There was no sound from downstairs and, although she longed to know what was happening, she knew that she must wait patiently.
The Duke would give her what she described to herself as an ‘all clear.’
She kept looking at herself in the mirror to make quite sure that at the last moment her uncle would still not be able to recognise her. If he did, she could not imagine what would happen.
‘I must keep exceedingly calm and not get excited or frightened,’ Silva admonished herself.
She remembered that she had told the Duke that she would give Natalie some soothing herbs.
‘That is what I need for myself now,’ she thought, ‘if only I had them.’
Then she jumped as there was a knock on the door.
“What is it?” she asked.
“His Grace asked I to tell you that everythin’ be as you requested, Miss
