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unexpected?” Sir Gilbert asked suavely.
    He walked up to Pandora and taking her hand in his he said,
    “You and I were obviously fated for each other, pretty lady, and I have never yet dared to quarrel with fate.”
    As he touched her Pandora realised that she actively disliked him, and she was wondering how she could extricate her hand from his when the Earl said,
    “I do not wish to hurry you, but dinner is at half after seven, and as I have brought Alphonse down with me I would not wish to put him in a rage if the meal is spoilt. You know how temperamental these Frenchmen are.”
    “I am certainly glad to know that Alphonse is here,” Clive remarked. “He is more essential to my comfort even than you, my poppet.”
    He dropped a kiss as he spoke on the cheek of the woman standing next to him, who with dark curls and flashing eyes was, Pandora thought, almost the most alluring of the new arrivals.
    At the same time, she realised that the artifice employed by the three young women, whom she guessed from their conversation were also actresses, could be very deceptive.
    After watching them for a little while she began to think that they doubtless needed the glamour of the footlights to hide the lines under their eyes and the toughness of their skins, which had not been apparent at first glance.
    But in their bonnets festooned with ostrich feathers, their taffeta cloaks, and their gowns bedecked with lace and ribbons, they were as colourful and eye-catching as a collection of hummingbirds.
    “We’ll go and dress,” the one who was called Hettie exclaimed, “and we’ve brought our best gowns with us to do justice to the ancestral mansion.”
    She spoke mockingly and the Earl replied,
    “You will certainly liven up this mausoleum, which, God knows, is what it needs!”
    Pandora looked at him in surprise.
    She loved the great house so much and admired its noble proportions and collection of treasures so whole-heartedly that she could hardly believe anyone would disparage such a possession.
    As if the Earl sensed what she was feeling, he glanced at her, then said,
    “If you are beginning to change your mind and wish to return home, there is time before you become contaminated.”
    No-one else heard what he said, and Pandora looking up at him wondered if he realised that she was both bewildered and a little shocked.
    Then she said quickly,
    “No – of course not. You are very – kind to – have me, and I am sure it will have the – desired effect on Mr. Witheridge.”
    “And that, of course, is all that matters,” the Earl said.
    Pandora quickly hurried after the other women, who were already leaving the room.
    Only as she joined them did she look back and see that while the Earl had turned to talk to one of his friends, Sir Gilbert was watching her in a manner that made her nervous.
    As they all went up the Great Staircase, which had been used by so many famous Chart ancestors, Pandora gathered from the conversation that only Kitty had been in the house before.
    “Lord, but it’s big enough to house an Army!” one of the actresses exclaimed.
    “Why didn’t you ask the whole cast while you were about it, Kitty?” another suggested.
    “Sir Edward Trentham has a house which is not far away,” Kitty answered. “Gabrielle is staying with him and a whole host of others. They are coming over to dinner.”
    The others gave a shriek of delight and Pandora understood that Sir Edward was a special favourite. “Have you heard what he gave Gabrielle last week?” someone asked as they reached the top of the stairs.
    “Not another diamond necklace?” someone else replied.
    “No – a house in Chelsea, and he’s made the deeds over to her too!”
    “God, she’s lucky!” Hettie exclaimed. “I won’t get anything like that out of Richard”
    “You should stop him from gambling,” Kitty said, “he’s far too fond of the cards. It always infuriates me when men lose at the tables what they might have spent on