Rowena assured him that she hadn’t. She didn’t add that since speaking to Jane, she was fascinated by the sound of the man who ‘wouldn’t play society’s game’.
“And you the debutante of the year?” he teased her. “Certainly you must meet Mark, for nobody is more of a connoisseur of beauty – unless perhaps myself.” He winked at her, then called, “Mark, come and meet Miss Rowena Thornhill.”
Rowena looked up smiling at the coldly handsome man who came forward. Then her smile faded and her heart began to thump.
This was her evil genius, the man who appeared out of nowhere and was frank about his poor opinion of her. This was the last man in the world she wanted to meet.
“Miss Thornhill,” said His Royal Highness, “allow me to present my good friend, Mark, Duke of Wenfield. Mark, Colonel Thorn
