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sons of housekeepers.”
    “I expect they are,” I said. “But could you sit down? You’re making my neck ache, trying to look at you from this angle.”
    He sighed, then returned to his chair. “All right, Sophia. What do you want?”
    “Well,” I said. “Firstly, I’m not sure that your job with Mr. Grenville is quite right for someone of your talents. I was thinking that, with your legal knowledge, you might consider becoming Montmaray’s new Lord Chancellor. Or perhaps our Ambassador—but I think Lord Chancellor has a nicer ring to it, don’t you?”
    He nodded slowly, his dark gaze searching my face. “I think it does.”
    “And Aunt Charlotte’s been complaining about how useless her secretary is, so perhaps you could do something about that,” I went on. “I’m sure you’d have no trouble making yourself indispensable to her. You could live here or at Montmaray House in London—we’ll be moving there ourselves for the Season.” I paused. “Does all this sound sensible to you?”
    “Very,” he said. “Go on.”
    “That’s about it,” I admitted. “Did you have some other ideas?”
    “Aren’t you supposed to forbid me from ever being alone with your brother?”
    “Would there be any point?”
    “Not really,” he said. “I could try to stay away from Toby, but I can’t vouch for his actions. He’s very stubborn. It seems to be a FitzOsborne trait.”
    We smiled at each other in a moment of perfect, mutual understanding.
    “Anyway,” I added, “it would make Toby sad, and we’ve already got enough to be sad about. But I do wish you’d encourage him to study a bit more, Simon. And try to persuade him that Oxford is a good idea. It’ll make Aunt Charlotte happy.”
    “And we do want to keep the Princess Royal happy,” he said.
    “I think it would be wise,” I agreed. “I hate it when people quarrel, don’t you? Especially when they’re all family.” I stood and held out my hand for him to shake. He rose, captured my hand in his—and then lifted mine to his lips. I jerked my hand back, a couple of seconds too late, and gaped at him.
    “It’s been a most …  enlightening conversation, Sophia,” he said with his half smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must have a word with Toby before dinner.”
    I ought to have accompanied Simon, but instead, I fell back into my chair the moment he left the room. I found I was trembling. It had been a nerve-racking and exhausting confrontation—but also rather thrilling. And the back of my hand still felt the press of Simon’s lips, brief though it had been. Not that I gave any thought to that as I gathered myself together and went upstairs to dress for dinner.
    “I didn’t know you had it in you, Soph,” said Toby as he, Veronica, and I sat in the Velvet Drawing Room later that evening—Simon having been summoned to the library for a “little chat” with Aunt Charlotte. “When did you become so scheming ?”
    “It’s a fairly recent development,” I said.
    “Simon called you ‘Machiavelli disguised as a debutante.’ ”
    “Gosh,” I said, not sure whether to feel flattered or insulted.
    “What are you talking about?” asked Veronica, glancing up from her newspaper. It was the first time she’d dined downstairs since we’d arrived, and she looked extremely elegant in her black jersey dress, with her hair piled on top of her head—although I noticed she’d acquired a smudge of newspaper ink along one high cheekbone. I leaned over and wiped it off with my thumb.
    “Sophie has persuaded Simon to drop his claim to the throne,” Toby explained.
    “Really?” said Veronica, astonished enough to let half of The Times flutter to the floor. “How did you manage that ?”
    “I simply reminded him of the importance of family loyalty,” I said.
    “And offered him the Lord Chancellorship instead,” Toby added.
    We braced ourselves for Veronica’s explosion, but she merely stared at me a moment, then returned to