CHAPTER FOURThe air seemed to sing in Elvina’s ears. The Duke had said,
“What will happen next, I wonder?”
And for an instant it really seemed as though something momentous was about to happen.
But then the strange mood broke. The butler entered the room, standing back to allow Violet to pass.
The Duke, who had been looking at Elvina, turned round and stared in astonishment.
He did not at first recognise his sister, who appeared sparkling from head to foot. Then, as she moved towards him, he stared harder.
“Violet?” he asked eventually.
At precisely the right moment she swept him a low curtsy.
“My Lord Duke,” she declared theatrically.
Then suddenly the Duke laughed.
“Can it really be you?” he asked. “You look so lovely, just as I want you to look. I only wish we were going to a
