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putting the cart before the horse? You don’t know if Robert will even want to go.”
    “I shall ask him on Monday.”
    “Don’t be disappointed if he refuses.”
    The following Monday, when Honor invited Robert to accompany her to Penelope Grant’s soiree, he accepted. If the prospect of rubbing elbows with Boston’s elite daunted him, he never revealed his misgivings. When Theo offered him the use of her late husband’s evening clothes, he appeared reluctant to accept, until Honor convinced him otherwise.
    To Theo, this was not a good sign.
     
     
    “How do I look?” Honor turned away from the cheval glass to nervously present herself to Aunt Theo for her inspection.
    Since green was Honor’s favorite color, she had dusted off an evening gown of forest-green velvet and ivory moire that stood up to her dark, exotic coloring in a way that pale shades never could. Their maid, Fiona, had dressed Honor’s black hair in an intricate, upswept arrangement and crowned it with a white aigrette. For tonight, Honor left off her locket.
    “I have the perfect finishing touch,” Theo announced, and left the room. She returned moments later to offer her niece a pair of earbobs set with a king’s ransom in emeralds.
    Honor gasped. “Oh, Aunt Theo… I couldn’t possibly accept these.” She knew the earbobs were the last gift Uncle Oak had given to Theo just before he died. Her aunt could never bear to wear them.
    “Nonsense,” Theo replied, her voice husky. “They were meant to be worn.”
    Once the jewels hung from Honor’s earlobes, Theo stepped back. “Perfect. They’re all the adornment you need.”
    Honor hugged Theo in silent thanks, for she knew the significance of the gesture.
    Fiona appeared in the doorway. “Mr. Davis has arrived.”
    He was waiting for Honor in the downstairs foyer. She paused at the top of the stairs, and when he slowly turned around and looked up at her, she felt her heart give a queer little flutter.
    He wore Uncle Oak’s recently altered evening clothes with a careless elegance, as if he had been born to them. The black jacket and snowy white shirtfront provided a perfect foil for Robert’s dark hair and green eyes, making him look almost handsome.
    Those green eyes filled with admiration as they followed Honor’s graceful descent down the stairs. “You look beautiful,” he said, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips.
    He would never qualify as handsome, but Honor could honestly say, “And you look quite dashing.”
    A self-deprecating smile twisted his sensuous mouth. “I’ve been told that a good tailor can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Now I know it’s true.”
    Close upon Honor’s heels, Theo said, “Come, come, Mr. Davis, let’s dispense with the false modesty, shall we? You know you’re a damn fine figure of a man. Confident. Self-assured.”
    His clean-shaven cheeks colored slightly, and he bowed. “If you say so, Mrs. Tree.”
    “I do.” Theo handed Honor her purse. “It’s six thirty. You’d better be off if you want to arrive there by seven.”
    Jackson presented Robert with Honor’s heavy black satin evening cloak, and once she was ready to leave, he put on his overcoat and borrowed silk top hat, and they left.
    Seated beside him inside the brougham, Honor said, “I’m glad you could accompany me tonight.”
    “I’m looking forward to meeting your friends,” Robert replied. Wealthy, influential people who could open doors for him.
    “You look very distinguished.”
    He straightened his white tie. “I’ve never had clothes tailored for me.” He planned to have more of them in the future, these expensive coats that didn’t pull through the shoulders and trousers that were not too loose in the waist. “I always wore whatever my mother sewed.”
    “Aunt Theo was afraid you wouldn’t accept them.”
    “I wasn’t going to. Borrowed clothes make me feel like a charity case, and I have my pride, but I wanted to dress right. I