CHAPTER ONE
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1878It was after ten o’clock in the evening, but carriages were still rolling up to the imposing house on Park Lane that was the residence of Lady Lambourne. As the front door opened to admit various tardy guests, strains of the latest fashionable waltz escaped into the crisp night air.
Lady Lambourne’s annual masked ball was famous and everyone of consequence in London hoped for an invitation.
The ballroom inside was crowded. Tiaras sparkled under glowing chandeliers. Couples whirled elegantly about the dance floor, creating a mêlée of colours. The muslin drapes at the French windows billowed gently, ushering in a welcome breeze.
Sylvia, daughter of the Duke of Belham, had danced until she was dizzy. She was hoping to sit out the next waltz but here was yet another gent
