He had asked if he could join them and he had arranged for his own carriage to follow them to Belgrave Square.
The Duchess had seemed slightly surprised, but she had, of course, agreed.
When the carriage started off from Marlborough House, she asked,
“Are you making up for having neglected us all day, Hue? I thought you were having luncheon with us.”
“I wanted to,” the Earl replied, “but, as you might have guessed, I was at the War Office and then at the Foreign Office.”
He paused to clear his throat before he went on,
“If you want the truth, I am tired of answering questions that the ‘powers that be’ should know without my having to tell them.”
The Duchess laughed.
“Such is fame! And you know you would be furious if they did not consult you!”
“That is true,” the Earl admitted, “b
