Once she had disappeared into the drawing room he stood for a moment more in the hall. If what he wanted came to fruition she was going to be devastated, he knew that. There had never been a trace of scandal in the family. Mind you, he thought wryly, he was a long way off persuading Rose to walk out with him, let alone marry him. The last time he’d spoken to Lawrence his friend had reiterated all the reasons getting involved with her was a mistake, and if it was someone else in his position he would probably be saying the same thing. But this was different, Rose was different. Damn it, he had to see her. He took his gold fob watch out of its little pocket in his waistcoat and glanced at the time. ‘Getting on for nine,’ he murmured. It would be madness to go and see her at this time of night. Even if she answered the door she would be furious with him. He stood for a moment more, biting his lower lip, and then as Franklin came through from the dining room carrying a tray, he said, ‘Tell one of the stable lads to bring the horse and trap round to the front, would you? No, on second thoughts, tell him to get it ready and I’ll come to the yard in a minute.’ He didn’t want to advertise the fact that he was slipping out.

‘Certainly, sir.’ Franklin watched the young master take the stairs two at a time and disappear to his suite of rooms, before he walked through to the kitchen. The top hierarchy of the butler, the housekeeper and the first footman were still in the dining room dancing attendance on the guests, and two maids were seeing to the ladies in the drawing room, but the cook and the kitchen maids were bustling about and the valet was sitting having a cup of tea in front of the range. It was to him that Franklin said, ‘Mr Alexander’s told me to tell one of the stable lads to get the horse and trap ready.’

The valet narrowed his eyes. ‘Oh aye? Did he say where he was going?’

‘It’s obvious enough, isn’t it?’ The cook had stopped what she was doing and now the three of them glanced one to another. From the butler down to little Toby, the youngest of the two stable lads, all the staff knew of the young master’s interest in a certain lady in the town. It amazed them that the master and mistress hadn’t caught a whiff of it, but Constance, Arabella’s lady’s maid, assured them they hadn’t.

‘Well, you’d better get to, hadn’t you,’ the valet said to Franklin. ‘He won’t like to be kept waiting.’