“Trivial!” Charlotte’s glare was untainted by tears. “My life is not trivial!”

“Your life is not at stake here, only your pride—”

“My pride! Oh, I like that! How would you feel if your dearest Algernon suddenly found himself stripped of his title, disgraced and demeaned before everyone?”

“That wouldn’t happen; dearest Algernon’s father was viscount before him, and he has no brothers—”

Charlotte came to a halt, her fists clenched, her teeth gritted. She would not scream in public, no matter how strong the provocation. “My point, which you seemed to have missed entirely, is that this matter is one of extreme importance. You will at least grant me that.”

“Yes,” Caroline said with much dignity, pulling her gaze from a heavily mustachioed gentleman in order to give her friend her full attention. “I agree that it is important, but I do not think it is a matter of life or death, and because it is not, I am unable to help with whatever plan you have organized. Dearest Algernon was not at all pleased when he found out I assisted you at Lady Jersey’s masquerade, and after the scene at the Duchess of Deal’s ball…well, I’m sorry, but I must consider his position, as well as my own. I cannot help you.”

Charlotte tugged Caroline’s reticule from her wrist, pulling from it a small diamond-encrusted gentleman’s watch that was a much cherished memento of Caroline’s father, turning a small knob on the top of the watch face.

“What on earth are you doing?” Caroline asked, her bewilderment plain.

“I have set your papa’s watch forward an hour. We will assume we have spent the past hour arguing over whether you will help me. It is now an hour later. You have been worn down by my brilliant arguments and charming wit and have agreed to help me.”

Caroline blinked at her in surprise. “I haven’t—”

“No, but you would if I continued. You know you would; you’ve never yet been able to withstand one of my pervasive arguments. So why don’t we dispense with the need to waste an hour debating the point and move on to the part where you agree to help me with my plans.”

Caroline looked as if she was going to argue the point. Then her shoulders slumped and she accepted the watch, tucking it away carefully in her bag before starting forward again. “The word is persuasive, and I’m not going to forget this, Charlotte, I’m truly not.”

“If it churns your butter,” Charlotte said with a bright smile. “I heard Gillian say that. Isn’t it quaint? Now, as for my plans—”

“There’s more than one?” Caroline asked in a voice faint with horror.

“Yes, I had a brilliant thought on the way over here, and I believe I have a solution to our problem with the ton. As you well know, they will continue to chew over this latest scandal—the one involving the Pretender—until something more meaty catches their attention. Therefore, I propose to present them with a morsel so tempting, all thought of Dare and the Pretender will be wiped from their collective minds.”