It seemed to Henry that she had hardly had time for breakfast and a secret visit to her brother and sister and their governess before Marian was directing her to return to her room to get properly groomed and dressed for afternoon visitors. There were certain to be some after the ball of the night before, she added.

Henry considered the whole business a frightful bore, though in the event she was amused to find that several of her partners of the previous evening were among the visitors. Viscount Marley was one of them. He even contrived to sit with Henry a little apart from the rest of the company. He entertained her with descriptions of his two young daughters, who missed their mama a great deal and were longing for the day when someone would be found to replace her. Henry succeeded somehow in keeping a polite smile on her face. The viscount had just requested the pleasure of Henry's company on a drive through the park when the visiting hour should be over, when a merciful interruption saved Henry from the embarrassment of either accepting or thinking up some lame excuse.

The butler entered the room and bowed to Marian. "Sir Peter Tallant wishes to see Miss Tallant in the library immediately, ma'am," he announced.

Marian glanced across at Henry in surprise. "You had better not keep him waiting, Henrietta," she said. "But do hurry back to our guests as soon as you are able."

Henry curtsied and made her way down to the library, which was Peter's domain. What had she done wrong now? Was he about to banish her and the twins to Roedean after their behavior of the morning? She could hardly think of a punishment she would enjoy more. She grimly approached the closed door and opened it.

The man who stood with his back to the room, staring out the window, was not Peter. A hasty glance around assured Henry that, in fact, her brother was not in the room at all. Then the man turned and she gaped. She found herself staring into the sleepy eyes of the Duke of Eversleigh!

"Ah, Miss Tallant," he said, hand straying to the handle of his quizzing glass, "good day to you. Pray come inside and close the door."

"Oh, your Grace, it's you," she said foolishly. "Pardon me, my brother is looking for me."

"How provoking of him," Eversleigh replied, "when he just a moment ago granted me permission to speak to you." He walked unhurriedly across the room. Henry stood paralyzed, her hand still on the knob of the open door.

"Please allow me to close the door," he said from beside her. "You seem incapable of doing so yourself."

"Oh, yes, your Grace," Henry said, skipping hastily across to the other side of the room.

"I assure you, ma'am," he said, shutting the door and surveying her through his quizzing glass, "I have not been eating garlic."

Henry giggled nervously. "Would you not like to come to the drawing room, your Grace?" she asked brightly. "There are other visitors there."

"How revolting!" he said, lowering the glass. "Are you so anxious to return to them, Miss Tallant?"

"Oh, no!" she confided. "Actually, I was very thankful to be called away. Lord Marley was pressing me to drive out with him, and I had really rather not. But Marian would have put me on bread and water for a week, had I refused. He is rich, you know, and has a title."

"Marley!" Eversleigh shuddered theatrically. I suppose he is out shopping for a new mama for his two brats?"

"Well, he did talk about them," she admitted.

"Quite so. Come and sit down over here, Miss Tallant, and stop cowering at the other end of the room. Indeed, if I wished to give chase, ma'am, I should catch you in a moment."

Henry bristled immediately. "I never cower!" she said. "And if you did chase me and catch me, you might be sorry.

The eyebrows rose above the blue eyes.

"I should kick and punch, she declared proudly. I once gave Giles a black eye."

"Giles has my sympathies," he commented dryly. "Stand there and cower, if you must, Miss Tallant. I am going to sit down."

Having made her point, Henry crossed the room and seated herself in the chair he had originally indicated.

"Miss Tallant, I perceive that it is useless to try to make polite small talk with you. I shall get immediately to the point. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Henry's jaw dropped.

"Miss Tallant?"

"Your wife?" she asked faintly.

"Yes, my wife. I have taken you by surprise, I see. I mistakenly thought you had more fortitude, ma'am. Should I have paved the way more carefully by falling on my knees in front of you and declaring undying love and devotion? I can still do so, if you wish."

"Pray do not," she said anxiously. "You would look mighty ridiculous and I should be hard put to it not to laugh. "

"Then shall we sit here in silence while you consider what I have said?" he suggested with unaccustomed gentleness.

"Are you serious, your Grace?" she asked dubiously.

"About sitting in silence? Oh, yes, I very often contemplate the state of my own soul, ma'am."

"No, silly. I meant about marrying me."

"Oh, certainly. It can be dangerous to propose to a lady in fun, you know. She might just accept. Then the joke would be on me. But I would not be amused."

"But why?" Henry asked.

"Why would I not be amused, ma'am? Why, because

"No, stupid. Oh, pardon me, your Grace," Henry said, slapping a hand over her mouth. She noticed with dismay that last night's gleam was back in the duke's eyes.

"You meant, why do I wish to marry you?" he prompted. "I have the notion that it might be amusing, Henry. And it is a long time since I have been amused."

"But you do not know me," she protested. "I am dreadfully stubborn and outspoken, you know. And I hate to have to behave like a lady. And I will not let any man tell me what to do."

"I am in fear and trembling that you will bring my name into disgrace and that you will make of me a human jelly in no time at all, Miss Tallant," he said meekly.

Henry eyed him steadily. "You are funning me, are you not?" she said.

He considered her. I would not squash your spirit, Henry," he said softly, "but I am a man."

Henry shivered, for what reason she did not know. She jumped hastily to her feet and crossed to the window through which he had been looking when she came into the room. He did not attempt to talk to her while she stood there trying to force her whirling thoughts into some order.

She had won her wager, but the victory had come so easily and so unexpectedly that it seemed unreal. If she refused him now, how would she ever get Douglas-or even Giles-to believe that the Duke of Eversleigh had actually offered for her? Would she even believe it herself the next day? But how could she accept? It was all so sudden as to be ridiculous. They had met only the evening before. They were total strangers. Henry knew very little about the ways of the ton, but surely, she thought, courtships usually took a lot longer than this.

There was something very strange about the duke's proposal. He was fabulously wealthy, he was astonishingly handsome, and he held one of the highest ranks in the country. He must be into his thirties already. Why, suddenly, had he decided to offer for a little nobody that he did not know? She could not quite accept his explanation that he found her amusing. There had been nothing amusing about her gauche behavior of the night before. Anyway, she had nothing really to recommend her. She was only passably good-looking; she had no feminine graces; she was not wealthy. She would, in fact, make a quite deplorable duchess. Henry a duchess! She had to stifle a giggle for a moment.

And what of her own feelings? Henry could hardly believe that she was even giving consideration to his proposal. She certainly did not wish to be married. She knew that a married lady became the property of her husband. The idea was totally abhorrent to her. The only type of husband that might be acceptable would be one that she could manipulate at will. And yet, even as she thought it, she realized that it would be intolerable to be married to someone whom she could not respect. And what of Eversleigh? There was something about him that made Henry shiver. She remembered the hardness of his body when she had run against him the night before. But, his whole person seemed like that-like a brick wall in which she would not be able to make even the smallest dent. "I am a man," he had just said, and the remembered words made her shiver again. Why, then, did she feel so inclined to accept his proposal? It was just as she had thought last night. He seemed to exert a power over her Will without any visible effort.

What was she to do, then? Finally, Henry turned back to the room, an idea in her mind. She would throw the decision back to him. She crossed back to her chair and sat down without looking at him.

"Well, Henry?" Eversleigh prompted. "What is to be my fate? I can see by the jut of your chin that you have made a decision."

"I shall be your wife, your Grace, under one condition,".lie declared firmly.

"Indeed!" he replied haughtily. "Do I dare ask what that one condition might be?"

"In addition to me, you must take Philip and Penelope, Miss Manford, Brutus, and Oscar," she said in a rush.

Eversleigh had his glass to his eye again. "Dear me," he said, "is that one condition? And are these persons all members of your family, Henry?"

"Philip and Penelope are my twin brother and sister," she began. "They are twelve years old. Miss Manford is their governess. She was mine and Giles', too. Giles is my older brother."

"Quite so," he said. "The one of the black eye. And the one who warned you not to talk of bosoms."

"Oh," she said, nonplussed for the moment.

"And Brutus and Oscar?" he prompted.

"The twins' dog and parrot," she explained, watching him warily.

"Why do I get the feeling that there is more to say about the twins' dog and parrot?" he asked softly, his eyes beneath the lowered lids watching her closely.,

"Well," Henry said uncertainly, "Brutus looks like a small horse and he likes to eat things he is not supposed to cat. And he is… playful. Oscar was taught to speak by leis previous owner. His language is rather colorful."

The gleam was back in Eversleigh's eyes. "I see," he said. "And why, Henry, would it be necessary to transfer all these personalities to my household in the event of our marriage? Do you feel that you would need protection against me?"

"Oh, no, it's because Peter is quite horrid to them all." she cried. "Brutus and Oscar have been banished to the stables and Miss Manford has been dismissed. And the twins have been sent to their rooms for the whole of today." Henry got to her feet in her agitation and found herself telling Eversleigh all that had taken place that morning.

"You would not have sent the poor child away without doing something to help him, would you, your Grace?" she asked as she finished the account.

"Indeed I would not," he said decisively. "I should first have had the little beggar chained to the gatepost and whipped for his impudence."

Her eyes flashed and then she looked at him. "Oh, no, you would not," she said. "I know you would not."

"No, I would not," he agreed quietly.

"Miss Manford has nowhere to go," she said, turning away from his piercing eyes. "She has been with us forever. We are her family. And she is too old to get another position, I fear. She must be fifty, at least."

"Henry," Eversleigh said softly, also rising to his feet, you will agree to marry me if I take your family, too?"

"Yes," she whispered, eyes wide with apprehension.

"Then, my dear, I shall have the announcement appear in tomorrow's Morning Post." He crossed the room until he was standing in front of her. "Don't be afraid, Henry," he said, taking her cold hand in his. "We shall deal well together, you shall see." And he raised her hand and placed the palm against his warm lips for a long moment, holding her eyes with his the while.

Henry just gaped again.

"Will you go now, please?" he directed. "Ask the butler to send your brother back to me. I shall call on you and your sister-in-law tomorrow afternoon. Perhaps you would drive with me in the park afterward?"

And Henry, in a trance, obediently followed his directions.

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