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as quick as possible,” promised Lady Violet, “but I have to find at least three things which are saleable.”
    She was still speaking as she walked out of the room.
    Elva had heard every word of their conversation.
    She pushed the books she had been holding in her hands back into their places on the shelf.
    Then she ran from the library into the study.
    As she rushed in closing the door behind her, the Duke was standing by the fireplace, holding The Morning Post in his hands and he looked up in surprise.
    Elva walked towards him.
    â€œI am your cousin Elva!”
    â€œBut of course,” replied the Duke. “It is delightful to see you again, but you have grown a great deal since we last met.”
    Elva laughed.
    â€œI think that is true. I must have been about eight years old at the time!”
    She glanced over her shoulder as if to be certain the door was closed.
    â€œNow listen for a moment,” she began. “I have something to suggest to you which I think will solve your problem.”
    â€œMy problem?” queried the Duke.
    â€œI have been listening while you were talking to Aunt Violet.”
    â€œListening! How could you do that?”
    â€œI was in the next room and when I took some books down from a shelf, I could hear quite clearly what was said in this room.”
    â€œBut you had no right to listen – ”
    â€œI listened in because your conversation with Aunt Violet really interested me,” Elva interrupted him, “and now I think I can help you.”
    The Duke looked at her.
    He considered that she certainly had grown into a beauty since he had last seen her, but he was certainly not interested in young girls. They were always being paraded in front of him by their ambitious mothers like spring foals at a Horse Fair.
    â€œI know from what Aunt Violet was telling you,” Elva was now saying, “that it would be unwise of you to go to Russia alone. However, you have already had opportunities to see the world, which I have not yet been allowed, so I will come with you as your wife !”
    â€œMy wife!” cried the Duke, thinking he could not be hearing right.
    â€œIt will only be pretence. I will just be acting the part and let me assure you that I have no wish whatsoever to marry you or anyone else for that matter. And from what I have heard you have no wish to be married either.”
    â€œThat is perfectly true,” agreed the Duke. “I do not intend to be married until I am very much older. Then I will settle down in the country, which will undoubtedly be extremely boring.”
    â€œNot if you own the right horses,” quipped Elva. “But what concerns us at the moment is that you want to go to Russia – and so do I. I will go with you and pretend to be your Duchess, just as long as we are there. When we come home, I promise never to tell anyone, except Aunt Violet, what we have done.”
    The Duke smiled.
    â€œIt is a very attractive idea and bright of you to think of it. But you know as well as I do that the family would be extremely shocked if they knew you had gone anywhere with a man – any man – without a chaperone.”
    â€œI have thought of that too. What we can do, if we are clever, is to tell Aunt Violet and make her swear she will never tell anyone else, that I am travelling to St. Petersburg with you pretending to be your wife.”
    Elva paused for breath.
    â€œYou will tell her that you can provide a chaperone who will be only too delighted to accompany us as she has been recently bereaved and you want to cheer her up when she is so depressed.”
    The Duke laughed as if he could not help it.
    â€œDo you really think anyone would believe that cock and bull story?”
    â€œI think you are being rather stupid,” replied Elva. “I expect you will be going to Russia by sea, which is now possible if their war against Sweden is finally over.”
    â€œHow do you know