(PITP has once again fallen off the tower of the Hot List. Your author is sobbing quietly in the corner. Please vote to get Mina, Verushka and Liara storming up to seize the castle once more!)

Verushka was still standing with her mouth ajar when the Duchess clapped her hands together twice and the doors opened once more. A fleet of the Duchess's personal ladies maids entered and began preparations with the systematic execution of an army squadron. One moved swiftly into the adjacent chamber to draw a bath and heat the towels, another strode in with a beautiful silver gown and two more seized Verushka directly and began to divest her of her servant apparel.

Verushka's heart lept into her throat, obstructing any attempt at speech and she felt herself being dragged backwards towards the steaming tub of scented bubbles. To be fair, their ministrations made Madam Shiela's attempt at grooming her seem like brute savagery but the result was far more miraculous. Careful, methodical work saw her course skin softened and creamed, while her burnished hair gleamed once more of her golden hue from birth. They had brushed and clipped the curling mass of blonde hair into something that no longer resembled a cuckoo's nest, and finally presented her to the Duchess in a fluffy woollen robe, still damp and dazed.

The Duchess took a long look at the crude elements seated before her and simply nodded once.

That single nod began another long session as the sun made its way to sink across the sky. While her hair was styled and her dress pressed she was quizzed by a familiar maid on all the attending nobles and dignitaries invited to the party. They schooled her on correct protocol and procedure, grilling her like lamb in a rack for Christmas Eve banquet. At some point Verushka lost track of the hours, letting herself be pulled and prodded, fluffed and dressed while answering with rote precision.

"Aunt Augusta had a -?"

"Cat."

"Uncle Thomas was a-?

"Bureaucrat."

And on it went until her troop of dressmakers, advisors and perfumers stood around her in a semi-circle with assessing admiration. She couldn't understand how it could possibly take a whole day to prepare for a single event. However, when the sun hit the horizon she eventually gazed at her own incredulous reflection in the gilded mirror and ceased to doubt the transformative powers of her helpers. Glaring back at her with enormous grey Wyvernstone eyes was a young woman who looked every inch a lady. Frizzy ringlets were brushed into soft golden curls pinned up to frame her rounded cheeks. Somehow she now had two eyebrows that arched beautifully to accentuate the shape of her face, and lips that had always seemed too big, were now slightly rouged and lilting into a smile.

Her eyes panned down to an elegant silver dress of silk that tapered to emphasize her narrow waist, where full skirts flared out to sweep the floor. Intricate silver threads were weaved with delicate artistry throughout the shimmering garment, making it gleam like moonlight on a flowing river and a strip of similar ribbon, threaded through her ringlets to highlight the brilliance of her curls. If she did not stand directly before a mirror she would have doubted the woman in the glass.

A soft hand came to rest on her shoulder and Verushka turned around to meet the wise eyes of her mentor.

"You look so much like your mother," the Duchess whispered, tucking a stray ringlet behind Verushka's ear.

"Really?" she asked incredulously. She had to wonder how a maid managed such a feat.

"Well, she bathed more frequently than you," the Duchess remarked, reading her quizzical expression. She stepped back and cleared her throat lightly which scattered all her present staff from the room. When the door closed firmly she smiled at her protégée and led her to a low chair before a dressing table.

"Oh my god!" Verushka exclaimed sharply at her first step.

"What is it?" the Duchess inquired with a tone full of worry.

Verushka grasped at the bodice of her dress, clawing at the rigid structure. It was the first time that she had to walk while wearing the contraption which the other maids had laced her into. She had originally thought that tying it on was difficult but that was nothing compared to attempting to breathe while moving. "This dress!" she gasped. "It's- ugh- too- tight. Can't breathe!"

The Duchess quickly probed the stays of the corset, checking the knots with nimble fingers before relaxing. "It is perfectly acceptable, Verushka. Now, sit down."

Verushka glared at her murderously. "You must be kiddin'! This... thing defies logic! How can any woman move in this?"

The Duchess rolled her eyes and realised it was a gesture that was becoming more frequent of late. "With grace and poise. And certainly not like one is trying to give birth to an enormous baby. Do stop that noise and sit down."

Verushka paused momentarily to straighten herself from the waist and desisted with the whooshing of air between gritted teeth. "Sorry, but this is surely mad."

"How can it be that I have taught you every step of the quadrille while reciting the names of all the present courtiers but forgot to trial you on a proper corset?"

"No idea. But perhaps we should loosen it a bit... you know, just for tonight while I get used to it," she tried to orchestrate a deal.

"I hardly think that exposing the ton to your charms will assist your cause," the Duchess countered.

"But-."

"No buts. Sit Verushka," her mentor ordered firmly.

Verushka descended awkwardly into a chair and watched the Duchess's reflection in the mirror for several moments in silence as she caught her breath, learning to regulate each intake to match the shallow expansion of her garments. Meanwhile, her mentor had begun to gently administer the final touches to her living canvas with delicate sweeps of brushes and measured looks.

"Verushka," the Duchess began anew. "I will not lie to you. Tonight may be difficult for you in many ways but you will have the support of myself and Jacob, which is a considerable advantage. People will question you, and pester you and you will be expected to bear the scrutiny with elegance and ease."

Verushka almost laughed but relented, not wanting to test the confines of her corset once more.

"I know that I have not had the chance to keep you well informed, but other matters regarding the Queen have occupied my time. However, by now you must already know that I was expecting the Duchess of Wyvernstone to find you at the Bexley Townhouse last week. Understandably, she suspected you of being Jay's ward when he broke the news to her, so I sent you to the kitchens to await her arrival. She has always kept an eye on you for I think it gives her some measure of sadistic pleasure to know that the daughter of Elizabeth will never be anything more than a maid. It was important that when she came to check on you that she was greeted with exactly that picture so that she could not lay down plans to stop us." The Duchess set aside her pot of powder and reached for a slim black box that lay upon the table.

"As you know from your studies, timing is everything and we have reached the opportune moment for your reveal." The Duchess lifted the lid gently revealing a string of silver pearls with matching drop earrings from a chain of tiny diamonds. "These are Wyvernstone family heirlooms which Jacob has procured from his vault for you to wear in a show of familial support," she said fastening the pearls to sit exquisitely about her neck.

Verushka's eyes widened and her hand raised to skim the smooth surface. "I don't think his step-mother is going to be too happy about this."

"No, most definitely not." The Duchess arched a brow. "But, it will be beyond her ability to discount you or challenge you outright. She has already agreed to the admittance of a ward, seeing as she feels it cannot possibly be you."

"But why, Your Grace? Why would she do that for Jay when she so obviously doesn't like him?" Verushka frowned perplexed.

"I should have thought that you would have solved that riddle already," the Duchess paused before continuing with the tale. "We live in a patriarchal society, despite a female monarch. That may not always be the case but right now Jacob is the sole heir to the Wyvernstone fortune. If he was not present to secure his step-mothers home and comforts then all that land and wealth would pass to a very obscure distant cousin twice removed from his late father. Camilla would not retain a single cent in her coffers and that is simply something that she cannot endure. So it is a dangerous little game they have played over the years where she tolerates Jacob's presence and he endures hers. If either push each other too far then the secret is out and their lives cease as they know it. Do you understand, my dear?"

Verushka nodded slowly, taking in all the details. "So, she must accept a ward into her house."

"This is Jacob's house. Never forget that. But yes, although she will tolerate you, I would not put it past her to concoct a method to divest herself of you," the Duchess added with brutal inflection.

Verushka's hand came up to her throat, skimming over the polished beads. "She would try to kill me?"

The Duchess softened considerably. "No, I do not believe so." She paused for several moments before adding, "I am certain she would not go that far." However that trailing comment did not ease Verushka's nerves.

Carriages were beginning to roll in, in increasing numbers and the house that was already frantic since the morning seemed to come alive with the lighting of candles to keep the darkness at bay. The first strains of the orchestra testing their strings echoed through the hallways as they began to fill with the ton, and the aromas from the kitchen wafted up the stairs invitingly. The stage was set for the entrance of a ward and Verushka wondered how actresses could bear to stand in the spotlight every night. Perhaps Liara had the answer, but there was no way she could escape to the pantry to ask her.

The Duchess secured the exquisite earrings into place and bestowed a gentle kiss on her forehead before stepping away. "There, now you are a maid who would make your mother proud."

Verushka's heart beat frantically like a caged bird longing to be free. "I hope so. I really hope so."

The Duchess reached out both her hands to seize her maids and raised her to stand. "I know that it is natural to be scared Verushka. I am not immune to the stark change you are experiencing as you think I am. But this is your home now, these are your halls, these are your servants and grounds and most importantly Jay is now your family. This was always meant to be your life. It is the life your mother and your father wanted for you, and I am so proud and privileged to be able to give them this one last gift." A smile beamed across her aged face even as tears welled at the corner of her eyes. "If only Elizabeth could see you this day."

The warmth of the moment was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. Almost instantly the tears were blinked away from Duchess's eyes. "Ah, that will be your brother," she announced. "Enter."

The momentary peace that Verushka had experienced was chased away by thundering rolls of anxiety. Breathing once again became difficult in her 'corset of death' as she allowed herself to be led into the adjacent sitting room.

Jacob strode in, shutting the door behind him. The entrance of her brother brought Verushka's destiny one step closer and she prepared herself to meet him as more than a maid. Clothed in the finest silk backed suit she had ever seen, he appeared every inch the titled duke of Wyvernstone Hall. A stiff ebony coat encased his broad shoulders, falling in tails to his knees, matching his breeches, buttoned obliquely with brass and onyx links. A traditional ivory cravat was folded about his neck, tucked into a cotton shirt pressed to perfection. He did not dress with the flair of the Duke of Bexley that women of the ton seemed to love, but Verushka noticed that her brother had his own sense of style that was undeniable. Though stiff and reserved, in perhaps a forbidding way, he still exuded a quiet refinement.

His grey eyes flashed upon Verushka like the first signs of a storm and her examination of him halted with fear. "Catherine...," he growled in opening.

"Good evening Jacob, my darling. This is-,"

"Verushka," he completed with a grating finality.

"Oh, you have met," the Duchess continued unfazed. "How nice that you are already acquainted."

Verushka's eyes remained as wide as Mina's mouth at supper time.

"What game are you playing here, Madam?" Jay questioned intently.

"No game, Jacob. This young woman is your ward."

"That woman is no more than a maid," he barked.

That comment got Verushka's hackles up enough to respond. "Well the way I hear it, you have a particular interest in maids!" she countered.

"What?" He turned his attention to her.

Verushka paused realising that she had just tempted the bull her way and looked to the Duchess for aid. Her ex-employer simply smirked in her direction and stayed silent.

"Look, all I'm saying is that you should not just discount maids, after all your mother was one," Verushka spat out proudly. Good, she thought, let him choke on that for a bit.

The Duke however did not choke, instead he became very, very quiet and advanced upon her with the weight of his anger in his eyes. "What did you say?" he asked slowly enough to enunciate every word.

Thankfully the Duchess decided to step in with more magnanimity than Verushka expected. "Verushka is intimately acquainted with your family's dealings."

"Yes," he hissed. "I can see that, but the question is why?"

Verushka flicked her gaze to her mentor. She was under strict instruction to not betray her true identity yet, but she could not see how they were going to proceed without revealing the truth. The danger was that Jay would become even madder at the concealment of a sister for so long, but he already appeared fairly unimpressed as it was.

The Duchess responded to the question in her maid's eyes with the barest shake of her head, but Jay caught the gesture. "Ah, more secrets Catherine. Is it not dangerous to juggle with so many lives?"

The Duchess frowned at him as if she resented having to put up with a recalcitrant child. "You would do well to remember that I keep your secrets too, Jacob."

Jacob had to concede the she was right, but why on earth was a Bexley maid now to be tied to him as a ward for life? The situation bore closer scrutiny but it had all been timed to perfection by the Duchess to not allow any last minute movement from her pawns. And yet, in all the years of his life she had never once led him astray. Was it not churlish of him to question her now?

Jay sighed, "Yes, you are right. And you have kept those secrets well... until now."

The Duchess walked to him and wrapped her hands around his arm soothingly. "And, if I do so now then it is with the utmost care. Come now and make peace with your new ward."

The older woman led him to Verushka, placing their hands together firmly. "It is my greatest pleasure to introduce you to your 'cousin'. As discussed Verushka will be posing as the only daughter of your father's estranged brother, Edward. You remember him, don't you Verushka?"

Verushka searched her memories through the Wyvernstone family tree. Her father had two brothers, the youngest died early in the war, while the middle child removed himself some years ago to the country and slowly let madness eat away at his mind after his wife passed away in childbirth. They had one eccentric daughter who had unfortunately caught a cold in her formative years and slipped into a recent death as precariously as she had slipped into life. Verushka racked her brain for the name of their estranged cousin, and finally it dawned on her.

"You want me to pretend to be Anne?" Verushka exhaled.

"Very good, my girl. You will of course be known as Verushka Anne Wyvernstone, claiming that you no longer prefer the use of your middle name. After all, my insane son switches his name back and forth between Scot and Cain, and the ton don't bat an eyelash," she laughed pleasantly.

Jay squeezed his wards hand warmly in his own. "Good evening Verushka." She looked up at him surprised and gold lashes sprung apart to highlight silver irises much like his own. A chaotic thought entered fleetingly through his mind, careening forth like a bullet just wide of its mark. Before he had even acknowledged it, it was gone and he was glad for its disappearance. "I am sorry to have greeted you ungraciously just now. I am sure that this change cannot be easy for you either."

"No," Verushka shifted uncomfortably, "it is not."

"Well, if I may put your mind at ease a little, let me say that portraying Anne will not be too difficult. No one outside myself and her father ever met her. She was kept locked in the attic since Uncle Edwards was terrified that she would die prematurely just like her mother. I was only permitted to see her when they had burned a hole through their own finances and I would not surrender funds until I was sure she was safe."

"Surely she had some kind of maid or governess," Verushka pondered.

Jay nodded thinking back. "Yes, as a matter of fact she had one maid who served her. Her name was –."

"Bernice," the Duchess filled in the gap. "She is dead now."

"Oh my god, you had her killed!" Verushka exclaimed unconscious of her accusation.

The Duchesses eyebrows raised with comic amusement. "No."

Jay watched the exchange with interest. "It is however amusing that my new ward thought so, wouldn't you agree, Your Grace?"

"I can't imagine what you mean," the Duchess's lips tilted into a smirk.

Jay shook his head once more at the notion that the Duchess was more than what she seemed. Lately it bit at him like a gnat that he could not catch and it was a sensation he was not enamoured of.

"As I understand it, Camilla is still making her preparations for the ball, so it is perhaps time for you to show Verushka a little more of the house," the Duchess suggested politely.

"I don't know how much more of the house she could see, given that she has spent the last two days exploring every crevice with her friends," Jay raised a single brow.

For the first time since making her acquaintance Verushka saw the Duchess betray a hint of surprise.

"You didn't think that I would approve the admission of several Bexley maids without vetting each one first?" Jay smiled faintly. "I will admit that some were decoys since they were far too diligent in their work, but a few remained odd choices."

Verushka's mouth dropped open unattractively. He knew that Mina was here! Why didn't he come to see her in the pantry? Or maybe he did and Mina didn't say anything. That blasted Mina!

The Duchess tapped Verushka's chin up with a fingertip. "Close your mouth, dear."

"Perhaps I weighed your trust in me with greater justice than you do it now," the Duchess stared at Jay with the solemn regard of a disappointed mother, but then she allowed a smile to grace her face. "And yet, in some ways I would expect no less."

The Duchess turned toward the door, opening it with a resolute twist. "Come, it is time you meet your staff Verushka."

Jay lent his new ward his arm, which she took with what started out as a deep breath and ended up as a wince. He smiled at her encouragingly and she tried her best to respond in kind. He found the gesture more heart-warming than he had expected and he placed her hand securely in the crook of his elbow, covering it with his own. She seemed the most innocent player in the game and something about her wide-eyed apprehension diffused his bubbling ire at the situation.

Somerset greeted them outside the door with a bow. "Your Grace, am I to understand that you would like me to assemble the staff to meet Miss Verushka?"

"No, Somerset. I am sure they are busy preparing for the Ball. I thought I might show her the upstairs gallery while we wait to begin."

"Yes, of course, Your Grace," he answered and bowed once more to the Duchess who preceded them towards the artwork.

Verushka frowned. "Why am I only a Miss when you get to be a Duke?"

Jay could not resist a chuckle. "Because, you are supposed to be the daughter of a second son; had you been the eldest daughter of a duke, you would have been afforded the courtesy title of 'Lady'."

Verushka growled at his smug expression. There was no need for that side of attitude when in reality she was a Lady. Although to be fair, she counselled herself, she was actually a bastard child with no title so she probably shouldn't complain.

"Shall we proceed upstairs now, Miss Verushka?" Jay offered.

Verushka sighed at his playful jab. "Okay but I have already seen it and I wasn't that impressed apart from a Stubbs of a lion attacking a horse, which Mina thought was unrealistic and Liara described as cruel."

Jay lips tilted in amusement as they made their way down the hall. "We are just using this as an opportunity for you to meet the servants in passing. Think of it as a trial run, okay?"

"Umm... okay. They might be a bit surprised to meet me like this," Verushka admitted.

"Yes, I grant that they would. Not Mina though, right?" Jay steered the conversation back in the direction he was most interested.

"Uh, no. Not Mina, but she would be in the kitchens anyway." Verushka smiled distractedly to a stunned servant as they climbed the stairs. The rumour of her transformation would have circled the house by the time she reached the top step.

"Would she, now?" Jay did not have to manufacture interest as they discussed her friend. "I wonder why the Duchess of Bexley sought to bring her here with you," he hedged for more information.

"Well, she is one of my best friends," she started slowly, gnawing on her bottom lip. "Speaking of which, I don't like it when my friends are ignored."

Jay stopped perplexed at the entrance of the gallery. "What do you mean?"

"You have known that she was here for the last two days and I am fairly certain that you haven't made the effort to see her once," Verushka twisted her face unimpressed.

"I don't quite understand your meaning," Jay countered, not sure how to converse with such a frank approach. After all, she was no longer a maid, but was she a lady?

"Sure you do. You kiss her in a tree and then just leave her?"

Jay's eyes widened fractionally.

Verushka started to get riled up with steam from another duke who thought maids were made for little else than to be bed warmers who also happen to clean. "Let me tell you something, Mr High and Mighty," she poked his chest accusingly. "Maids have feelings too and just because we, I mean they, are poor doesn't just mean that you can discard them like used boots." Thankfully Verushka stopped herself before she could go any further. The look on her brother's face was enough to know that she had gone far enough. She was usually such a level headed person but a few things really made her lose control, and that was her friends, inequality and most recently –Cain.

Jay blinked a few times absorbing his ward's tirade. He wanted to be offended but he had to admit that he was secretly pleased that Mina had been talking about him. He had been avoiding her recently, at first because his work for Her Majesty's Secret Service took precedence and secondly because he wasn't sure what to do. The maid had stirred feelings in him that were not acceptable to have as a duke or as an Agent. In one aspect he would not demean her by taking her as a mistress, and in the other he would not place her in danger. Either scenario left him without the warmth of her touch. Now, his own waspish ward stood blazing at him for neglecting to address the situation earlier.

"You are right," he exhaled. "I should not have meddled with her feelings. I hope she was not too upset by our meeting in the garden."

Verushka squinted up at him, trying to use her new skills to read the truth of his admission and failing. "No, she wasn't upset," she answered more frankly than was honest.

"She wasn't?" Jay flicked his eyes to hers.

Verushka hid a grin. Maybe the Duchess was right, when people discount innocence for honesty they often revealed themselves. "I don't really know, Your Grace. Perhaps you should ask her." Verushka abruptly strode off to join the Duchess ahead as she wandered idly through the portraits.

Jay was still trying to discern what had just occurred when Somerset appeared at his side once more informing him that the Duchess of Wyvernstone was ready to begin the ball. Jay nodded curtly at the butler and walked swiftly to his ward. It would not do to have her talk so frankly to other men as she did to him. It certainly would not speak well of the Wyvernstone family, but then again, the real Anne had spent most of her time locked in an attic.

"Madam, Verushka, the ball is about to begin and I am needed in the foyer to welcome the guests as they make their way from their rooms and the carriages. I don't think that you should be present for the moment, Verushka."

"That's Miss Verushka to you," his ward replied archly.

"Ugh, come along then. Let's put you in your room for a bit," he seized her elbow.

"Trust you. Just like your uncle, always wanting to lock me up in the attic."

Jay looked at her like she was mad.

The Duchess of Bexley grinned.

Verushka took some delight in acting the part of Anne, his slightly deranged cousin. She knew that in the ballroom, with all the eyes of the ton upon her it would be a different matter entirely so she may as well take advantage of her precious moments of fun. She sobered quickly at the thought of the gathering throng below and looked at her mentor for confirmation. "Should I go, Your Grace?"

Before the duchess could respond, Jay stepped in with a stern countenance. "Verushka, in public when we are not among close friends I will address you as Miss, but I must remind you that I am now the head of your household. It would not do well for you to be seen deferring to the wishes of a Bexley duchess."

The older woman nodded solemnly. She had quietly watched and listened to their interaction thus far and was pleasantly surprised that an innate sibling relationship simmered just below the surface, waiting to be fostered into life. Unfortunately, time was not their friend and it was important for Jay to take Verushka under his wing so completely that he would even sacrifice his life for hers. Given their predicament, she possessed only one method to achieve such a goal and it was not one she was willing to relinquish. Nevertheless, the duchess knew that she must.

"You are, of course right Jacob. However, may I suggest that we use your private study for such a concealment?"

Jay nodded and guided the ladies through the opposing doors towards the second floor with Verushka maintained at his side. To her credit, when she knew that she was on display she comported herself rather well, nodding to the staff and smiling politely in the face of shock and at times abject horror. They made it to his study safely, despite one occasion where he was almost certain that Verushka winked to a familiar voluptuous maid that he also recognised from the day near the market streets.

"Here," he swung open the heavy wooden door carved from the Wyvernstone family forest.

Verushka entered hesitantly into the darkened space. His study was located in a wing of the Hall that she had not dared enter previously, and it appeared that no other servant had chanced such a venture either. Since night had fallen, no lamps had been lit in this part of the house and chill had seeped in along with the darkness. The room itself seemed adequate, luxurious even, but in a way that a man would consider comfortable. Leather chairs and couches circled the cold fireplace without a blanket thrown over the side and a forbidding desk dominated one end of the room with ordered stacks of papers but no portraits or flowers to be seen. The only thing inviting were the wall of books that surrounded the space. Hmm, Verushka noted, perhaps waiting in here wouldn't be so bad.

"Will she be safe in here until it is time to bring her out?" the Duchess inquired.

"I assure you, Madam that this is the most secure room in this entire house," Jay answered confidently.

"Excellent," the Duchess announced before following Verushka in. "Please come inside for a moment Jacob, there is something that we must discuss."

Jay entered his own study with furtive steps and locked the door behind him. "What is it, Madam?"

"You are undoubtedly having difficulties with the notion of welcoming a ward into your home without any explanation. However, I know that you have the ability to perform to even greater standards on less familiar terms," the Duchess began with a measured intake of air.

Verushka wondered if she was having problems with her corset too, or if perhaps she was just uncomfortable with the words she was about to utter.

"What are you talking of, Madam?" Jay asked perplexed as he perched on the edge of his desk. "You have never before asked me to do something that you did not illustrate completely."

The Duchess shook her head slowly. "That is not true, Jacob. In fact, there have been many, occasions which you lept at my barest command."

Jay scoffed. "I think not-."

The older woman seized his eyes with all the complexity of hers and cut off his speech with the beginning of a promise that sounded much like a prayer. "Semper Occultus..."

Always Secret, Verushka silently translated.

"... In Regnum Defende," Jay answered.

In Defence of the Realm.

The motto of Her Majesty's Secret Service had slipped from Jay's lips with unconscious habit, so many times had he used it to greet comrades before. His body became rigid, his breath halted and the air inside the cool study seemed as fragile as newly formed ice.

"You... you are an Agent?" Jay choked on the unfathomable words.

The Duchess shook her head very slowly.

Verushka sat in rapt attention as the events unfolded before her. Her brother was an Agent? She should have felt more shocked by the news but over the course of the week a small suspicion had grown in her mind and hearing his admission felt like the last piece of a puzzle had slid into place. It seemed only right that he was on this journey with her, and it was perhaps a destiny that her mother would have wished for.

"Then who are you?" Jay stood, trying to grasp the situation but the movement felt like pushing through quicksand.

The Duchess looked at the man who was only second in her eyes to her own son and ached for him. Jay was always the one to draw comfort from answers and derive order from a whirlwind of chaos. She could only imagine how it shocked him to his core to find his regimented world tumbling around his feet.

She took a deep cleansing breath and prepared herself. "I am the Director of Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service, at whose pleasure we serve."

Jay stopped breathing, his lungs sequestering with stale air and still refusing to inflate. To outward appearances he may not have even heard the words, so still was his presence but nothing could have been further from the truth. His mind raced in a million directions, remembering and collating flashes of past events and remarks dropped around him like clues in a mystery he could not have hoped to solve. What was real? What was manufactured? Every word and gesture was pulled from countless years growing up with a woman far closer to him than his own step-mother and it was enough to leave him gasping for air. But, he would not relent, he would not buckle under weight of her watchful eyes.

He felt the Duchess lay a soothing hand on his arm. "Breathe, Jacob," she whispered. But, was it a consolation or a command from his director? He no longer knew the difference and the torture of not knowing was acute.

He breathed, if only to appease the burning in his chest.

Jay swallowed the lump which had formed in his throat and refused to meet her eyes. It was a perplexing duality that tugged at his mind. In one hand he reviled her lies but on the other she did no more than he had done for almost the last decade of his life. Secrets and mystery was how the monarch was kept safe. Semper occultus in regnum defende. Always secret in defence of the realm.

He met the older woman's eyes and tried to read her thoughts, tried to discern the pathos from the performance. She appeared genuinely saddened by the effect her words had had, but then again she was the Mistress of Espionage herself, and surely no methods were beyond her means. Uncertainty coiled inside him like the twisting torment of a hurricane. There was no escaping it, no moving to fade or fix it, but one thing was clear- if his Director revealed herself it was for no less than the safety of their country and it's Queen.

"What would you have of me, Director?" he asked with a voice devoid of emotion.

"Oh, Jay." If it was possible, the Duchess looked even more distraught. "Do not look at me that way. I am still the same woman who has loved you and nurtured you your whole life. I am still your mother's best friend. I only tell you this now because the web we are weaving here has become far too intricate for concealment any longer."

The Duchess walked towards Verushka and held out her hand, guiding her once more towards the duke. "I am placing Verushka in your care. It is vital that she acclimatise to the ways of the ton and ingratiate herself with them. I give you both this warning, that the enemies of the Queen are many. In addition to the suspicions we have about the dissemination of the list of our Agents names, we have uncovered a plot to assassinate Her Majesty."

Verushka gulped with enormous eyes.

Jay stood firmly, no longer held back by dilemmas of the heart. "And, what has been done to resolve the matter? Why bring in your maid to my household?"

"There are many different avenues that we are exploring, but we must tread carefully lest we only cut one head to have ten more grow back. Some of the answers that we seek lay with the ton and they will only be plucked with charisma and coercion, which I am sad to say that you lack, Jacob."

"So I am merely to play host to a ward?" Jay raised a brow.

"I do not want to pull your focus from finding out who leaked the list of our Agents, since that single fact has cut me off from a great proportion of my Agents and forced me to recruit new members well before their target date. However, I suspect that both of your missions may come to cross at some point. As for my choice in Verushka, suffice to say that there are still some secrets which I hold. In time, I may share them with you but until then I hope you will continue to trust me as both your director and your friend."

This time Jay met her gaze with ease, enveloping her frail hand in his own. "I have never thought of you as my friend, Madam." He paused for measure rather than maliciousness. "You are first and forever my family... but even family can sometimes test ones patience."

"Yes," the Duchess agreed with a smile.

"Yes," Verushka chimed in, mostly just to be part of the conversation again.

The elder two looked at her with incredulous expressions.

"What?" she asked exasperated. "I can imagine can't I? My supposed father locked me in an attic for eighteen years. I'm almost twenty-one, who is going to believe that I look eighteen?"

The Duchess closed her eyes and sighed.

"This is one of your Agents?" Jay asked out of the corner of his mouth.

The Duchess shrugged. "She's new."

Please hit that vote button and comment to let me know you if liked this chapter.

A/N:

So.... What do you think dear Agents? Did you expect the Duchess to reveal her identity? Are you feeling a little sorry for Jay or do you think he has the fortitude to withstand anything that the Duchess can throw at him? Most importantly do you think that there is hope for the brother and sister who should never have been separated?

I love reading a book and picturing a characters transformation for myself, so the only pic I have included is of Verushka getting ready in a Victorian style corset. I would love to see your ideas of what her first ball gown looks like. Please comment here with the pics or link and I can share your vision in the cover photo of the next chapter!

I have to let you know that there will be at least a 3 week wait for the next chapter. I really have to study and I hope that you will all not mind too much waiting patiently for the next installment. [A little info about me if you are interested- I am a Veterinarian by day and am working towards specialising in Emergency and Critical Care. Gotta keep them puppies safe!] In the meantime, can I please, please ask that if you have enjoyed my previous chapters (and haven't done so already) reward my hard work with a little vote? I am so appreciative of your support. And, as always you can still follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

https://twitter.com/inararoseauthor

https://www.facebook.com/Inara.Rose.author/

[18/9/16: I needed a bit of a break from studying so did some random free writing and it turned into something interesting from the mind of a certain Duke. I will be posting it as a hidden chapter in a few days so don't forget to 'follow' and refresh your reading list to get access!]

Glossary:

George Stubbs was an English painter, best known for his paintings of horses. 'A Lion Attacking A Horse' was an oil on canvas painted in 1770 by Stubbs. It now hangs at Yale University Art Gallery. I am not sure what it is worth today, but a lesser known work of his recently auctioned for 15 million!

Semper Occultus is the true motto of the Secret Intelligence Service in England today. Regnum Defende is the motto of MI5. The first really does mean Always Secret, and the latter Defence of the Realm. I put the two together to come up with a motto for my Agents.

Victorian fashion: Fashion of the 1840s comprised of collapsed sleeves, low necklines, elongated V-shaped bodices, and fuller skirts. At the start of the decade, the sides of bodices stopped at the natural waistline, and met at a point in the front. In accordance with the heavily boned corset and seamlines on the bodice as well, the popular low and narrow waist was thus accentuated. Sleeves of bodices were tight at the top, but expanded around the area between the elbow and before the wrist.

[The next chapter is a secret one. To get access join Her Majesty's Secret Service by following me! Then refresh your library it should await you there :) ]