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time. Keep up the good work.” She lifted one hand in a cheerful wave and hurried off down the hall.
    Matthias gazed thoughtfully after her. “What an amazing creature.”
    “I fear that nothing can dissuade her from her purpose, my lord,” Horatia said forlornly.
    Matthias set the
Quarterly Review of Antiquities
down on a table. “You were telling me about how she came to be compromised three years ago.”
    “If only I had been able to join her in London. Imogen considers herself a woman of the world, but you know as well as I do, sir, that after a lifetime spent here in Upper Stickleford, she was woefully unprepared for London Society. Furthermore, her parents both detested the Polite World. They taught her a great many useless subjects such as Greek and Latin and logic, but they did not teach her anything helpful such as how to survive in Society.”
    “A lamb among wolves,” Matthias murmured. “But a lamb with some teeth, I think.”
    “Her friend Lucy was certainly no help,” Horatia said bitterly. “Lady Vanneck definitely bore some of the responsibility for the incident. But that was Lucy for you. I know Imogen counted her a dear friend, but the truth is, Lucy never cared a jot for anyone but herself.”
    “You knew Lucy?”
    “I met her on occasion when I visited my brother and his family. She was very beautiful and she could be charming. But she used her beauty and charm to manipulate others. She broke the hearts of several of the young farmers here in Upper Stickleford. As far as I’m concerned, she became friends with Imogen only because there were no other young ladies in the vicinity. She did not even bother to correspond with Imogen after she moved to London until a full year had passed. And then, out of the blue, she sent for Imogen.”
    “What happened in London?”
    “For a time all went well. Imogen got involved in the Zamarian Society. She has been passionate about Zamar since the age of seventeen. That was the year you and Rutledge returned from your first expedition. She joined the Zamarian Society shortly after it was formed, but she had not had an opportunity to meet any of the members until she went to London.”
    “I regret to say that the Zamarian Society is composed largely of amateurs and dilettantes.” Matthias set his jaw. “Unfortunately, Zamar has become fashionable.”
    “Perhaps. But for the first time, Imogen was able to mingle with others who shared her interests. She was very excited. You must remember that she was alone following the death of her parents. Lucy had been her only friend, and after Lucy went off to London and married Vanneck, Imogen was very lonely. I fear that the study of Zamar became everything to her. Meeting others of a like-minded nature was very exciting for her.”
    “Whom, precisely, did she meet?” Matthias asked warily. The fascination with Zamar had brought into the ranks of the Zamarian Society an assortment of dangerously bored young bloods, debauched rakes, and others seeking excitement.
    “Lucy introduced Imogen to a nice young man named Alastair Drake.” Horatia hesitated. “It was the only truly decent thing Lucy ever did for Imogen. Mr. Drake shared Imogen’s enthusiasm for ancient Zamar.”
    “Did he, indeed?”
    “The pair got along famously from all accounts. I heard from friends that Mr. Drake developed a
tendre
for Imogen. There was even talk of an offer of marriage. But then the disaster struck.”
    Matthias abandoned any pretense of continuing with the inventory. He propped one shoulder against the bookshelf and folded his arms. “Disaster in the form of Lord Vanneck, I presume?”
    Horatia’s eyes were bleak behind the lenses of herspectacles. “Yes. Imogen had not the faintest notion of how to deal with a hardened rakehell bent on seduction. There was no one to guide her or advise her.” She stopped talking abruptly, yanked a hankie from the pocket of her apron, and dabbed at her eyes. “It is difficult to even