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‘As a lonely child myself, I can appreciate how that could happen. But do you have any memories of where you lived?’

‘Just that it seemed a huge rather empty space; I was a small child and so many places seemed vast. It was in the country because I remember a garden with woods and a stream beyond. I enjoyed mimicking the speech of the chimney sweep and our servants which amused them and made them treat me as one of them. I realised very young that there were different ways of speaking for different occasions.’

Corinna nodded. ‘It’s a useful knack. Hence your ability to speak in ways befitting both Society and the circus people with whom you grew up.’

Eliza felt such relief at having told Corinna the truth as far as she knew it, but was anxious about what came next. She looked up and met Corinna’s concerned gaze. ‘I so regret my dishonesty, when you and your friends have been more than kind to me. But I wonder if you could help me one more time, to find work as a maid, perhaps in the house of one of your friends? I don’t want to have to go back to Prebbles Circus.’

Corinna was reminded poignantly of her own search for belonging and the deceits that this involved. She stood up to embrace Eliza. ‘My dear, the most important task is to find your family and your true home. I too was like you. Finding my father and understanding my past meant everything to me.’

Eliza was taken by surprise, her heart touched by Corinna’s reaction. With a break in her voice she said, ‘But I am a stranger to you. Why be so kind to someone who has deceived you?’

Corinna continued with her explanation. ‘I was helped by these three friends, Alick, Ferdy and Raven, who took me in when I had nothing, thinking me just a lad from the country, in need of help. They made all the difference to my life, and it makes me happy to repay some of their generosity by helping you.’

The burden of lies, the relief after days of anxiety and guilt overcame Eliza; in the face of such kindness, she put her hands to her face and cried. Corinna placed an arm round her shoulder and through gulping sobs, Eliza managed to say, ‘Thank you, thank you. But I feel I must do something to repay you in return.’

‘You are going to sit for your portrait. That is a treat for me. And I very much look forward to your accompanying us to the Bassett ball. Everyone who is anyone will be there, and who knows what strange things may come our way?’

That evening Eliza sat down to write to Rose Bowman, her only friend, and tell her she was safe. She ended with a greeting for Percy. ‘Hug his neck for me and whisper in his ear that I will never forget him.’

3

LEARNING TO BE A LADY

The Wolfe household was a hive of activity when Eliza returned from her morning ride. Zadoc Flynn was already in the breakfast room laughing with Alick about a report in The Sporting Magazine of a duel fought by two ‘Gentlemen from New York’ who continued to shoot at each other and miss until a Mr Bartout, known to Mr Flynn, was finally wounded in the calf and limped away. Still chuckling at the idiocies of life, both looked up as Eliza entered. They sprang to their feet. ‘Good morning, Miss Eliza,’ Alick said, pulling out a chair for her.

Zadoc looked at her quizzically. ‘I’d like to join you on a ride tomorrow. Would you be agreeable to showing me the Park?’

Eliza answered with a smile, ‘Of course. I meet Taz, Lord Purfoy’s groom, at seven in the morning, if it’s not too early for you?’

Alick said, ‘I think I can find you a sturdy hunter. Purfoy’s horses are high-bred beasts, perhaps too light for you.’

Eliza realised she had to change out of her riding habit before she could join them for breakfast, so bobbed a quick curtsey and dashed up the stairs to slip into a morning dress of spotted grey muslin. She attempted to make her mass of fair hair look a little neater. How much easier it was when she could just plait it as she did at the circus when not performing. Confecting even a simple coiffure demanded three hands to deal with the quantity of unruly hair that wanted to spring out into waves and tendrils.

Returned to the breakfast room, she sat down with a cup of coffee just as Corinna entered with Emma on her hip. ‘Now don’t forget, Miss Eliza and Mr Flynn will be needed for dancing lessons later this morning when I’ve booked Mrs Wilson’s services.’ Eliza cast a doubtful glance at Mr Flynn. She had forgotten that Corinna was set on taking her and their new American visitor to the Bassett ball, and had determined that both her unexpected guests would be able to acquit themselves well in the best society.

Gibbons then announced the arrival of Lord Purfoy. Their neighbour strode into the room, as immaculately accoutred as ever. Alick hailed him with a chuckle. ‘Rav! This is far too early for you. Are you well, old friend?’

It was true that his lordship’s day rarely began before noon but the comfortable patterns of his life had been unexpectedly disturbed by the dramatic arrival of Eliza, then disconcerted further by this uncouth intruder from America who unaccountably irritated him. He could not remain luxuriating in bed, taking a few hours over his toilette, catching up on the news from The Times and his domestic correspondence while he knew that next door, this hog-jowled American was holding court with his coloured-up tales of travel and derring-do.

Overhearing Corinna’s plan for the dancing classes made him bridle; this man was over-familiar and the idea of him dancing with Corinna, or Eliza, made an unwelcome curl of unease rise in his breast. Raven Purfoy did not care for this feeling and could not fathom the reason; neither of these women were his responsibility except that he’d almost killed one and once had his heart touched by the other.

‘I’m no company for anyone until I’ve had some coffee,’ he murmured, catching Corinna’s eye.

She laughed. ‘I was about to hand Emma to you while I poured you a cup but then I remembered that when it comes to infants, you’re more of a Herod than a St Nicholas.’

Purfoy gave her a sly smile as he subsided into a chair. ‘It’s a mercy I didn’t ask you to marry me, Cory. You’ve proved far too keen on maternity for my taste.’ Alick had taken his daughter from his wife and went in search of the child’s nurse, while Corinna poured out second cups of coffee for her guests. Raven looked round the room and greeted everyone with an incline of his head. ‘All we need now is Ferdy to walk through that door and the old band of bucks will be together again. Those were the days, before Alick was domesticated.’

Corinna passed him an almond biscuit. ‘Hush, Rav. You and Ferdy one day will also marry and become better men because of it!’

Eliza had been listening to this banter and, try as she might, she could not prevent her own heart from beating a little faster. From the moment she had first seen Lord Purfoy, as she lay bleeding on the roadside, she had thought him beautiful in the same way her horse Percy was beautiful, with his haughty, aristocratic head. She loved their habit of command, their natural arrogance and nobility and grace, although Percy never narrowed his lustrous eyes in the sly way Lord Purfoy did. But Eliza was not entirely certain Percy wouldn’t get cranky and give her a warning bite, and she sensed a similar unpredictability in this high-bred human. She knew she would have to tell him the truth of her life as far as she knew it. And she was certain he would then disdain her for her dishonour in deceiving him – in deceiving them all.

Just at that moment, Mr Shilton was announced by Gibbons and the room was immediately sunnier with his arrival in an expensively tailored sea-green coat and buttercup-yellow pantaloons, appearing as cheerful as a daffodil. Zadoc Flynn looked up from The Sporting Magazine and rose to his feet to greet both the men who had joined the party. ‘I find I could easily become accustomed to this leisured way of life.’

Ferdy Shilton’s face was merry. ‘We know no other. No English gentleman worth his name would dream of being industrious. Against our code, don’t you know? Just consider Lord Byron; he refuses all pecuniary gain for those books of poetry sold in their thousands, much to his publisher’s delight.’

‘Well, I’m no English gentleman then.’

Raven Purfoy gave a slow smile. ‘You do things differently in the colonies.’