Jane pulled open the door and smiled widely at her friends. “To what do I owe the pleasure so early in the morning?”

Lucy and Cass entered stealthily as if they were sizing up the situation, much like Mrs. Cat when she’d first come to breakfast.

“We’re sorry if we woke you, Jane,” Cass said. “I know how much you like to stay up late reading.”

Jane shook her head. “It’s quite all right. I was awake.”

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest. “Where did you go off to last night, Janie?”

Jane’s palms began to sweat. She pressed them against the front of her dressing gown. Did they know something? No. They couldn’t know anything. She and Upton had been completely alone. She was certain of it. They hadn’t been the ones who’d closed the door. She’d decided that had all been a figment of her guilty imagination. Besides, Lord knew, if Lucy had been the one to discover them, she wouldn’t have silently shut the door and backed away. She would have burst in and demanded an explanation. No. Lucy didn’t know, but her question had been quite direct. Guilt was making Jane read too much into it.

“I was—erm, in the library, reading,” she offered.

“Reading? In the library?” Lucy continued, walking in a slow circle around her as if she were a barrister examining a witness.

Cass remained silent but her bright eyes were trained on Jane’s face and she looked worried.

“Yes.” Jane didn’t meet Lucy’s gaze. Lucy was clever. She might discern that Jane was lying with one glance. “The music from the masquerade ball was a bit too loud for me. I’m sorry, Cass. I tried to stay. I truly did.”

Cass ignored that last bit. “How many teacakes did you eat last evening?”

Jane blinked. She wrapped her dressing gown more tightly around her waist. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Cass managed a half-shrug. “I usually see you occupied with a plate of teacakes and I didn’t see that last night.”

Jane snorted. “What are you accusing me of, Cass? Not being hungry enough?”

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest again and paced across the carpet. The look on her face was entirely suspicious. Oh, lovely. They suspected something. Upton hadn’t mentioned anything, had he? No. He hadn’t known who she was. How many times must she remind herself of that?

“So, you ate no teacakes and you went to the library where you spent the rest of the evening reading?” Arms still crossed, Lucy tapped her fingers along her opposite elbows.

“I didn’t say I ate no teacakes,” Jane replied, pushing up her chin. “I adore teacakes. I ate three before I went to the library.”

“The library?” Lucy looked down her nose at Jane.

“Yes, the library.” Wasn’t her philosophy to solve one problem at a time? That was all there was to do now. Lie and stand firm. Even though Lucy and Cass obviously suspected something, they had no proof. Did they? Had they gone to the library and not found her?