‘Lady Sally is well known for her charitable projects,’ Deborah Stratton whispered in Rachel’s ear. ‘Last summer she sponsored a race on the river and all the fashionable crowd came down from London to attend. It was the most exciting occasion! We seldom see such society in Midwinter.’

‘So, ladies…’ Lady Sally said, when the footmen had retired, ‘I wished to share the plans for my new project with you-and to ask for your help.’

Five pairs of eyes rounded with speculation.

‘I would like,’ Lady Sally continued, ‘to raise some funds for one of my benevolent societies. I thought that a little project might distract everyone rather pleasantly from rumours of this annoying invasion, so…’ she smiled with a hint of wickedness ‘…I thought that it might be rather fun to produce a watercolour book.’

A little sigh rippled around the group. A book sounded nowhere near as exciting as last year’s regatta had been.

‘Do you mean a book with watercolour drawings, Sally?’ Lily Benedict enquired. ‘That seems a little tame compared with your usual projects.’

‘Local views would look attractive in watercolours,’ Olivia Marney suggested. ‘The river, the watermill…’

‘I did indeed have local attractions in mind,’ Lady Sally said, stretching out a languid hand to pour herself another cup of tea, ‘but nothing so tame as the river, Olivia. I had in mind pictures of local gentlemen.’

Olivia almost choked on her tea and had to be patted on the back by her sister. Helena Lang, a buxom beauty given to vulgarity, gave vent to a thoroughly over-excited scream.

‘Portraits of gentlemen in a book? Lady Sally, you are so wicked!’

‘I know,’ Lady Sally said calmly. ‘Conceive of the potential profit to my charity, ladies. A few drawings of eligible gentlemen, with a little bit of text giving some essential information about them-’

‘Such as whether they are married and the size of their estate,’ Deborah Stratton suggested. She laughed. ‘It will be like a gazetteer!’

‘Precisely.’ Lady Sally nodded. ‘I had it in mind to host a ball in town during the little season and hold an auction. The ladies would be queuing out of the door to place a bid on a book that gives details of the most eligible gentlemen on the marriage mart! I am persuaded it would be all the rage, particularly if the gentlemen in the drawings were to attend as well.’

Lily Benedict was laughing. ‘It’s an outrageous idea, Sally! No one but you could get away with it.’

‘Which gentlemen will be featured?’ Helena Lang enquired, putting the question that everyone else was too reticent to ask.

Lady Sally ticked them off on her fingers. ‘Sir John Norton has already agreed to pose for me, as has Lord Northcote-’

‘But he is married already,’ Helena protested, pouting, ‘and Sir John Norton is a dreadful bore. You must have some more attractive gentlemen, Lady Sally. Positively you must!’

‘It would certainly make the watercolour book more popular,’ Lady Sally agreed. ‘Now that Justin Kestrel and his brothers are here for the summer, I intend to persuade them to take part…’ she gave a little smile ‘…and then I do believe we shall be overwhelmed with eager purchasers!’

Rachel, who had been listening quietly, saw Deborah Stratton look quickly away and fidget slightly with the cover of her copy of The Enchantress. Her colour had risen at the mention of Justin Kestrel and his brothers and Rachel could not help wondering which Kestrel brother it was that could cause such a reaction. Fortunately Helena Lang distracted everyone’s attention before Deborah’s discomfiture became too evident.

‘However will you convince the Duke to pose, Lady Sally? I heard tell that he is very high in the instep, for all that he is a thorough-going rake!’

‘I shall use my native charm, Miss Lang,’ Lady Sally said. ‘And if I fail, I shall ask one of you to approach him instead. Justin is very susceptible to a lady’s persuasion, I assure you. In fact, that is where I need your help.’

The ladies looked enquiring.

‘I need you to work your charms on all the gentlemen visiting Midwinter,’ Lady Sally said, smiling. ‘A little flirtation can work miracles, ladies! If you can persuade the Duke and his friends to take part in my book of watercolour drawings, then I shall be able to establish another school for the ragged children in Ipswich. No one can deny that it is for a good cause.’

‘You are still a few gentlemen short,’ Deborah observed. She appeared to have regained her composure. ‘Did you have any others in mind?’

Lady Sally smiled at Olivia, who had remained quiet throughout most of the discussion, as she often did.

‘I had thought that Lord Marney might be persuaded to take part,’ Lady Sally said. ‘I wondered if you might speak to him, dear Olivia.’

Olivia Marney’s head jerked up and bright colour came into her cheeks.

‘My husband pays no attention to my requests,’ she said sharply. She brushed the biscuit crumbs from her skirt with sharp little movements. ‘You would have better success were you to ask him yourself, Lady Sally!’

The atmosphere in the room was suddenly tense. Rachel had no notion why matters should be so awkward, but she could not miss the significant glance that Lady Sally shot Lady Benedict. The only person who appeared unaware of her sister’s tension was Deborah Stratton.

‘I will ask Ross if he will take part, Liv!’ she said cheerfully. ‘I am sure he will agree.’

‘Oh, well, if you ask him, Deborah, I am sure that there will be no difficulty at all!’ Olivia Marney said, and the bitterness was suddenly clear in her voice, so marked that even Deborah fell silent.

There was another awkward pause.

Lady Sally threw herself into the breach. ‘How splendid,’ she said, quite as though there had been no undercurrent to Olivia’s words. ‘And if I might prevail upon you, Miss Odell, to speak to Lord Newlyn, then I think we might rightly be proud of the collection of truly distinguished gentlemen who will grace my watercolour book.’

Rachel jumped. She had just been reflecting that Cory would detest being part of a project such as this when she realised that Lady Sally was addressing her. Rachel felt the eyes of the group fixed on her. Helena Lang was looking rather envious all of a sudden.

‘I doubt I have any influence with Lord Newlyn,’ Rachel said. ‘It is true that I have known him for years, but I would not say that he was a very persuadable gentleman.’

Lady Sally’s eyes widened with amusement. ‘Oh, do you think not?’ she said. ‘A great pity, for he is quite the most charismatic man of my acquaintance.’ She smiled gently at Rachel. ‘Would he not be susceptible to a little flirtation, Miss Odell?’

‘Not if I was the one doing the flirting with him,’ Rachel said, laughing at the very idea. ‘I believe he would ask me if I had had too much sun!’

Everyone laughed, although Lady Sally looked pensive. ‘It seems a pity,’ she said. ‘Lord Newlyn would look vastly attractive in watercolours.’

‘He would look vastly attractive in anything,’ Lily Benedict added drily, ‘or nothing.’

Rachel bit her lip and concentrated very hard on not thinking about Cory wearing nothing at all. She had only just managed to banish the image and here it was back with a vengeance. She fanned herself surreptitiously with her book.

‘Oh, please try to persuade him, Miss Odell,’ Helena Lang interposed. ‘Lord Newlyn would be the most perfect choice. He is so dashing.’

Rachel looked at the pleading faces. Her strongest impulse was to refuse. The thought of asking Cory to grace Lady Sally’s watercolour book was an excruciating one.

‘I really do not think-’ she began.

Lady Sally put out a consoling hand. ‘Please do not worry. I would not wish you to feel obliged to approach Lord Newlyn, Miss Odell, not if it would embarrass you. Perhaps one of the other ladies could exert a little charm to persuade him.’

‘I am sure that we shall be drawing lots for the privilege,’ Lily Benedict said.

Rachel frowned. The idea of another lady flirting with Cory made her feel rather possessive, although she knew this was entirely inappropriate. She looked at Lily Benedict’s face, with the slanting dark eyes that held a flicker of malice, and decided that she did not like her very much nor would she give her the chance to flirt with Cory. The same went for that vulgar Miss Lang.

‘I suppose I can at least talk to him,’ she said. ‘I should be happy to do that.’

‘Oh, goody!’ Helena Lang exclaimed. ‘How exciting to have such a famous adventurer in our midst! Was it not Lord Newlyn who wrestled a crocodile in the Nile and survived the curse of Amenhopec? He is the most complete gentleman, is he not?’

‘The crocodile incident was much exaggerated,’ Rachel said coolly, wishing to depress Helena Lang’s pretensions and reduce Cory’s appeal at the same time. ‘As for the curse, I do not believe that Lord Newlyn escaped so easily. He had a dreadful stomach upset for weeks after he excavated that tomb. They call it the Pharaoh’s Revenge.’

There was a ripple of scandalised laughter from the group as the ladies took her meaning. ‘My dear Miss Odell,’ Lady Sally said, wiping the tears from her eyes, ‘I do believe that you have demolished Lord Newlyn’s dashing reputation in one move. An upset stomach indeed! How very unromantic! I cannot wait to tease him about this.’

‘You might sketch Lord Newlyn wrestling a crocodile, ma’am,’ Helena Lang said hopefully to Lady Sally. ‘Without his shirt, perhaps-’

‘In the waters of the Winter Race?’ Lady Sally said. ‘What a fertile imagination you have, Miss Lang. Not that I totally discount the idea. So, ladies-’ she looked around the group ‘-to work! I am relying on you.’