Anthea drew in her breath, but, because there seemed to be nothing more she could say, she picked up her handkerchief from where she had laid it on the side of the piano and, without looking at the Marquis, left the stage by the small door that she had used to climb up to the Minstrels’ Gallery.
Then because she was frightened, frightened of the Marquis and frightened too of how angry Harry would be when he knew, she ran as quickly as she could down the long corridor that led to the hall and to the drawing room, which opened out of it.
As she entered the room, it was empty except for two footmen arranging gaming tables at the far end and she saw that the piano had been placed in an alcove in front of one of the bow windows that looked out onto the Rose Garden.
It had been set sideways a
