"I don't give a damn about your explanations. And you can save yourself the trouble of having your seconds convey your apologies. I have no intention of meeting you on the field of honor."

"Then what do you intend to do?" Sebastian asked quietly.

"What do you think I'm going to do? I am going to put a bullet in you right here and now, you bloody devil. Right where it will do the most good. You may bid farewell to your ballocks, sir. They will be of little use to you after tonight. We'll see how well you rut with other men's wives in future."

"For God's sake," Sebastian said. "Put the pistol down, man. I swear I have no designs on your lady wife. My attentions are directed elsewhere these days."

Prudence froze. She realized from the way the conversation was going that Thornbridge had a pistol. He was working himself up into a state that would enable him to pull the trigger.

"Don't expect me to believe you're genuinely interested in the Merryweather chit," Thornbridge stormed. "You're hardly the type to be amused for long by an oddity such as her. You're using that poor young woman, aren't you?"

"Thornbridge, will you kindly listen to me for a moment?"

"You're making a show of courting her, but what you're really doing is using her to distract attention while you pursue your true goal. You're using the Merryweather female as a blind while you dally with my wife."

"I have no interest in Lady Thornbridge," Sebastian said. He sounded as if he had abruptly lost his patience. "I give you my word, Thornbridge, I am not here in this bedchamber to await your wife."

"There's no other possible explanation," Thornbridge declared. "She's so beautiful. God knows that every man who looks at her desires her. You think you can just take what you want, don't you, Angelstone? Bloody damn arrogant bastard."

"Thornbridge, I urge you to try to contain yourself. You're losing control."

Prudence knew she dared not wait another minute. It was obvious Sebastian was not going to be able to talk Thornbridge out of his rage. It was time to repay the debt that she owed to the Fallen Angel.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the wardrobe door.

"I beg your pardon, my lords," Prudence said crisply as the door swung open. "I believe it's time we put an end to this foolishness before someone gets hurt."

"What the devil?" Thornbridge swung toward her. In the light of the candle he had brought with him she could see the shock on his heavily jowled face. The pistol in his fist wavered precariously. "Miss Merryweather, by heaven. What are you doing here?"

"You must forgive Miss Merryweather, Thornbridge." Sebastian took a single step forward and deftly removed the pistol from Thorn-bridge's fingers. "She is still fresh from the country and has not yet learned the fine art of making a well-timed entrance."

Thornbridge ignored him. His astonished gaze was fixed on Pru­dence. His anger was rapidly turning to confusion. "What is going on here?"

Prudence blushed under the accusing stare, but she gave the baf­fled man a reassuring smile. "Isn't it obvious, my lord? Angelstone and I sought out a private place in which to discuss certain matters involving spectral phenomena and I fear we wandered in here by mis­take."

"Spectral phenomena?" Thornbridge looked more mystified than ever. He also began to look doubtful.

Sebastian quirked a brow. "She has also not yet learned to tell a social lie. Not that there are many tales that could explain our pres­ence in here. I believe we shall have to go with the truth on this occasion."

Thornbridge glowered at him. "The truth being that you brought this innocent young woman up here to seduce her. Isn't that correct, Angelstone?"

"Not precisely," Sebastian said.

"He had no such intentions," Prudence said briskly.

Thornbridge continued to scowl at Sebastian. "You should be ashamed of yourself, sir."

"You're not the first one to point that out to me tonight."

"My lord, you don't understand." Prudence jumped down from the wardrobe. "Angelstone did not bring me up here with the intention of seducing me."

Thornbridge gave her a pitying look. "My poor dear Miss Mer-ryweather. This business will well nigh break Lady Pembroke's kind heart. You are so pathetically naive."

Sebastian folded his arms and leaned against the wardrobe. He gazed meditatively at Prudence. "Naive is not quite the right word for Miss Merryweather. Harebrained might be a better one. Reckless. Ungovernable. Imprudent. Yes, I can think of a variety of terms that suit Miss Merryweather far better than naive."

She pushed her spectacles higher on her nose and glared at him. "That is unfair, my lord. I am attempting to explain this extremely upsetting situation to Lord Thornbridge. He has every right to know how we come to be in his wife's bedroom."

"By all means," Sebastian replied, his golden eyes brilliant with devilish laughter. "Explain it to him."

Annoyance flared in her as she realized he was not going to help her out at all. Damn the man, he was amusing himself again, this time at her expense. Considering the fact that they were in this situation because of his actions and that she was merely attempting to save his wretched neck, the least he could do was assist her in the task. Pru­dence turned back to Thornbridge.

"The thing is, my lord, this is all a terrible misunderstanding," she said earnestly.

Thornbridge cut her off with a flick of his hand. Now that he was no longer obliged to play the outraged husband, he had apparently decided to assume another role, that of the outraged host. He drew himself up and gave Sebastian a narrow-eyed look.

"Do not trouble yourself, Miss Merryweather. The facts speak for themselves. You are alone up here in a bedchamber with one of the most notorious men of the ton. No further explanations are neces­sary."

Prudence hesitated as she began to sense the new direction in which this was all going. She cautiously cleared her throat. "Sir, I believe you are under a very serious misapprehension."

Thornbridge paid her no heed. He was still glowering self-righ-teously at Sebastian. "Well, sir? Do you intend to do the proper thing by this young woman?"

Still standing with one shoulder propped against the wardrobe, Sebastian inclined his head with mocking gallantry. "As it happens, Thornbridge, Miss Merryweather and I are in this bedchamber be­cause we were seeking some privacy in which to discuss our future. I have decided it is time I married. For her part, Miss Merryweather has wisely concluded that she is not likely to get a better offer due to her advanced years. We have therefore reached an agreement."

"Angelstone," Prudence got out in a strangled voice.

Sebastian did not even hesitate. "Allow me to present my fiancee, sir. Miss Merryweather and I are engaged."

Chapter Five

I am sorry to have to say this, my lord, but the disaster in which we find ourselves is entirely your fault," Prudence announced as Sebastian turned the sleek black phaeton into the crowded park.

"You are far too generous, my dear." Sebastian guided the two beautifully matched black horses into the stream of traffic. "I believe we can give you most of the credit for last night's proceedings."

Prudence retreated beneath the brim of her plain chip straw bon­net. She twitched her slate-colored bombazine skirts over her sturdy half boots and sought for a way to defend herself. "I was only trying to help."

"Were you, indeed?"

"If you had allowed me to make the explanations to Lord Thorn-bridge, everything would have been satisfactorily resolved." Prudence gazed straight ahead, acutely aware of the stares she and Sebastian were receiving from passing carriages.

It had been like this since last night when Thornbridge had accom­panied them back to the ballroom and announced the news of the Fallen Angel's engagement.

The Thornbridges' guests had been first stunned and then titillated and finally deeply intrigued. This was far and away the most entertain­ing event of the Season. The notion of the Fallen Angel marrying the amusing Original was obviously more than most members of the ton could bring themselves to believe.

Society's reaction was nothing compared to that of Hester and Trevor. They had been shocked speechless. Sebastian had warned Pru­dence not to attempt to explain the situation to either of them, as it ‘t

would only make things more complicated. Prudence was forced to agree with him on that score.

Surprisingly, it was Hester who had recovered first from the stun­ning announcement. Once she had digested the news, her eyes had turned oddly speculative.

"Not quite what I expected," Hester had mused. "But then, the Fallen Angel rarely does what one expects. And it follows that he would choose someone out of the ordinary for his future countess."

"He's playing another one of his bloody games," Trevor had snarled.

"I'm not so certain of that," Hester had said. "An engagement is an honorable commitment. Whatever else one can say about Angel-stone, he has never been known to break his word. In any event, there's nothing to be done about it now. Prue is engaged to the Fallen Angel and that's a simple fact. We shall have to go on as if everything were quite normal."

The engagement was definitely not a normal event as far as polite society was concerned. All of London was agog. Sebastian had de­creed the drive in the park this afternoon, saying it was better to make a bold show than to try to hide from the unwanted attention. Pru­dence was not entirely certain that his reasoning was correct.