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Henry to the quiet conversation Julius was having with Miss Merton.
    Mr. King had already annoyed Julius by his perceptiveness. He had the look of a man interested in everything going on around him, and his answers about his origins had been as vague as he could get away with. Mr. King was definitely following everything going on in the room, including the apparently innocuous discussion between Julius and Miss Merton.
    He nodded to Mrs. Merton. “It was my pleasure to be of service, ma’am. I could hardly leave a gently nurtured young lady to the terrors of the night.”
    He glanced at Miss Merton when she made a noise that sounded deliciously like scoffing.
    “Indeed I have much to thank you for, sir,” she said, her dancing eyes belying her prim tone.
    “I would be happy to oblige you any time,” he answered in the same tone.
    They were getting perilously close to flirting. Julius loved a woman who could flirt charmingly.
    Fortune favored him toward the end of the half-hour, when he should have, by the rules of good behavior, taken his leave. Apparently convinced that although he worked for a living, Julius could behave like a gentleman, Sir Henry cleared his throat portentously before announcing, “If you are in the neighborhood for a time, Mr. Vernon, you might wish to consider attending my little evening’s entertainment. I hold a gathering every year, and I would be pleased to send you an invitation.”
    Julius smiled. “It sounds utterly delightful, sir. If you are sure I won’t put out your numbers?”
    “No, sir, I am inviting half the county.”
    “I would be delighted, if I’m still in this part of the world.”
    Sir Henry nodded graciously and picked up his tea-dish, taking a refreshing slurp. He replaced it carefully in its saucer before he spoke again. “Maybe you can prevail on his lordship to accompany you.”
    So that was why Sir Henry had invited him. “Her ladyship has not been in the best of health, but I will certainly mention the affair to his lordship when I see him.”
    It was time to take his leave. Julius got to his feet, automatically shaking out his coat skirts, although they were not nearly as voluminous as the ones he usually preferred. Cuffs were still monstrous and decorated with rows of buttons. The ones on this coat were plain brass but well-polished. He wore plain linen ruffles at the ends of his sleeves instead of his usual fine lace, and his neckcloth was similarly unadorned with lace. He trusted it was still well tied, though. He was not entirely without pride in his appearance.
    He bowed, first to the older lady and then to Miss Merton, holding himself back from his usual elegance. In any case, there was not enough space in this room. “Thank you so much for your hospitality. It was good to find you recovered, Miss Merton, although I have yet to see you walk enough to satisfy me you are completely over your ordeal.”
    As he’d hoped, she got to her feet immediately. “In that case, I will see you to the door, Mr. Vernon. You may observe my gait and satisfy yourself that I am completely recovered.”
    With the beady stare of Mr. King fixed on them, she took Julius’s arm, and they left the room together.
    Outside, in the small but neat hall, surprisingly servantless, he clapped his hat on his head. “I am still not entirely happy,” he said. “If you are walking in the village anytime soon, I can assure myself of your health.”
    Her laughter was a totally enchanting gurgle, low in her throat. “I often take my mother’s dog for a constitutional walk before dinner. He’s an old spaniel, so I have to take my time.”
    He enjoyed her swift acceptance of his delicate invitation. Her lovely face lit up when he spoke to her, her appreciation of him flattering, although he could not accept he was the only result.
    Walking across the green back to the inn, Julius tucked his hands behind his back and cursed himself for an arrant fool. He had fallen in lust once before in