“Perhaps it will darken when I grow older,” Honora suggested.

Mrs. Morton laughed.

“I think that’s unlikely and most young ladies would be very pleased to have hair that looked like the sunshine or spring flowers. Let Emily arrange it for you, miss. She’s very good with hair.”

Emily arranged ringlets on either side of Honora’s cheeks and when she had finished both she and the other housemaid stared at Honora with admiration.

“You look like a piece of Dresden china, Miss Honora, and that’s the truth!” Emily said.

As she spoke, Honora looked at the other maid and knew they were both thinking that her Ladyship would not be pleased.

When the two maids had carried the two empty trunks outside the room, Mrs. Morton stood behind Honora, who was sitting in front of the mirror on the dressing table and said,

“You look worried, Miss Honora. What’s troublin’ you?”

“I suppose it is coming back to England and knowing that I cannot see – Papa and I have been – away for such a long time,” Honora replied.

“You mustn’t feel like that, miss,” Mrs. Morton said kindly. “Her Ladyship has big plans for you and I’m sure you’ll be a great success lookin’ as you do.”

From the way she spoke, Honora was sure that Mrs. Morton was aware that she was to marry the Duke.

She thought that even if the servants had not been told they would listen at the keyholes or when they were waiting at table and would be aware of what was to take place.

She would have felt more apprehensive than she was already if she had known that the previous evening after the Duke had left, her uncle and aunt had had what might be described as a ‘stand-up fight’.

“You have agreed to what?” the Earl had thundered in a voice that could be heard through the closed door by the footman on duty outside.

“Don’t shout at me, George!” the Countess replied. “I told you quite clearly that Ulric Tynemouth has agreed to marry Honora.”

“He has never seen the girl!”

“No, but he has seen the Princess and that is quite enough for him!”

“Are you telling me you hatched up this plot for him to marry my niece so that he will not be compelled to take Prince Albert’s cousin as his wife?”

“That is exactly what I told you, George, if you had been listening,” his wife answered, “and, whatever Honora is like now after being two years in Florence, at least she could not be as plain as Princess Sophie or so incredibly dull.”

“You had no right to tell Tynemouth in the first place what I told you in confidence,” the Earl retorted, “and I have never heard such a ridiculous idea in my life and I will have no part in it!”

“What will you do?”

“What will I do?” the Earl repeated. “I will tell Tynemouth firmly and categorically that I will not give him my permission to marry Honora and, if he wants a decoy to avert the Queen’s attention from him, he can find somebody else’s niece!”