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Lizzie broke him off with a sharp laugh. “He’s a thief, Uncle. If you have invested heavily in him, then I feel sorry for you. Such a course of action will surely end in disaster. The one on the road to ruin is you, not I.” She gave him one last truly pitying look and then turned on her heel.

“Wait!” he called after her hoarsely, but Lizzie did not attend. She hurried straight out of the tea tent with Sebastian on her heels and collided straight into a figure lingering in the entrance.

Lizzie was already apologizing when she realized it was Daphne loitering there. “Are you spying on me again?” she demanded with sudden suspicion. Daphne bridled, looked as though she would deny it for a moment, but then seemed to suffer a change of heart.

“What if I am?” she challenged. “Someone needs to keep an eye on what you’re up to! I saw you sneaking off with yet another man! The Toomes’ may think you’re something special, but I knows better!” she sneered, plunking her hands on her hips.

Lizzie regarded her with exasperation. “I haven’t got time for this right now, Daphne,” she said, glancing over her shoulder to make sure her uncle wasn’t about to appear. She started to move away, but Daphne kept apace with her.

“So, who was he, then? Your latest fancy man?”

Lizzie ignored her, her brain teeming with the information her uncle had just imparted. Apparently, she had been wrong in thinking Benedict had lied about having money and a house to secure Betsy’s hand in marriage. Uncle Josiah said he had seen deeds and accounts. Had they been falsified? Or was it possible Benedict had a secret life he had not told her of, one where he did not live in a wagon touring from fair to fair?

Lizzie’s mind reeled. Daphne buzzed on the edge of her thoughts like an annoying fly, flinging accusations and suspicions at her. Sebastian’s ears were stood up, and he looked alert and watchful as he gazed between the two women. They had crossed the field and were entering the campsite now. Lizzie swung around and faced Daphne squarely.

“I should probably tell you that I’ve written to Maggie and told her the truth.”

Daphne’s haranguing abruptly stopped. “What did you say?” she demanded shrilly.

“I told her that Frank’s father and grandmother lied and that he had not betrayed her.”

Daphne forced a leer onto her face, though it was clear she was shaken. “That’s what you say, but I knows different.”

“I don’t think so. I don’t suppose he’s looked twice at you,” Lizzie retorted.

A furious look passed over the other woman’s face, and she surged forward with a vengeful screech, bowling Lizzie clean off her feet. “You rotten, interfering little bitch!”

Lizzie lay a moment, stunned and winded. No sooner had Daphne dropped her full weight on top of her than she landed a wild punch to Lizzie’s face.

White exploded in Lizzie’s face, and she realized she had been punched in her left eye. Abruptly, Daphne gave a horrible gurgling scream as something barreled into her in a blur of dark fur, knocking her off Lizzie.

Lizzie struggled to her knees. “Sebastian!” she croaked, crawling over to where Daphne lay still and limp as a rag doll. Sebastian’s eyes rolled, showing his whites, his great jaws clamped about Daphne’s neck.

“Oh my God!” Lizzie cried in a shaken voice. Then her blurry vision cleared, and she saw Daphne’s terrified expression and realized she was still alive. “Release her, Sebastian. At once!” She had to get a hand to Sebastian’s collar before he would draw back and even then it was with a show of resistance. “Back, Sebastian!” She shoved the animal behind her, and he made a disgruntled noise in his throat.

Lizzie wrenched the flimsy scarf from Daphne’s neck to check what she was sure would be a horribly mangled throat, but to her relief the skin was unpunctured.

Daphne’s terrified eyes gazed up at her. “Am I done for?” she choked out. “I can feel my life’s blood trickling down me neck!”

“That’s drool,” Lizzie explained, extracting her handkerchief from her sleeve. “He drooled all over you but has not drawn any blood.” She mopped at Daphne’s neck and showed her. “See?”

Reassured, Daphne burst promptly into tears. “’E’s dangerous, that brute!”

“Keep your voice down. He might take it into his head to tear your throat out next time.”

Daphne’s eyes widened and she put a hand to her neck with a gasp.

“You should not have attacked me,” Lizzie said severely, and for the first time she felt the throb of her own eye. “You punched me in the face,” she said incredulously.

Daphne sniffed. “Well, you’ve gone and properly queered me pitch, so I’d say we was even.”

Lizzie flopped down beside her and felt around her eye. It already felt slightly puffy. She gave a groan. “What am I going to tell Benedict?”

“Never mind that,” Daphne sniffed. “Who’s going to take over my duties?” she demanded. “You? The only man you’ve ever enticed is Benedict Toomes! Going to pick up all my cooking and cleaning after the Toomes menfolk and caring of the old gal, are you?” She snorted.

“Certainly not, I have my own man to take care of,” Lizzie answered coolly. “As for Ma, she’s cleared out.”

Daphne’s mouth dropped open. “What?” she squawked.