CHAPTER FIVEIt was two in the morning.
The house was dark and quiet.
The guests had gone. Those who remained had retired to their rooms to sleep.
Except for Rowena, who had no intention of sleeping.
Tonight she must make her escape. She would leave the house, and in the morning they would find her room empty.
It was drastic, but she saw no other way, of escaping the marriage with the Duke of Wenfield that was being slowly forced on her. Papa would brook no refusal, and whatever he might say, the Duke might not be able to resist all that money to deal with his bats.
She packed one bag. It was all she dared to take. Then she crept out of her room and headed for the stairs.
But she was pulled up short by the sound of voices coming from below. She recognised the housekeeper and the head
