A fortnight later, Lord Carleton had recovered sufficiently from his injury and they decided it was time to return to London and re-enter society. Fanshaw, Hopgood and Mrs Pearson all went with them.

Carleton's first step was to contact Mr Adams, his solicitor and brief him about Frances' claim for recognition of her birth and inheritance. He also put him in possession of the letters retrieved by Mrs Pearson concerning Frances' history, and the record of her parents' marriage. Mr Adams left them with a sombre look on his face and a cautious warning about not getting their hopes up, but secretly feeling rather thrilled by the most exciting case he had ever been presented with.

The couple's next step was to send invitations to a carefully selected group of friends for a dinner party at their house at the end of the month. Jack Lambert, Harry Belmont and Sammy Fairfax were among the small guest list, along with cousin Theo and his wife Fanny. "Might as well face everybody at once!" ventured Frances, bravely.

Carleton agreed, "Yes, it is best to know where we are placed as soon as possible. If these people will stand our friends, we should brush through tolerably well, no-one else apart from Lady Murray will be in a position to cause trouble."

~~~

Several days later, Mr Pilkington called on Lady Murray, his normally sober face even more dour than usual. He was shown in to the front parlour, where his client was seated in front of the small fire which was kept burning most of the year apart from high summer. She wore a deep blue morning dress, its high neck buttoned up to her chin and a white cap on her head. A book lay face down on the small table beside her, indicating that Annie had been reading to her prior to his arrival. She looked up at him with a slight frown. "You have news for me?" she enquired.

"Yes, my Lady. I had a visit from Mr Adams yesterday, he is Lord Carleton's solicitor," he explained.

Her hand clenched briefly on the arm of her chair. "What does he have to do with this business?"

"I am afraid matters are now serious, perhaps I should say more serious," he paused for an instant then took the plunge. "They are married, Lady Murray. Miss Frances is now Lady Carleton and they are here in London. She is being introduced to the ton, not only as Lord Carleton's new wife but as your granddaughter."

"How dare she!" Lady Murray hissed incredulously.

"I am sorry, my lady, but Mr Adams showed me copies of several letters supporting her claim, letters about her birth from Lady Amanda and her father Henry Metcalf, addressed to her aunt Lady Julia. I really do not consider there is any doubt of her pedigree."

He let her digest the unwelcome news for a moment, then continued carefully. "Mr Adams presented me with an offer from Lord Carleton on behalf of his wife, that he requested me to present to you."

Mr Pilkington cleared his throat and attempted to infuse a positive tone to his voice, really it was a very generous offer though he doubted Lady Murray would see it that way. "In return for your public acceptance of Frances Carleton as your legitimate granddaughter, they will forgo any request for distribution of her inheritance until you ..uh..well, until you pass on and the estate is wound up."

"Over my dead body!" The words burst forth uncontrollably. "I'll not have that ... that strumpet in my house again!" Two red spots flared in her cheeks.

Mr Pilkington persevered, "There is no request for a private relationship or a reconciliation, merely your public acceptance of the facts. My lady, please think of the scandal if you should challenge her claim, your families' intimate correspondence paraded before all, the subject of common gossip! And I do not need to remind you of the difficulties we would face if we are directed to pay out the money now! I strongly suggest you give this your deepest consideration, I will leave you to think about it and call again tomorrow, if it please you." He bowed himself out as he spoke, anxious to leave before she could cut loose in earnest.

Lady Murray snapped her fan in two and threw it in the fire. Fiend seize it! Mrs Pearson had betrayed her, it appeared that Henry's brat had won.

~~~

It was pouring with rain when Mr Adams called on Lord and Lady Carleton a few days later, Frances hoped it was not an omen. The solicitor came straight to the point. "I have heard from Mr Pilkington. Lady Murray has decided to accept your offer, reluctantly I understand, but at least you will not have to suffer a public brangle; she has agreed not to impugn your right to be recognised as Frances Metcalf and her granddaughter."

"Thank goodness!" exclaimed Frances.

"I admit, this has given me some concerns about the substance of your inheritance," added Mr Adams with pursed lips.

"You suspect it has been spent already?" queried Carleton, his brows raised.

"I fear so, my Lord. I do not wish to give offence, but I fear only the most powerful necessity would have compelled Lady Murray to acknowledge your wife." He bowed his head respectfully towards Frances.

"Still, we have her agreement, which is more important to me at the moment," declared Frances. "We can wait for the money."

"I shall keep a close eye on Mr Pilkington and his affairs," continued Mr Adams with relish, "Let him know he is being watched and cannot expect to get away with anything underhand in the future."

The dinner party had been arranged for that very night. Carleton had invited Theo and Fanny to arrive a little earlier than the rest of the guests as he thought they deserved to be introduced to Frances and told the story first. Remembering Theo's reaction to the part of the story he was already aware of, Carleton could only hope they would not turn around and walk out.

In fact Theo had wondered long and hard whether to accept Richard's invitation or not. He had been absolutely stunned to hear that Richard was married. In the light of what he had discovered at Chatswood, he could only assume Richard had found his missing 'friend' and married her. In the end, it was his wife Fanny who had persuaded him that they should go.

"You must trust Richard," she urged. "He is no green boy to fling his hat over the windmill, you must trust that he would not have married someone totally unacceptable. He is family, Theo; whatever the outcome, we must stand by him, even if she is not ... not good ton; in any event, we must make the best of it. You know you would hate it if you became seriously estranged from him. He will find it hard enough I suspect to steer a smooth path through Society, without his family taking against her."

"You are right, my love," agreed Theo, steadfastly pushing to the back of his mind all the spiteful things Mrs Madden had poured into his unwilling ears.

They paused at the entrance to Carleton's house, unconsciously bracing themselves and trod up the steps determined to put a brave face on things. Lord Carleton greeted them with a relieved smile as they entered the hall, "Theo, Fanny, I am so glad to see you!" but before he could introduce Frances, Theo stepped up to him to enquire anxiously about his shoulder. Carleton had written to them about the shooting incident when he had recovered sufficiently to hold a pen.

"How are you, Richard? I was never so shocked, attacked in broad daylight!" exclaimed Theo.

"I am quite recovered, as you see," replied his cousin. "I was lucky, it was but a flesh wound. Let me introduce you to my wife, Frances." He drew forward the young woman standing at his side as he spoke. Fanny saw an elegant woman, taller than herself, dressed in a pale blue silk gown which was the height of fashion, with fair hair gathered in ringlets at the top of her head and grey eyes that smiled hesitantly at her.

"I am pleased to meet you both," she said in a low, clear voice. "Will you come into the drawing room? Richard and I have a lot to tell you!"

Feeling slightly reassured by her refined manner, whoever Frances was, she was certainly no prime article, the Talbots took a seat in the drawing room and prepared to listen. Frances told them only a little about her life with her father, before moving on to describe in detail what had occurred since her arrival in London, with Richard adding a few comments of his own as they went. Theo and Fanny were amazed to hear that she was Lady Murray's granddaughter and shocked by her tale of imprisonment.

"Now we are married, I have taken up Frances' claim to her mother's estate," Richard continued. "It is not the money so much as the acknowledgement, reluctant or not, of the relationship."

Frances nodded in agreement. "As a matter of fact, we have just heard today that Lady Murray will agree that I am her granddaughter, though I expect we will never be close!"

"Do you think Lady Murray had anything to do with the attack on you?" asked Theo now, "Are you certain you were the target, or was it Frances?"

"I cannot think it," answered Frances. "How would she have contrived to meet the Comte and arrange such a thing? She scarcely leaves the house. It is not as if he were a relative or even a servant to entrust such a task to."

"No indeed," murmured Theo. They were obliged to end their conversation there as the rest of the guests began to arrive.