“I insisted on her going upstairs to make sure that there was no mistake. I was just about to leave, thinking that Harry had been misinformed, when something prompted me to ask for Gretna.”

“It must have been the child’s Guardian Angel who suggested it to you!” Maria cried.

“Perhaps it was,” the Marquis agreed. “The maid went to search for her and, when she had left, a poor woman sitting in the hall volunteered the information that she had gone to the Marine Pavilion. She told me what had passed. A servant in the Royal livery had brought a message that the Prince desired to see you immediately. Gretna had gone in your place.”

The Marquis cleared his throat and carried on,

“I wasted no more time. I remembered noticing the day before that a yacht was lying in the mouth of the river some ten miles from here. My greys covered the distance in record time, but, when I arrived, the yacht had weighed anchor and was just putting out to sea.”

“Dear God, what did you do?” Maria wanted to know.

She was listening to him fascinated, bending forward in her chair, her hands clasped tightly together as if she could hardly bear the suspense.

“I saw a Revenue Cutter moving down the river. I explained to the Officer who I was and told him it was imperative that I should board the yacht immediately. He was, I am glad to say, extremely obliging.”

The Marquis ceased speaking and Maria quizzed him quickly,

“Is that all? What happened when you went aboard?”

“I arrived in time,” the Marquis said drily. “Gretna had been badly frightened by his Lordship, but I made sure that he will not trouble either her or you again, in fact he will not return to England.”

“You did not – kill him?”

The Marquis shook his head.

“No, Gretna was frightened of that, but I made his punishment more severe. He is one of those parasites who cannot live without the Beau Monde on which to feed his vanity.”

“And Gretna – what did she say?”

“She said very little.”

“She must have been overjoyed see you.”

“She would have been glad to see anyone, I think, in the circumstances,” the Marquis said wryly.

Maria took a deep breath.

“I came to you this morning, my Lord, not only because you are a Kinsman of Gretna’s but also because I know that she has a deep tenderness for you. I hoped that perhaps you could find it in your heart to reciprocate her affection a little.”

“You are mistaken, madam,” the Marquis responded in his most uncompromising voice. “Gretna has told me exactly what her feelings are where I am concerned. I have no illusions about them.”

“And when she told you what her feelings were,” Maria said softly, “was it not on the occasion when you came to my house in St. James’s Square and asked her to leave me?”