“You are sitting by me tonight,” Matty said. “I want to hear all about what you’ve been doing since I last saw you. But you need an escort in to dinner. Anton looks as if he’s otherwise occupied, so it had better be my brother.”

She pushed her way through the crowd, dragging me by one hand.

“Siegfried, you know Georgiana, don’t you?”

I knew that Siegfried was of the royal house of Romania but I hadn’t realized that he was Matty’s brother. How could I have been so stupid?

Siegfried eyed me warily. “Ah, Lady Georgiana. I am relieved to see you are fully clothed again.”

“What’s this, Georgie?” Matty asked, grinning in a way that reminded me of times at school when she overheard something she wasn’t supposed to.

“I omitted to take a towel to the bathroom and I’m afraid Prince Siegfried saw me clad in only a wet nightgown,” I said.

“Lucky Siegfried. Let’s hope it gave him ideas,” Matty said wickedly. “We can’t seem to make him show any interest in girls. Papa despairs of him.”

“I have told Papa I shall do my duty and marry,” Siegfried said. “In fact, I tried to make a suitable match earlier this year. Now please let us drop this subject.”

“Stop being such a stuffy old bore, Siegfried, and learn to have fun. Here, take Georgie in to dinner.”

She forced my arm through his just as Count Dragomir approached us.

“Dinner is served, Your Royal Highnesses,” he said. “May I suggest that you take your places to process in to the banqueting hall, naturally with you at the head, Prince Nicholas, since our own monarch and your father are not present. And may I also suggest that Lady Georgiana be escorted by His Highness Prince Anton?”

“I think Prince Anton is already taken,” I said.

Count Dragomir looked horrified. “But she is a commoner. That can’t be allowed. Your Highnesses should intervene right now.”

“Oh, don’t be so stuffy, Dragomir,” Matty said. “Honestly. This is an informal occasion. My parents are not present. So stop fussing.”

“As you wish, Your Highness.” Dragomir bowed low and departed muttering.

“Such a bore,” Matty said, shaking her head. As we made our way through to the banqueting hall another couple tried to cut in front of us. It was Prince Anton, with Belinda on his arm.

“Now here’s a pretty problem,” Anton said, grinning at Siegfried. “Who takes precedence here? Two princes, each of them only the spare, not the heir, and each with a pretty girl on his arm.”

“Then I think I win this time,” Siegfried said, “because my pretty girl is of royal blood and yours is decidedly not. And what’s more, this is my family seat. But good manners demand that you please go ahead of me anyway.”