Page 62 of Henrietta

‘Come along,’ the lady bade Trixie imperiously.

‘Are you truly allowing this lady to abduct me?’ Trixie demanded incredulously of the Captain.

The Captain gave a sulky sort of shrug – one that Trixie discovered to be deeply unattractive to her.

‘Oh, hush,’ the lady said. ‘I am persuaded you cannot be enjoying this.’

She swept Trixie forcibly up and ushered her away. ‘Is your mask tied securely? You do not wish anyone to guess at your identity.’

‘I do not see how that is any of your business!’

‘My dear girl, I am trying to do you a favour.’

They had re-entered the ballroom, the lady walking at such a fast clip that Trixie was struggling to keep up.

‘I did not ask you to do so!’ Trixie drew to a halt. ‘In fact, I would like you to go away, now!’

The lady was just raising her eyes to the heavens, wondering whether her guilt at having in some way caused this situation would extend so far as to physically drag this flibbertigibbet from the premises. Fortunately, she did not have long to ponder the question, for salvation arrived at that very moment:

‘There you are!’ Trixie wheeled about, ready to rebuff this fresh newcomer in the strongest of terms – until she recognised the voice berating her: ‘You tiresome toad, I could wring your neck!’

Trixie beamed. ‘Timothy! Hetty! Oh, I am so glad to see you!’

Her greeting threw Timothy off his balance. ‘You – Are you?’

‘Yes indeed. I think this lady is trying to abduct me. I have not the faintest idea who she even is!’

But Hetty, whose eyes were lingering on the lady’s hair, a copper red that surely no dye or wig could achieve, felt she had a fairly good idea of who was under the mask.

‘And here I thought I was rescuing you,’ Mrs Ridley said rather acerbically. Drawing Miss Clithero a little aside, she told her, in a low voice: ‘I came across the young lady in the company of Captain Edgewood—’

She had not been quiet enough. ‘Captain Edgewood?’ Timothy expostulated. ‘Trixie! Arthur forbade you! You were forbaden!’

‘It’s forbidden,’ Trixie corrected irritably. ‘May we go now? Did you come in the carriage?’

Timothy regarded her incredulously. ‘May we – Why do you think we are here, if not to drag you from the premises?’

‘Oh, there is no need to drag me,’ Trixie assured him. ‘I will come – I did not like it half as much as I thought, and indeed there are a great many ladies here who I think’ – she lowered her voice – ‘might be “bits of muslin”. Is that the phrase, Hetty? Well, that was exciting for a while, of course, but not for a whole evening, so I thought perhaps I should rather come to Almack’s, after all. Shall we go there now?’

‘You are the most – the absolute – Why, of all the worst tricks – and us here on some wild-goose chase after every lady in a French hood—’

‘I shall leave you now.’ Now that she was no longer responsible for her, Mrs Ridley could feel amused rather than frustrated by these antics. ‘Goodnight.’

‘Thank you’, Hetty said, ‘for bringing her away.’

Mrs Ridley inclined her head, and then departed. Timothy, meanwhile, was attempting to grasp Trixie’s arm.

‘I am coming!’

‘And why should I take your word for it?’

‘I have admitted I did wrong, have I not?’ Trixie was indignant. ‘I must say, it is not kind of you to refuse my apology.’

Hetty chivvied them along. ‘Let us not discuss it here.’

‘The most damnable escapade!’

‘Oh, pooh!’ Trixie scoffed. ‘I was never in any danger.’ Even through the hubbub all about them, the high, clear notes of Trixie’s voice cut through the noise. Hetty noticed a few heads turn curiously in her direction.