Her eyes widened, and she swallowed quickly before fluttering her eyelids at him and repeating her deep curtsy. “The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. We heard you were here for a visit. We must have you over to the house. It is simply indecent of us as neighbors to leave you all alone in that dowager house for this long. We will have a neighborhood party in your honor. It is time you leave the utter solitude at the Cavendish estate and enter our society.”

“I find I am quite comfortable in my lovely dowager cottage.” Matteo tipped his head in her direction. “But I would be delighted to further our acquaintance. It is a great kindness you offer me, and I thank you.”

“Oh, it is no great kindness, my lord.” The baron smirked. “She is going to primp and prance to all the ladies with this piece of news, I can assure you. Do, sir, back out now, while you still can.”

“You will attend as well, will you not, Baron?” Matteo smiled at him. “Offer up some sustaining beverage now and again when the need arises?”

He patted Matteo on the back and motioned for him to walk with him farther into the room. “Certainly I will be there. We will suffer through it together, I daresay.”

That left Scarlet no option but to accompany the baroness through the room to the right and down the remaining stairs to the lower level.

Delicately clearing her throat, Lady Pinckney said, “I’ve no doubt what has been keeping you so sheltered off from us the past week. What a delicious-looking Frenchman.”

Scarlet blushed. “You misunderstand, I assure you.”

Lady Pinckney eyed her for a moment. “No, I don’t believe I do, but never fear, your secret is safe with me.”

Scarlet almost scoffed at that. No secret was safe with Lady Pinckney. “As dear as Comte Durand is, I am sure he will soon be dear to us all. He is far too concerned with his homeland to become overly distracted by any one of us, I am afraid.” She fanned her face in mock disappointment.

Lady Pinckney clucked her tongue. “Not to worry. Even if you have failed to do so, I am sure there will be those of us willing and able to distract him.”

Matteo glanced over his shoulder and winked at Scarlet. She smiled in relief. He was not angry anymore. She still felt a bit stunned by the direction of their earlier conversation. He seemed, of a truth, disdainful of her and her lifestyle. Well, it could not be helped. She felt disdainful of it as well. But she could not tell him her greatest secret. There would be no stopping him from marching straight back to France and to certain death the minute she again left England’s shores.