The butler moved towards them and spoke to Penelope.
“Her Ladyship will be delighted to receive you, miss,” he said in a courteous tone and then went up the stairs in front of them.
As they entered the large drawing room, which covered the whole width of the house at the back and looked over the garden, Alisa felt that everything swam in front of her eyes and she could see nothing but a sea of faces.
However, there were not many people there, as she could see when her vision cleared and it was not difficult to pick out the Marchioness, who looked exactly the way she had been portrayed in the cartoon.
“Miss Alisa and Miss Penelope Wynton, my Lady!” the butler boomed and a large, Junoesque figure advanced towards them with outstretched hands.
“My dears! How delightful to meet you!” the
