"Something profound, Miss Savarol?"
"No, actually, my thoughts and observations were quite boring."
"I said, my dear, that Lyonel has agreed to call you Diana. And you, my love, will call him Lyonel."
"It's a rather silly name."
"I shouldn't say that, Diana. Your namesake was, after all, the goddess of hunting, and, I might add, the goddess of virginity."
"That is not what I meant!"
"Can you claim prowess or, er, ownership, to either quality?"
"Lyonel!"
"Sorry, Lucia."
"I certainly shouldn't call you the king of the jungle."
"That would depend on the jungle, would it not? Now, for example, if you were to examine the social jungle, you might discover that I make my way well enough ---"
"It seems that Charlotte brought you down."
"Diana!" Lucia exclaimed.
There was no flash of white teeth this time. She heard him suck in his breath. "May I thank you, Lucia, for this?"
"No, well, perhaps, my boy. Diana, your memory for names is most unfortunate. You will contrive to forget that one in particular."
"But who is she? Was she the debacle of two months ago? Did she turn you down?"
"That, you nosy chit, is none of your damned business. Thank God, we've arrived."
Because they were somewhat late, the line of carriages was not an excessive problem, and they were climbing the steps to the receiving line within ten minutes.
Lucia felt Diana's hand clutch at her sleeve. "It will be all right, my dear. Just be yourself. You are lovely and ---"
>
"Be yourself, but keep your mouth shut."
Lady Bellermain, as awesome as the flagship in Macklin's fleet, greeted both Lucia and Lyonel with pleasure. "Such a joy to see you again, my lord. And who is this?"
"My grand-niece, Miss Diana Savarol, Belinda. Make your curtsy, my dear."
"Lovely. She is staying with you for the Season, Lucia?"
"Yes, indeed."
Lyonel said as they strolled away, "I suppose that Lord Bellermain is already in the card room?"
"Probably, the old fool," said Lucia with a snort. "It's fortunate that he's lucky, else he would have lost his fortune by the age of twenty."
They entered the ballroom and Diana felt a moment of sheer terror. She had never seen so many superb-looking people in all her life. All of them strangers. So much laughter and gaiety, and a fountain of champagne, she saw. A real fountain! And the jewels. And the very low-cut gowns on the ladies.
"Some of them even dampen their petticoats," said Lyonel in her ear. "Again, an example of ladies flaunting the endowments for the masculine eyes. See that lady? That is Lady Caroline Lamb. She looks positively naked, does she not?"
"Lyonel!"