Because of the warmth in his voice and the definite resemblance she could see in him to her father, Honora ran towards him.

“It’s lovely to see you, Uncle George!” she exclaimed and kissed his cheek.

“Well, well!” the Earl said looking at her. “You have certainly grown into a pretty young lady! Your father, if he was alive, would be very proud of you!”

“I hope so, Uncle George, because as you know, Papa always disliked plain women.”

Her uncle laughed.

“That is certainly true and I have always thought that my brother and I managed to marry the two most beautiful and charming women in the world!”

It flashed through Honora’s mind that while that was true where her mother was concerned, her aunt might be beautiful, but she was certainly not charming.

In fact, she knew, if she was truthful, that she greatly disliked her.

“I hope, George,” the Countess interrupted, “that pretty speech means that you will be very generous over Honora’s trousseau.”

Honora knew as her aunt spoke that she was pointing out to her once again how grateful she had to be to her uncle for providing for her as her father had lamentably failed to do.

“I-I will try not to be too – extravagant, Uncle George,” she said.

“Of course you must be dressed as befits your future position as the Duchess of Tynemouth,” her uncle replied.

There was something in the way he spoke the name that told Honora, although she had no reason for thinking it, that her uncle did not like the Duke.

Then she told herself that she must be mistaken because obviously the Duke was a close friend of both her uncle and her aunt.

“Now you are not to make Honora feel shy,” Aline interrupted as if she was afraid of what she might say, “and frighten her when she realises how much there is to be done before we can stay at The Castle next weekend.”

“Is that what we are doing?” the Earl asked.

“It may seem a bore to you, darling,” the Countess answered, “but obviously the Duke’s relations, and there are far too many of them, will want to meet his future bride and, as he said himself, it would be better to get it over and done with all at once.”

“There is certainly something in that,” the Earl agreed, “and I hope you are not going to let me in for a whole lot of dinner parties. You know I dislike them, and what is more, I have to be at The Palace most of next week.”

“I will save you from as much as I can,” his wife said caressingly, “but I am sure Honora will want your support and you will be so much better than I would be at advising her about what she should and should not do.”

Aline was thinking as she spoke that the more responsibility she could make her husband assume the more time she would have to be alone with the Duke.