Through the nearest throng of black-coated husbands and jewel-bedecked wives, a small, dark-haired woman appeared, dressed in a simple but expensive dress of soft white lawn, layer upon layer, embroidered with pale-blue flowers. Her face was oval and gentle, with full lips and almost Egyptian eyes. She held out her hand to Andy and said, ‘Mr Hunt. We’re so pleased that you could come. I see you’ve brought a friend.’

Andy bowed his head. ‘I hope you don’t object, Mrs Frémont. But I guessed you’d want to get to know him sooner or later, seeing as how he’s going to make his mark on this city in any event. Mrs Frémont, this is Mr Collis Edmonds, from New York. Collis, this is Mrs Jessie Benton Frémont.’

‘Well, well,’ said Mrs Frémont, as Collis took her hand and brushed her diamond rings with a light kiss. ‘I do warrant that I’ve heard of you already, Mr Edmonds. You’ve made yourself a small reputation for — what shall I call it? — immediacy.’

‘Immediacy, ma’am?’ asked Collis, amused. He was surprised to see how young Mrs Frémont was, considering that she had been married to John Frémont more than ten years ago, when he had explored the Oregon Trail and the Rocky Mountain passes with Kit Carson and Broken Hand Fitzpatrick, and that she had helped him in those days write a best-selling book about the West. She couldn’t have been much older than thirty-one or thirty-two, and she was fresh and poised as a girl of twenty.

Mrs Frémont lowered her gaze, in a pretence of shyness. ‘If blowing people’s hats to bits, and rowing a Whitehall boat out into the Bay to corner the market in blankets, well, if those aren’t examples of immediacy, I don’t know what are.’

Collis put his hands stiffly to his sides and gave a mildly mocking bow. ‘Personally, Mrs Frémont, I prefer to look on them as examples of contemporary humour.’

Mrs Frémont gave a high, light trill of laughter. Those of her guests who were standing nearest turned around suspiciously to see what it was that had delighted her so much. There were nudges and whispers, and more than one disapproving frown. San Francisco society was still sensitive to the point of mania about its rude Bear Flag beginnings and the shortness of its history, and it protected its golden circle by treating merchants, gate-crashers, and parvenus with elaborate disdain. What was disturbing them now, though, was that Collis had all the appearance and manners of an Eastern gentleman; and if he had managed to make Jessie Frémont laugh within one minute of meeting her, then perhaps he had all the necessary background and breeding to make him a social prize. It was all very disturbing, particularly to those covetous hostesses who didn’t know who he was, or where he had come from, or if he might be the new ‘catch’ of the coming season. All around the room, the chatter of conversation changed tone, and became a whispery exchange of gossip.