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tears. Cecily did not like to dwell on such an unhappy topic, but it was something Dr. Fairfax had warned them about since Lord Hurston had first been carried off the ship and into his sickbed. It was an unfortunate truth that victims of apoplexy were liable to follow any number of paths in the course of their illness. And many of them ended with the same dire result. Though the physician was one of the most reputable in Harley Street, he could do no more than ensure that the prescribed therapy of cupping and purging was carried out with astonishing, and often alarming, regularity. And since there had been little change in Lord Hurston, despite the added application of ice water to his forehead every afternoon, both Cecily and Violet had been forced to consider just what they would do in the event that the unthinkable happened and Lord Hurston succumbed to his illness.
    “Oh, how I hate to hear you speak of it, dearest,” Violet said, taking Cecily’s hand in hers and leading her to the sitting area in her rooms. “But I do think you are wise to have made this decision. While it is certainly possible that your father will improve, I do know that he would not wish for you to go on for very long without having some gentleman to whom you could turn for guidance and protection. And I am afraid that your father does not hold your cousin Rufus in very high esteem in that regard.”
    Lord Hurston despised Cousin Rufus for the grasping, rackety fellow he was, Cecily thought to herself. And though it gave her a small prick of annoyance to hear Violet parrot her father’s views on the need for every young lady to have a strong man to guide her, she did agree that her papa would not wish for his daughter or even his wife to be very long under the protection of such a rapscallion as Rufus Hurston.
    “Yes,” she said aloud. “And though you know I have been opposed to marrying as a general rule, I daresay I would find marriage to a man of my choosing infinitely preferable to marriage to someone of Cousin Rufus’s choosing. Or for that matter to living out my days in the former household of my father and being forced into unpaid domestic slavery.”
    Violet nodded. “I do understand. I do not know what I shall do if, God forbid, the worst should happen to your papa. My marriage portion would allow me to live very frugally.” She gave a sad smile. “But you know that frugality has never been one of my virtues. And I do not wish to be a burden to my own family. I shall simply have to pray very hard for your father to improve.
    “But,” she continued, her expression lightening, “you cannot imagine how pleased I am to know that you have decided at last to allow the gentlemen of the ton to see what a lovely woman lurks beneath the dull gowns and unflattering hats you insist on wearing. I should think we will be able to find you a suitable husband even before the fortnight is out!”
    Cecily stifled a laugh. She knew Violet was an optimist, but surely she did not believe any such nonsense was even possible. It was one thing to hope for Cecily to make a viable match. But within a two-week span was asking for a bit much, even for someone of Violet’s considerable matchmaking prowess.
    “My gowns are serviceable. And I choose them for comfort, not for beauty,” she defended herself. “Though even I must admit to wishing for something a little more daring from time to time.”
    “Well, I will send out for Madame d’Auberge at once. She will have an entire new wardrobe ready in the space of three days, I should imagine!”
    Cecily shook her head at the notion. But if anyone could wheedle the modiste to do her bidding it was Violet. “I don’t suppose she’d be able to make something up for me to wear to the Duchess of Bewle’s ball tonight?”
    Violet considered for a moment. “I suspect she will have something already made up that could be altered for you. Though you are rather tall, so she might need to add a flounce to