“I daresay, she can be quite distracting.” Beryl smiled wickedly. “Nor do I suspect she will need much encouragement, no more than opportunity, really. Miss Murdock strikes me as the sort of young woman who is looking more for a wealthy husband than success on the stage. And what girl doesn’t want a prince?”

“No doubt the thought has occurred to her as well. She was nicely occupying his attention at the pond.” For a moment, the image of being a princess in a castle in the far-flung reaches of Whateverhiscountrywas shimmered in her mind; then faded with only the tiniest twinge of regret. Camille grinned. “That is brilliant, Beryl.”

“I am often brilliant.” She paused. “Now, about Grayson?”

“Grayson is of no consequence at the moment.”

“Let us hope it stays that way,” Beryl said.

A sharp knock sounded at the door and it opened an instant later. Fortesque poked his head in. “Lady Lydingham, I must insist we speak at once.”

“I’ll arrange for the nursery to be prepared.” Beryl started for the door, then paused. “Oh, and I neither dislike children nor do they frighten me when taken in small doses. But a large number of them—and I do think five is a large number under these circumstances—acting much like a Russian invasion, well, even the most stalwart among us can be reduced to . . .”

“Fear? Panic?”

“Something like that. I am really quite fond of children on an individual basis.” She yanked the door open and nodded at Fortesque. The actor hurried into the room and closed the door behind him.

Camille sighed. “What is it now?”

“The others have returned and have retired to their rooms, to rest before dinner.”

“Very well.” She studied him for a moment. He had straightened his appearance, but he still had the air of a man deeply inconvenienced. “Is there something else?”

“My apologies, Lady Lydingham, but I feel I must draw the line somewhere.” Fortesque drew himself up. “When you engaged us, it was understood that the only additional guests would be His Highness and Lord and Lady Dunwell. Then your cousin joined the gathering, and one additional person was not a difficulty. But now, now there are children.” He said the word as if it were an obscenity. “Not that I am opposed to children in limited quantities. One, or perhaps two, or possibly even three, but”—his eyes widened in horror—“there are five. Five! Five unruly, ill-behaved, disorderly little boys. And have you seen the look in their eyes?” He shuddered. “What shall we do with them?”

“Oh, I imagine we’ll think of something.”

“The theater, my lady, is no place for children!”

“This is not the theater, Fortesque.” She huffed. “This is my family home. And this is my production. And if I say there are to be children, there are to be children!” She closed her eyes for an instant and prayed for strength.