I felt the heat rush up my face. Trying to deflect my wish that it were so, I said, “All those years ago? You make us sound ancient.”

“You ladies look lovely,” Sir Henry said as he came up behind Lady Peters. Thus began a round of mutual congratulations on our outfits that ended with us agreeing Phyllida would be the loveliest lady at the ball.

“Where are Lady Bennett and Baron von Steubfeld?” I asked as soon as I could steer the conversation in another direction.

“They’re in Lord Harwin’s study with him and a guest from Whitehall. Apparently there’s supposed to be a bit of diplomacy carried out this weekend, away from London and all the usual formalities,” Sir Henry said.

“I’ve heard the baron carries a message for Her Majesty,” Lady Peters added.

“Then we’re in exalted company this weekend,” Lady Phyllida said as we all stared at the closed doorway that stood between the parlor and the study.

At that moment, the door opened. Lady Harwin, seeing that as her cue, told us to line up to go into dinner. She was escorted in by the duke, who sat next to her. I found myself near the middle of a very long table between a friend of the Harwins’ son who was visiting from Oxford and an elderly barrister who’d been invited to even the numbers. Both men seemed interested only in eating and looking down my bodice.

In the long pauses between conversations, I was able to look out the windows into the sunset-lit garden. No one wandered into my view. This was fortunate, because I had no idea what the rules of etiquette said about the proper way to leap up from a banquet and dash after a criminal carrying stolen warship designs. Neither, apparently, did the baron, because he stayed seated throughout dinner.

Dinner was tasty, but I ate sparingly, afraid that at any moment I’d be called into action. Later, I couldn’t recall a single dish served.

Somehow we managed to finish dinner without a hue and cry outdoors, and the guests for the ball began to arrive. Two of the first were Sir William Darby and Mr. Frederick Nobles.

With Phyllida trailing behind, I walked up to where they were handing over their top hats and canes. “Lady Phyllida, I’d like to introduce Sir William Darby and Mr. Frederick Nobles. I believe they’re friends of the duke’s,” I added quietly.

“I’m so pleased to meet you. I’ll be in the card room or the library during the ball, but if I have need of you, I’ll be sure to call upon you gentlemen,” Phyllida said quietly.

Merciful heavens. Phyllida was developing a taste for clandestine action. Perhaps she’d prefer a more active role in the Archivist Society.

“I would be honored to assist you,” Sir William said as he bowed over Phyllida’s hand. Then he looked at her and winked. Mr. Nobles bowed in the same manner, the edges of his mouth curling up under his mustache as he rose.

We headed into the ballroom at the back of the house. Blackford escorted Lady Harwin. “He’ll have to have the first waltz with her,” Phyllida whispered.

“I’d suspect there are any number of ladies he’ll need to partner,” I responded with what I hoped sounded like complete indifference.

She raised her eyebrows as she looked at me. I couldn’t fool Phyllida.

The first dance was a country dance I had never seen before and begged off. Phyllida walked off with some older attendees to the card room, and I began to circle the room. Lady Bennett and Baron von Steubfeld took part in the dance, and I saw no activity outside in the terrace, so I felt I could relax my guard.

Lady Peters came up to me. “You’re not dancing?”

“I didn’t think I should risk my ankle on anything but a waltz. And you?”

“Don’t tell anyone, but I find country dances tedious. You can’t carry on a decent conversation with anyone.”

“While you can have discussions on the edge of the room without a soul overhearing.”

“You’re never so alone as you are in a crowded ballroom,” Lady Peters agreed.

I looked at the lines of dancers. “Sir Henry seems to be enjoying himself.”

“Sir Henry enjoys himself everywhere.”

“I never learned the country dances. Did you?”

“Yes. It was always part of the harvest celebration.” Then she turned to look at me. “My parents liked to visit the countryside for the holidays. They found the city too somber.”

“That would be a nice tradition to pass on to your son.” I was waltzing around the topic I wanted to raise with her, not certain how to proceed.

“Did you and Mr. Monthalf have children?”

“No. Not being part of the aristocracy, failing to produce an heir didn’t matter.”

“Sir Henry told me what you admitted about your late husband. And how he made you search my room for the letter. You found it, didn’t you?” Amazingly, Rosamond Peters watched the dancers with a pleasant expression.

I copied her mild behavior so that no one who glanced our way would see anything but two ladies discussing trivial matters. “Neither Sir Henry nor I have possession of the letter. On that, I give you my word.”

“Not quite the same, but I’m content if Sir Henry doesn’t have it. He can be overbearing.”

I stopped myself from bursting out laughing. “Yes,” I managed to say quietly. I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “Why does Lady Bennett want the ship blueprints?”

“I don’t know. I’d give her the crown jewels if it would keep her quiet, for the sake of my child.”

As the dance came to an end, I glanced outside into the thickening darkness.

“Expecting someone?” Rosamond Peters asked.

“Vainly checking my appearance in the reflection.” I gave her a smile and turned my attention to the room, where bowing and curtsying and offers for the first waltz were being exchanged. Across the room I spotted my ersatz Sir Denby, Lord Porthollow. He didn’t seem to have noticed me.

Sir Henry came over, momentarily at a loss as to who to ask first. I excused myself, leaving the field to Lady Peters, and walked away. As I closed the distance to Lord Porthollow, I saw Lady Ormond approach him. She appeared to be lecturing him, and he appeared to be running.

He saw me and beamed. “A waltz, young lady?”

“Please.” We waltzed away from Lady Ormond at top speed. “What is she upset about?”

“She’s trying to force a match between her niece and Tewes’s older son. Quite blatant about it. I told her to leave the poor young people alone. They’d have to spend the rest of their lives suffering from their decision. She didn’t think I should have said that in front of the young people. I said someone should talk sense to them.” He glanced over his shoulder. “She’s been after me ever since. What have you learned?”

“Tonight perhaps we shall discover all.”

“Good luck.”

He left me on the far side of the dance floor and headed for the card room. Blackford waltzed with Lady Harwin. The baron waltzed with Lady Bennett. Sir Henry waltzed with Lady Peters. I circled the room until I bumped into Mr. Nobles. “Everything quiet?” I asked.

“Sir William is taking a turn in the garden. I’m minding the store in here.”

Sweeping the room with my eyes, I said, “With a lot of goods on the shelves.”

“Half a dozen peers, a few baronets, a churchman or two, plus their ladies, younger sons with the courtesy title of ‘lord,’ a few debutantes, and guests at neighboring houses.”

“Quite a lot of goods in this store you’re minding,” I amended.

“Would you care to dance? We can watch them from the dance floor as well as here.”

“Thank you.”

Frederick Nobles escorted me into the center of the room and led me in a sweeping waltz, his hand placed correctly on the small of my back above my waist. He was light on his feet, and I was hard-pressed to keep up. I struggled so much that I nearly missed Baron von Steubfeld and Lady Bennett leave the floor and make their way to the French doors leading to the terrace.