked,

“You have no idea what happened?”

“None at all, I swear it,” Maria replied in a bewildered tone.