“I shall never marry, never!” Alyna replied. “I hate men! Do you understand, I hate them!”

“Have you much experience of the species?” Lord Dorrington enquired with a hint of laughter in his voice.

“I know you think that I am very ignorant and perhaps foolish,” Alyna said, “but I met a number of young men when I was in Bath. There was even one gentleman who offered for me, but, as he had no money, Mama would not entertain the idea of my marrying him I am thankful to say.”

“Perhaps you have been unfortunate in the men you have met,” Lord Dorrington suggested.

Alyna shook her head.

“I talked about it with Papa,” she said, “and he agreed that I would not be happy married to the type of young man who was most likely to wish to make me his wife.”

“Why should your father have thought that?” Lord Dorrington asked in surprise.

“Because I am too clever!” Alyna said.

In the light of the lantern that lit his carriage, Lord Dorrington looked at her in astonishment, then threw back his head and laughed.

“Forgive me, Alyna,” he said, “but it’s really most extraordinary to hear a remark like that from a young lady of fashion.”

“I am not a young lady of fashion,” Alyna retorted crossly. “And I know that I could never be happy with a fool or make him happy either.”

“Why should you only meet fools?” Lord Dorrington asked.

“Because those are the only sort of men I am likely to encounter,” Alyna replied. “You don’t suppose that any man of intelligence would wish to perambulate round ballrooms all night or sit talking nonsense at long drawn out dinner parties to girls of my age.”

“I must say you surprise me,” Lord Dorrington replied.

“Papa and I talked about it,” Alyna said, “and he agreed with Mama that no man in the Social world wants a clever wife. Mama, of course, was angry with me for spending so much time in learning, but Papa said that when he was dead it would be a compensation to me in my dotage.”

“So they both made up their minds that you are to be an old maid!”

“Not Mama.”

Alyna paused a moment before she said bitterly,

“Mama is determined that I shall be married and quickly. It costs a lot of money to keep me at the Seminary and even more if I am to appear in the Social world. Besides, as Mama says, to have a daughter hanging around spoils her own chances with men.”

Lord Dorrington frowned, but he did not speak and after a moment Alyna said in a low voice,

“It was vulgar and – ill-bred of me to – speak like that. Will you please forget it?”