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"Please bring us some sherry to the library, Denton."
    Taking her father by the arm, Lavina guided him into the library and spoke in a low, hurried voice.
    "Papa, we must leave immediately."
    "But my dear, how can we? It was different before this letter arrived. Now that I've received it I have to obey its commands."
    "But Papa, you have not received it."
    "Yes I have. You saw Denton – "
    "We haven't seen Denton because we haven't been
    home. We have been visiting Elswick Towers, where the Marquis invited us to stay. We did not return here – "
    "But my dear, we did."
    "No Papa, we didn't."
    The Earl blinked in confusion.
    "Strange, I could have sworn we just arrived home."
    "You're imagining it," Lavina said firmly. "Actually we're still at Elswick Towers."
    Faced with his daughter's stronger personality Lord Ringwood yielded and admitted that he was still at Elswick Towers.
    "We sent a groom back home to announce that we were remaining there," Lavinia continued, "and our things were to be sent over."
    "But Denton would have sent the letter over with our things."
    "In the confusion, the letter was lost," Lavina said firmly. "It did not come to light until later this evening. You cannot be accused of ignoring the Queen's command, because you knew nothing about it."
    "But suppose the messenger follows us to the Towers?"
    "The Marquis can deal with him. He's unpleasant enough to deal with anything. But we must leave quickly. Hurry Papa and give your valet instructions, while I talk to Mrs. Banty."
    She sped away and got to work with a will, leaving the Earl to fortify himself with sherry.
    First Lavina went to the stables and ordered that another carriage, a closed one this time, should be brought round to the front door, with two fresh horses harnessed.
    Then she approached Denton, giving him the delightful smile that made any servant eager to do her bidding.
    "Denton, you're such an old friend of the family," she said, "that I want you to be the first to know, that I'm about to announce my engagement to the Marquis of Elswick."
    Denton's eyes opened at little wider at this astounding news, but he was too well trained to do more than murmur,
    "My felicitations, Your Ladyship."
    "Thank you, Denton. Now I need your help. The Marquis has invited Papa and me to stay at his home for a while. So we did not return here, and know nothing about the letter."
    Denton looked shocked.
    "My Lady! Do you mean that I neglected to pass on the Queen's letter?"
    "I realise that it's something you would never do," she said in a coaxing voice.
    "A blot on my record," he said, deeply offended. "Which, I may say, has never been blotted before."
    "I'm asking a great sacrifice, I know."
    "Will the Queen send me to the Tower of London for losing her letter?"
    "I won't let her," Lavina promised.
    "Well, I may have given it to the under footman to look after. He is notoriously forgetful. Leave matters to me, My Lady."
    "Thank you, Denton. And when the messenger returns, kindly tell him that he can find us at the Towers.
    "Very good, Your Ladyship."
    "You will explain about my engagement – "
    "Then it is not a secret?"
    "Oh no. You may inform the household, and the Queen's messenger."
    She hurried away to her room.
    Luckily the visit to the Marquis involved very little
    preparation, as they had only just arrived from London, and most of their clothes were still packed. Mrs Banty received her instructions with a brief nod, and assured Her Ladyship that everything would be attended to.
    The closed carriage, with fresh horses, was waiting. Lavina and the Earl hurriedly climbed aboard and they were on their way.
    For the first part of the journey they each peered nervously out of a window, just in case the messenger returned to be sure his letter was delivered. But they saw nobody, and at last they began to relax.
    "I can't believe that we're actually going to get away with this," the Earl murmured.
    "We will if we keep our heads," Lavina told him. "And