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‘That you will, my dear. There is nothing quite like one’s first season. You must enjoy everything. This will be my…’ She frowned and turned to Poodle as he passed. ‘Is this my fifth season, darling?’

Poodle rolled his eyes. ‘Seventh, beloved.’

Haryo arched an eyebrow at him. ‘Seventh season. Are you sure?’

‘Tis true, my love. Tis true.’

‘Has no-one offered for you?’ Eliza said, shocked at the notion. Haryo was beautiful, intelligent and kind. To say nothing of the fact that she was the daughter of a duke. ‘But… but you are so lovely and so awfully clever and kind.’

‘Bless you,’ Haryo said on a laugh. ‘Plenty of offers, but none that I wanted to accept.’

‘Ah, I see.’ Eliza nodded. That made more sense. ‘I spoke to Hart the other day, and he said you were avoiding suitors. I understand now.’

‘You know, you could help each other out this season,’ Poodle said, leaning closer.

‘Do tell, darling,’ Haryo said with a wicked waggle of her dark eyebrows.

‘Well, your family have started throwing men at your head again, and Miss Eliza would rather like a husband…’

Haryo nodded thoughtfully. ‘If I were to introduce them to my dear friend Eliza, they would be far more interested in her because she is so terribly pretty and charming… Of course! You are a genius, darling Poodle.’ She put her head on one side and gave Eliza a considering look. ‘Although your name has been mentioned next to Hart’s several times already.’

‘I know. It’s all rather silly.’

‘Darling, nothing is silly during the season,’ Poodle said with a laugh.

‘Well, I can’t imagine anyone who wanted to pay court to Haryo being interested in me instead. It’s a kind thought, but rather unlikely.’

‘Oh, bless you, Eliza. You are young, slender, and awfully pretty. Of course they’d want to know you better. I’m certain they would find you preferable to me.’

‘But… but you are beautiful. Clever too.’

Haryo looked startled for a moment but then tilted her head to one side and regarded Eliza with affection. ‘In my experience, my love, men are awfully willing to overlook one’s shortcomings if it means marrying into the duchy. However, the long and short of it is, I’m a bluestocking, love. Not only that, but I’m plump, I have small eyes, and men simply do not like clever women. At all. Take that as a word of caution! Never appear more intelligent than your companion. They don’t like it above much. True?’ She addressed this to Poodle, who gave a sad nod.

Eliza felt the blood rush to her cheeks and wanted to offer a spirited defence but had no idea what to respond. In the end, she offered the truth. It was all she had.

‘I think you may be doing yourself a disservice, Haryo. You are beautiful, your eyes are not at all small, and you are certainly not plump. You are gorgeous. And if a man cannot countenance intelligence in a woman, then one would not be interested in marrying them. Of that, I am sure. Such a person would not deserve you.’

Haryo pressed her fingers to her lips and looked quite emotional. She leaned over to kiss Eliza on the cheek. ‘My champion!’

‘If nothing else, you should have a great deal of fun this season,’ Poodle said, rubbing his hands together. ‘I, for one, cannot wait to see what happens!’

Chapter 25

ELIZA

London

The weeks before the presentation flew by, and Eliza stumbled along with them.

Mama was still angry, and this coloured all her involvement, which was done with a frosty sense of duty. Haryo had stepped in quietly, and was helping her to prepare, as since Hannah had her come out things had changed considerably, and Mama was fixed in the old way of doing things.

Since the King had stood away from his royal duties because of his illness, and the Prince Regent had stepped in, court life had changed rapidly and beyond anything that her mother might have experienced.

For Mama, her presentation was about solemnity, about duty, about being seen and being noticed. For the rest of the fashionable world, her presentation was more about being dashing, having the right patronage, the right invitations, everything had more… sparkle and energy. It was about being launched.

Even Hannah could see it.

After her final fitting of the court dress, and yet another frosty meeting with Mama, Eliza took herself away from the rest of the family to sit in one of the small parlours that was rarely used by the family. She had taken to using it to escape when things became too much. She had a chair by the window where she liked to look out over the square and see people coming and going. It was a lovely square. With only two days to go to her presentation, she needed a little time to herself.