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‘Truly. I told you Mama would have you rigged out properly.’

Dinner at the Wilton’s, which Eliza had supposed to be a small affair, was anything but. It was lavish with a host of guests and, frankly, a bit of a crush. She held her head up and tried to look serene, like a young woman on the cusp of her presentation, as she walked into the room with Charles, Mary, and Hannah, but it was difficult when she felt that the reputation of the entire Grey family sat firmly on her shoulders. One step wrong and she could topple the entire dynasty.

They gathered in the drawing room before dinner, and Charles steered them to General Montague and his wife, with whom he and Mary were acquainted, whilst Hannah disappeared to speak to a lady in a dashing rose silk creation. Eliza curtseyed and received a glowing smile from Mary. They chatted of inconsequential things for a little while, which made little demands on Eliza, giving her time to glance around the room. She turned and looked towards the door and spotted none other than Lieutenant Colonel Ellice walking towards them, resplendent in full military dress. Her breath caught as she tried to listen to the General and not stare.

‘Aha,’ the General said with a wide smile. ‘Young Ellice cuts quite a dash, doesn’t he? Come, let me introduce you.’

Clearly, her attempts at dissembling needed work.

He waved Lieutenant Colonel Ellice over and Eliza hoped her face wasn’t too red.

‘Allow me to introduce you to this delightful young lady,’ he called to the Lieutenant Colonel. ‘I think you may know these old reprobates,’ he said, laughing at Charles and Mary.

The Lieutenant Colonel stood before them with the smallest of smiles and dipped his head courteously.

‘I have already been fortunate to have had that honour, sir.’ He bowed over her hand. ‘Miss Eliza, I trust you are well?’

She smiled up at him. ‘Indeed, I am. I hope you are also well?’

‘Very, thank you.’ He regarded her with those dark eyes under scowling black brows for a moment, then his lips twitched and she relaxed a little.

They all made polite conversation until Charles and Mary turned to greet a newcomer, and the Major’s attention was taken up, leaving the two of them briefly unattended.

‘I am pleased to meet you again,’ he said quietly. ‘Edward and I feared you might fly too high for our company.’

How on earth did one respond to that? Was there something else she had done wrong? She floundered a little before finding her voice. ‘Hardly, Lieutenant Colonel. I don’t think I am anyone special.’

He tilted his head slightly, that tiny smile still in place. ‘I heard you had repaired to Chiswick with the Cavendish set. That’s flying high in my book.’

‘Oh, that? Well, yes, I did… I suppose it is, rather. I’ve never… I really hadn’t thought…’ Dear lord, she was so relieved it was just the visit he was referring to, she was rambling. She cleared her throat, squared her shoulders, and took a breath. ‘I knew Lady Harriet, Lady Bessborough and Lord Hartington when I was young, so I don’t really think of them in that way. It was lovely to spend some time with them because I have not seen them since their mother, the duchess, passed.’

He gave her a considering look but nodded. ‘I recall you are in London supporting your sister rather than being presented yourself?’

Eliza drew in a breath. Dear lord. It felt like the evening was full of bear traps. ‘Well, things have changed a little since we last spoke.’

‘In what way?’

She really didn’t know how to explain, so jumped right in, unable to dissemble. ‘Well, originally, I wasn’t going to be presented but then after the visit to Chiswick everyone thought I was going to be presented, so my family decided I should be presented.’ She paused as she ran out of breath. ‘Does that make sense? It’s terribly exciting, even if my court dress looks like a sailboat.’

Lieutenant Colonel Ellice’s eyes widened. Then that small smile spread into what looked suspiciously like a grin. He looked lost for words, but he gathered himself. ‘I see.’ He nodded in a way that suggested he didn’t, but Eliza didn’t hold it against him. It was complicated.

‘I should like to see the sailboat.’

She sighed. ‘It is truly awful.’

He was still smiling when it struck her that, really, she should not be quite so gushing. Not in London. Especially not with a gentleman. She sighed again.

‘As you may have gathered, I’m rather excited about it,’ she said. ‘That’s probably a deeply unfashionable thing to say, and I should probably have told you in a bored drawl what a chore it would be. But there it is.’

His lips definitely twitched again, as though he tried to hide the smile, but couldn’t. ‘Terribly unfashionable. In fact, you should practise your bored drawl before the season starts.’

Her smile widened, and she laughed. ‘I should, shouldn’t I?’ She cleared her throat and affected a pose, and waved a languid hand.

‘I shall be in London for the season, though truth told, tis a terrible chore.’

He nodded. ‘Much better.’

They smiled at each other for a moment before Eliza cleared her throat and tried to think of something to say.