At one of Evelina’s pauses, Juliet said, “Now Mama, you must hear our adventure. We met the most dashing highwayman.” In a few breathless sentences she recounted the episode. “And it’s all a disguise because he gave me his card, and he’s the son of a peer.”

“What?” said Evalina. “A titled highwayman?”

“Well, look at the card, Mama.” Juliet held out the card and Evelina reached for a pair of reading spectacles.

“Francis William Arden, Marquess of Warne,” she read. “Warne? You cannot have met Warne, for I saw him tonight at the ball, and heard the most intriguing on dit—”

“Not the marquess, Mama,” interrupted Juliet. “Our highwayman was quite a young man. You must read the handwritten note.”

“’With my father’s compliments’,” she read. “Well, what does that mean?”

“It means,” said Juliet patiently, “that the highwayman is Lord Warne’s son. It is romantic beyond anything. I wonder why he must go in disguise holding up coaches on the heath?”

Susannah thought the name Warne familiar and tried to recall where she might have heard it. If the highwayman was truly a young lord, perhaps he had been acting on a wager. She accepted the card Juliet now thrust in her hands. Its message was written in a neat schoolboy hand by someone who had mended his pen well.

A new thought occurred to Susannah.

“You know, Juliet, a marquess or any father may have several sons, and, of course, all cannot inherit equal wealth. Perhaps our highwayman is a younger son.”

“But my dears,” said Lady Lacy. “Lord Warne is not married. He has no sons at all.”

Susannah and Juliet both stared.

“But he must have, Mama. Our highwayman was a gentleman.”

Evelina shook her head. “I’m sure he’s no connection of Warne’s.”

“Perhaps an imposter, acting on a wager,” Susannah suggested.

Juliet turned on her. “Susannah, you do spoil everything. He must be Lord Warne’s son. He had his card.”

“If your mother is right, he can be neither Lord Warne’s son, nor a gentleman,” Susannah countered. “And you are not likely to see him in town.” She knew Juliet was thinking the young man would find them. Confound him for being mysterious. Nothing could be more appealing to one of Juliet’s temperament.

“Well, I will look for him. You have no sense of romance, Susannah. In some ballroom he will find me.”