"She will approve of you completely when you have given her grandson an heir, Cally," Aurora replied. "The Hawkesworths are an old and noble family. There is no reason for them to die out. You must cease being selfish, little sister, and do your duty."

"There is a ball at the Duchess of Devonshire's tonight," Cally said. "We have all been invited. Trahern will be looking for you. He is quite splendid, isn't he?"

"I find him a bit repellent," Aurora said. Then, "You will consider what I have said to you, Cally, won't you? Mama would not be very pleased with your behavior, you know. I do not know what I shall write to her. She cannot be fooled for long even if we are an ocean apart. After one inane correspondence on the many sights in London, I shall have no excuse but to tell her about this change in your sweetness of temperament. Now, I have warned you."

"Oh, do not be mean to me!" Cally cried, and she attempted to squeeze a few tears from her eyes.

"You never could do that correctly." Aurora chuckled. "I am not in the least sympathetic to you. You have been awful, and now you must cease being so dreadful, Cally."

"You are going to be no fun, I just know it," Cally grumbled. "I don't know why you bothered to come to England at all."

"I suspect it is a good thing that I did," Cally told her. "Remember, had it not been for me, you should not be a duchess."

"That is a terrible thing to say, Aurora!"

"But it is the truth."

"You are sorry now, aren't you?" Cally sneered. "You are sorry you did not marry him as Papa planned. Well, you had your chance. I am the Duchess of Farminster, and I intend remaining the duchess!"

"When," Aurora demanded, "when did I ever ask for the return of a gift, Cally? This marriage was my gift to you. I do not want it back. I never wanted it, but you have a duty to Valerian Hawkesworth, and you must fulfill that duty. Only then can you indulge your own desires and behave like a spoiled child!" She arose. "I do not want to go to your damned ball!" Then she stormed from the room.

"You had best mend your fences with her," Sally said. "She has the power to unseat you, your grace."

"You forget yourself," Cally said coldly, handing the tea saucer to her maid. Then she sat back against her pillows, her eyes calculating, her demeanor thoughtful. Finally she said, "The new ball gown. The turquoise one with the gold lace. Bring it to my sister with my apologies, and say I should like to see her in it tonight."

"Your grace," Sally replied, "that gown is far too sophisticated for a virgin who is husband hunting."

"You are right," Cally said. "What do I have that is suitable?"

"There is the silk gown in Appleblossom's Love, your grace. It has little silk flowers about the neckline, and lovely lace."

Cally nodded. "Take it to her. It is far too sweet for me. I don't know why I ever bought it in the first place."

Sally fetched the gown in question and brought it to Aurora's bedroom. When Martha opened the door, she said, "Her grace thought that Miss Aurora would look lovely in this, and hopes she will wear it tonight to the Duchess of Devonshire's ball. Have your mistress ready to leave at ten o'clock."

"Ten o'clock!" Martha exclaimed. "Respectable people are abed at that time of night, Sally."

"In London, in polite society, folks in the upper crust have balls at ten o'clock of an evening. You'll get used to waiting up till three or four o'clock in the morning. I did." Martha took the garment, shaking her head in wonderment as Sally hurried off down the hall. "Dancing almost to dawn. It can't be right!" Martha muttered after the retreating figure.

"I told Cally I'm not going to any ball," Aurora told her servant. "Oh, Martha, Cally has become so selfish!"

"Always was selfish," Martha answered. "There just wasn't so much temptation back on St. Timothy. Now, don't you fret yourself, miss. This dress is the prettiest I've ever seen, and by the look of it, not worn even once! You're going to look lovely in it, and no nonsense about not going. Of course you're going. Your mama would be mighty upset if you didn't take advantage of every opportunity offered you while you are in England." She hung the ball gown in the dressing room.

"Are you glad to be back in England, Martha?" Aurora asked her.

"I don't rightly know yet, miss. I was twenty-five when my parents died and I left. I'm over forty now. The best part of my life has been being in service to your family, miss. I'm happiest, I suppose, wherever you are."

Aurora hugged the older woman. "Oh, Martha, I do love you!"

The servant flushed, pleased. "Now, don't go getting all mushy on me, Miss Aurora," she half scolded.

The clock on the mantel struck one.

"Oh, I must join the others in the dining room. The dowager told me last evening that luncheon is at one o'clock! Is my hair neat?"

"As a pin," Martha replied. "Hurry along, miss!"

Aurora reached the dining room just as the others were being seated. Curtsying to the dowager, she apologized for her lateness.

"Nonsense, child, you are punctual to the minute" was the reply. "Valerian tells me that he took you for a turn around Hyde Park this morning. Did you enjoy it?"

"Very much," Aurora said. "I was frankly relieved to find such a lovely place so near Farminster House."

"A little bit of country in this otherwise bustling city," Mary Rose Hawkesworth said with a smile. "That is why I insisted my husband buy a house in Grosvenor Square. If I have to come to London, I must be near the park. Of course, I have always come to London as little as possible," she finished with a chuckle.

"Calandra tells me we are going to the Duchess of Devonshire's ball tonight," Aurora said.

"Indeed, are we?" The dowager was surprised. "Your sister has obviously forgotten to inform me. I shall speak to her after luncheon. She is not old enough, even if she is married to my grandson, to be your chaperon. You must be accompanied by a respectable matron lest any obtain the wrong impression of your character."

"I am relieved, ma'am," Aurora said frankly. "Cally seems to want to foist her friend, Lord Trahern, off on me, and I do not like him. With you by my side, I believe together we can repel him."

The dowager laughed, and then she grew serious. "You are wise not to be taken in by Trahern. He's a handsome devil, I'll give you that, but a bounder on the prowl for a wife with a good income."

"He will not get mine," Aurora said firmly. "I shall not leave your side, ma'am."

"Why, girl, you must if you are to dance with some of our more eligible gentlemen," the old lady said.

"Only with your approval," Aurora answered her. "I will rely on your knowledge of the men involved, and your judgment of their characters."

Mary Rose Hawkesworth nodded, and began to sip her soup. Why was the girl familiar, she asked herself for the fiftieth time since she had met Aurora yesterday evening? She had seen that face before. But where? And what a pity it wasn't this sensible miss Valerian had married instead of that bubblehead, Calandra Kimberly. Calandra. Her friendship with Lord Trahern was disturbing. The Dowager Duchess of Farminster was not so old she had not heard the gossip about Trahern. It was most unsavory. She knew Calandra was not cuckholding her grandson with the cad, for Calandra was too cold a woman, not at all to Trahern's taste. He was, of course, clever, witty, and amusing, and those traits would attract Calandra. She would want to keep in his good graces, for Trahern knew absolutely everyone, and since he had not caused any serious scandal, was welcome in all the best houses as an eligible man. Calandra was silly enough to believe that if she could make a match between Trahern and her stepsister, she would gain the devil's friendship forever.

Well, it wasn't going to happen because she would not let it happen. And it wasn't going to happen because Aurora was much too intelligent to be taken in by a man like Lord Charles Trahern. The dowager began to consider eligible young men in London now who might be suitable husbands for Aurora. None, however, came to mind. Perhaps when they were back in the country, she considered. Actually, her grandson would be a perfect husband for Aurora, and she would be a perfect wife for him. What a pity that fate had deemed it otherwise. If instead of sending Valerian off to St. Timothy a year ago she had invited Calandra and her family to England, perhaps things could have been changed. They would have seen that Calandra was unsuited to the position of duchess, and that Aurora was more than suitable.

"What are you thinking of so hard, Grandmama?" the duke said.

"Nothing of import, dear boy," the dowager replied.

Chapter 5

Aurora was not certain if it had been the best or the worst month of her life. London was a very exciting, but also a very exhausting city in which to live. Valerian had managed to obtain two tickets to the British Museum, which was located in the newly purchased Montagu House, Bloomsbury. George had begged off, not really as interested as his stepsister was in antiquities, and so the duke had escorted Aurora. The museum had its beginnings when Sir Hans Sloane, a physician and collector, had suggested to Parliament that they might be interested in buying his works of art, antiquities, and natural history collections for less than half the price it had cost him to assemble them. Parliament was delighted to accept, and the Foundation Act was passed to cover the cost of that expense, and future such expenses. The Harleian Collection of Manuscripts was purchased in that same year from the Duchess of Portland. The museum had opened two years prior, and was very popular.