“It – is the – truth!” Honora insisted, unable to prevent the tremor in her voice. “I-I was – m-married this m-morning.”

“And you’re walkin’ in Park Lane tonight? You don’t expect me to believe that, do you?”

Suddenly the man called Jim gave an exclamation.

“Wait a minute, Kate!”

He put his hand into his pocket and drew out a newspaper that was protruding from it, opened it, turned over the pages and then passed it to Kate.

She looked down at it and then asked sharply,

“Who did you say you was?”

“I – am the – Duchess of – Tynemouth,” Honora stammered, afraid that she would be struck again.

“And you was married this mornin’?”

“Yes.”

“Where was you married?”

“At Langstone House – in Berkshire. It is where my uncle and aunt – live.”

Kate stared at her as if to be quite certain that she was telling the truth before she said, reading from the newspaper,

“Wot was the name of the Parson as married you?”

“The Bishop – of Oxford.”

Kate looked at her searchingly, at the pearls she wore round her wrist and at the gown she wore under her cloak.

Then she ordered sharply,

“Wait ’ere!”

Kate and the men went from the room shutting the door behind them and Honora, feeling as if her legs would no longer carry her, sat down on the edge of the bed.

She realised as she did so how foolish she had been to leave the house at night and become involved in anything so sordid.

It had never struck her for one moment that it might be dangerous or that anybody would object to her walking in Hyde Park or sitting under the trees.

She had never been allowed to go out in Florence alone, but that was different because she had been a schoolgirl.

When she was staying in Grosvenor Square with her aunt and uncle she had often slipped out into the gardens in the centre of the square when she had, although it was rare, a moment to herself.

Having lived when she was at home in the country with her father and mother, it was only now she remembered that the garden in the square was private and only the householders had special keys with which to open the gate leading into it.

‘I have been so stupid!’ she thought with a sigh.

She wondered if Kate would allow her to communicate with the Duke and ask him to come and fetch her.

A few minutes later Kate and the two men came back into the room and she rose to her feet, her eyes very wide and frightened.

“If you be the Duchess of Tynemouth, as you says you are,” Kate said in her common voice, “then I presumes your ’usband’ll want you back wiv him, ’specially as it’s ’is weddin’ night!”

The two men sniggered.

Remembering that this was exactly what she had been running away from, Honora felt the colour come into her cheeks as Kate went on,