Nobody was more aware than Paul Skillen of the fact that Hannah Granville was egotistical to the ultimate degree. Though he’d found it an unpleasant aspect of her character, he’d quickly adapted to it. He now witnessed a miracle. Hannah was actually putting someone else’s needs first for once. Having talked obsessively about the invitation from the Prince Regent, she was so overwhelmed with sympathy for Dorothea Glenn that she forgot all about the possible visit to Brighton Pavilion. Hannah and Paul reached the same conclusion. Rejection by the man she loved would have been a dreadful blow for her but the news that he’d been murdered was far worse. Hannah feared that it might destroy the poor woman and rob the theatre of a promising actress. On their way to Dorothea’s lodging in a cab, Paul suggested a compromise.

‘We first need to reassure her that Orsino Price would never have cast her aside. Evidently, he adored her. Only a serious obstacle would have prevented his coming to meet her.’

‘Murder is rather more than a serious obstacle, Paul,’ said Hannah, drily.

‘We must acquaint her with the possibility of a mishap before we give her the bare facts. Prepare her gently for the truth.’

‘What if someone else blurts it out?’

‘There’s little danger of that, Hannah. From what I can gather, he had few friends. His ambition was to be an actor, but Simeon Howlett had never heard of him and his mind is an encyclopaedia of the profession. In view of the fact that she confided in you,’ he continued, ‘I’m surprised that you didn’t suggest that she moved in with us so that you could look after her.’

‘I did make that offer but she refused. Dorothea was so afraid that he’d turn up at her lodging when she wasn’t there that she insisted on returning.’

‘At a time like this, she shouldn’t be alone.’

‘I know. She’s in too delicate a state.’

‘The wonder of it is that she didn’t mention this fellow, Price, to you earlier. Since they were that close, you’d have thought she’d have been burning to tell someone her good news.’

‘She did tell me,’ said Hannah, ‘but not in so many words. It was written all over her face. I was too absorbed in playing Lady Macbeth to notice but Jenny did. She misses nothing. Jenny observed that there’d been a big change in Dorothea. We now know exactly what it was.’

‘Poor creature!’ he said. ‘We must find a way to soften the blow.’

‘The first thing to do is to get her out of that lodging. As long as she’s there on her own, she’ll only brood and mope. If I can persuade her to stay with us for a while, it will be a great help to her.’