She walked from shelf to shelf until she suddenly thought that perhaps she was being rude and she should, in fact, be talking to the Duke.

He had seated himself in a comfortable armchair with a glass of brandy in his hand.

She moved towards him saying,

“I am sorry. I am being selfish and thinking about books when I should be trying to amuse you.”

“Is that what you have been told to do or what you wish to do?”

“Mama always said it was very rude not to talk to a guest,” Honora replied.

Then after a little pause she added,

“But you are not my guest, are you? In fact, I suppose – I am yours.”

“I don’t think that is right either,” the Duke argued. “After all, I distinctly remember saying today that ‘with all my worldly goods I thee endow’, so I presume we share this house. In any case, you should think of it as your home.”

“Yes – of course,” Honora said, “but it feels – very strange at the moment.”

“You will get used to it,” the Duke said lightly, “and doubtless you will soon be telling me of all the improvements you wish to have made.”

Honora shook her head.

“I think that is unlikely. I thought that The Castle was perfect in every way and like an exquisitely acted play where everybody knew their parts to perfection.”

“Including yourself as the leading lady?”

There was just a slightly mocking note in his voice that Honora did not miss.

“If I thought about myself at all while I was there,” she replied, “it was as a member of the audience – who had very little part in what was – taking place.”

“If that was how you felt, then I should apologise.”

“No, no! Of course not!” Honora replied quickly. “I was only speaking the truth and you must realise that this is all very strange and unusual to me after being at school for two years and before that living very quietly in the country.”

She gave a little sigh as she added,

“I expect I shall make a lot of mistakes and you must try not to be angry with me.”

The Duke looked at her as if he was about to say something. Instead he glanced at the clock and remarked,

“It is growing late and you have had a very long day. I think, Honora, you should go to bed.”

As if he had given her an order, Honora rose to her feet as he added,

“I shall not be long!”

For one moment she thought that she could not have heard him aright.

Then, as he opened the door for her and she went out into the hall, everything her aunt had said to her came rushing back into her mind.

She knew with a sense of horror that seemed to seep through her that the Duke intended to come to her room and give her a baby, although she had no idea what that entailed.