When Jessamy finally had retrieved a glass of lemonade, he made his way back to the window. As he approached, he halted, surprised to see Miss Bellingham and Miss Leighton in what looked to be a heated argument. His natural curiosity to discover the reason for such an exchange caused him to inch slowly closer until he was within hearing distance. Both females remained unware of his presence.

"You poor little girl!" Miss Bellingham was saying, the sickly sweetness in her voice belying the anger in her eyes. "Are you so in want of attention that you must make up lies?"

"I'm not a liar, though I doubt you could tell the difference," said Cassandra, her hands balled into fists at her sides. "My family is much more acquainted with Lord Alverstoke than yours is, so why should you doubt it when I tell you that Jessamy is not heir to a fortune or a dukedom or whatever you seem to think he is?"

"You're lying because you're an envious, spiteful little beast!" replied Saphirra, losing some of her dignity. "You think you're thick as thieves with him and can't bear to see him pay attention to anyone else!"

"Pooh!" uttered Cassandra in a quite childlike manner, now folding her arms across her chest and tossing a stray lock of hair. "I wouldn't mind him liking you at all if I didn't know you to be a heartless, selfish fortune-hunter who would flirt with a madman if you thought he had a diamond necklace to give you!"

"You just can't bear that men like me more than they like you!" Saphirra's face was now quite red and Jessamy, standing quietly by, was privileged to observe that anger did not render Miss Bellingham more beautiful. "It's not my fault if nobody wants to dance with a plain, dull squib of a girl who can only talk of Latin verbs and such boring stuff! Of course Mr. Merriville prefers me! Anyone would!"

"Miss Bellingham, Miss Leighton." Jessamy felt that he had heard enough, and if the girls raised their voices any louder they would soon gain the attention of the entire room.

Both girls froze as they saw him. Miss Bellingham instantly contorted her features into a welcoming smile; Cassandra went pale and took a step back, but held her somewhat aggressive stance as if in defiance of all the world's Saphirra Bellinghams.

"Mr. Merriville," gushed Saphirra, "you have brought me my lemonade! How very kind! Do let us have a comfortable cose together as we cool off by this window. I daresay Miss Leighton's mother is looking for her."

"I beg your pardon, but I'm not at all heated," said Jessamy as he handed her the glass. "Perhaps you had better cool off by yourself. Miss Leighton, I believe the music is striking up again, and I would be honored if you would dance this next with me."

He did not give Cassandra time to reply, but bowed stiffly to the shocked Miss Bellingham, took Miss Leighton by the arm, and purposefully dragged her away to the dance floor.

Cassandra was content to dance in silence, though she had much to say, for two reasons. Firstly, she could see that Jessamy was too angry to be ready to discuss what he had overheard. And secondly, and perhaps more importantly, she must be far too intent on minding her steps to be capable of engaging in conversation.

When the music stopped, she took the hand he held out to her and followed him to a couple of chairs not occupied. She saw with relief that while his jaw was still somewhat set, his features were overall more relaxed and less menacing.

"Jessamy," she started cautiously, "I don't know how much you overheard, but I am indeed very sorry you had to hear such things. I had no notion you were nearby, and I ought to have guarded my tongue more carefully in any case… Mama says I have a dreadful temper sometimes."

He stared at her. "You think that you of all people need to apologize?"

"Well, yes, for it was none of my business to tell Saphirra what I thought of how she was treating you," said Cassandra earnestly. "I know you are not stupid, and would find out for yourself how she is, but it was not my place to interfere. Only when I heard Lord Alverstoke saying she probably thought you were coming into a fortune, it just occurred to me that if I disillusioned her, I could see whether or not her interest in you was real, and of course if it was I would have left it all alone, and I didn't know she would start ripping up at me, although I should have guessed that she would, because she's a spiteful cat, and – oh, dear, there I go again. I'm just rambling now."

"Well, since you were quite right," said Jessamy after a pause, "I cannot judge you for losing your temper. I certainly lost mine, though perhaps not so – er- volubly as you did."

Cassandra giggled. "How well you put things, Jessamy! You cut her in such a way that served her ten times as well as my insults! Then you are not angry with me?"

"Of course not," he said warmly, pressing her hand briefly. "You are the best of good friends, Cass, and have helped me back to my senses. Should you like to borrow my Greek grammar from last term?"

Upon return their return to Alver, Jessamy yawned and excused himself directly to bed. The house was quiet as Lord Alverstoke poked at the fire in his wife's special sitting room that adjoined their bedchamber and watched Frederica throw herself onto a sofa.

"Tired, Frederica?" he enquired.

"Exhausted! So much so I've not the will to brush my hair or unlace my stays, or anything of that nature. I told Harris to take the night off so I daresay I'll end up sleeping in this very gown."

"I'd be more than happy to help you with anything you require," said his lordship courteously as he made his way to the sofa.

"Very well, my lord, you may start taking these pins out of my hair, for one thing."

Several minutes later the marquis was brushing his lady's hair in a most satisfactory manner as she related to him her opinion of the evening's events.

"I'm not sure quite what Cassandra said to Saphirra Bellingham and what Jessamy must have heard," she said, "but he didn't look twice at her again for the rest of the evening! The brat was practically fuming, Vernon! And glaring daggers at Cassandra any chance she got! How on earth did Cassandra manage such a thing? In one night Jessamy went from being deep in love to practically slighting the beauty at every turn!"

"I too was struck by Miss Leighton's evident ability to expose the beauty's true heart," said his lordship. "She is indeed a redoubtable girl, on her way to becoming a redoubtable woman. Perhaps she will not be so pretty as her mother, but is like to be worth a dozen of her. I do like a managing woman."

"What a bouncer!" said his wife, laughing. "You may like me well enough, but I can think of at least a dozen managing women whom you detest! Your sister Augusta, for example."

"I should not dare to detest Augusta. I may avoid her presence at all costs, but I hold her powers in the highest respect. As I hold Miss Leighton's. Do you still hold to your original plan of creating a match between her and Felix? I have no objection to her marrying either one of the boys, but I should say after tonight's performance that she seems to be peculiarly well-suited to Jessamy."

"I never said anything about arranging a match between Miss Leighton and anybody," said Frederica primly. "She is far too young to be thinking of such a thing, as are both Jessamy and Felix. Now, you have done very well, but I think you must allow me to do the braiding. How quiet Meg is tonight!"

"Yes, she is, isn't she? How odd. And the housekeeper said she hadn't heard a peep from the nursery all evening."

At that moment there was a rap on the door and they heard Jessamy calling to ask if he might enter. Alverstoke opened the door to let his brother-in-law in.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but it has just occurred to me how quiet Meg is and I'm worried, and thought I ought to tell you…" he said in a rush, a crease between his brows.

"Tell us what, my dear?" asked Frederica in some concern.

"Felix was experimenting to find some way of making Meg sleep better, and –" but here he broke off because both the marquis and his bride were already rushing down the hall towards the nursery, and he hastened to follow them.

The baby was indeed sleeping soundly but there was no sign that anything might be amiss with her. Nurse, who had woken up at the loud entrance of three persons into her domain, said that Baby had fussed a bit upon being laid down, but had gone straight to sleep after chewing for several minutes on her coral beads.

"The beads!" exclaimed Jessamy, grabbing at the string of coral that lay now not a foot from little Lady Margaret's head. "Felix wanted to 'fix' them, he said."

Alverstoke took the beads from Jessamy and fingered them carefully. Seeing nothing unusual, he raised them to his nose and took a good sniff. He paused and grimaced.

"They reek of spirits," he said slowly. "Strong spirits. Pure whisky, I should think."

Jessamy gaped, and Frederica looked as if she didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. Alverstoke walked to the door and yelled as loudly as he could:

"Felix!"