“I-I – must – explain.”
“I have to see you,” the Earl said in a low voice, “and, as you say, you have a great deal of explaining to do.”
“I – know.”
“Where can I meet you alone?”
She tried to think coherently of a place where they could talk without being overheard.
As if the Earl understood her difficulty, he suggested,
“I shall be riding in Hyde Park early tomorrow morning and will be at the Achilles statue at seven o’clock.”
Ilouka had only just heard the words before her mother was at her side, saying,
“I want you, dearest, to meet the French Ambassador and his wife.”
“Yes, of course, Mama.”
“And I must now return to my duties,” the Earl remarked. “Goodnight, Lady Armstrong. Goodnight, Miss Compton.”
He bowed somewhat formally and moved away towards a group of foreign Royalt
