"Mr. Hughes!" Alice's face lit up at sight of Sir Horace's butler. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Miss Cooper." Hughes smiled and bowed slightly to the girl. "I hope I'm not calling on you too early."

"Oh no, this is a lovely time. Won't you be seated? Only wasn't it a bit inconvenient for you to leave Montverre House just now?" She looked at him doubtfully. "Mornings are usually so busy for you."

Hughes acknowledged the justice of her comment with a nod of his head. "Routine must sometimes take a backseat. Sir Horace has charged me with an errand on your behalf and I wanted to inform you as soon as possible. Sir Horace has concluded that your education needs to be supplemented in certain areas and intends to engage a tutor for you."

"A tutor? But why? I can read and write. What more is there for me to learn?"

"There are many things, Miss Cooper, that a young lady needs to know beyond mere school work. You know that Miss Montverre was sent to Switzerland to study the finer points of deportment. The process will be no different for you than it is for her except for the fact that your education will be conducted here in London."

Alice stared at him blankly for a moment before asking slowly, "Are you saying that Sir Horace thinks I'm not--that I'm not good enough for him? That isn't very fair. He knew what I was before--well, 'before'."

"The admiral believes that you would benefit from tuition in deportment, etiquette and elocution." Hughes coughed discretely, "You must acknowledge, I'm sure, that your accent proclaims you to be a servant and not a young lady."

"Well I am a servant and not a young lady!"

Hughes shook his head. "No. Your status changed when Sir Horace chose you to be his special friend. You are not merely a servant providing an accommodation. When you ceased to be 'Alice' and became 'Miss Cooper' your position in the world changed. Now you must learn what you need to know in your new situation."

"But, Mr. Hughes, why must I?" She blinked back tears and asked, "I could never talk to anybody. The toffs would just think I'm a dolly mop on the make. And the ladies—well, it wouldn't do to speak to them."

"Miss Cooper, think. Sir Horace is used to being around a certain type of woman."

"I know," Alice replied impatiently. "The type of woman who ignores him and won't let him touch her!"

"Please. Hear me out. Sir Horace sees you as a companion. You have obvious attractions and a willingness to please that called you to his attention. But he's a man who likes to be comfortable. And he cannot be comfortable if he is jarred by solecisms on your part. He would not complain if you used your lettuce knife on the fish. But he would notice."

"I know how to use cutlery!" protested Alice.

"Yes, of course you do. And you would never use the asparagus tongs to eat an artichoke. But there are other things that you do not know. Sir Horace expects a woman to behave in particular ways that you have yet to learn. If you wish to keep him, you must learn them."

"What should I do, Mr. Hughes?" she asked in a small voice.

"You must acquire a genteel polish, Miss Cooper. And you must dress like a lady. And occupy yourself as a lady."

"Sir Horace did say I was to have a dinner gown," Alice commented.

"You are to have a new wardrobe," Hughes corrected gently. "It will not be appropriate for you to wear the same gown to dinner each evening. And you'll need walking suits, carriage dresses, promenade gowns, morning dresses, tea gowns and all the appropriate accessories--shoes, boots, hats, and a suitable provision of personal items."

"Mr. Hughes!" Alice cried, aghast at his description of her needs. "When would I have time to wear the half of that?"

But he continued, "You also will need a carriage. Perhaps not immediately, it is winter after all, and you won't be going out for drives in the park. But you cannot be seen arriving at the linen draper's or the milliner's in a common hack."

"Oh no. This is—too much. It's not right, Mr. Hughes, it would be greedy to take all that!"

"Miss Cooper," Hughes interrupted. "Sir Horace does not believe you to be a mercenary girl. He considers you his special friend, and he wants you to have all the things you will need to fill that position gracefully. Mr. Kinver will take you to an appropriate modiste this afternoon and she will set things in train for your wardrobe. The Montverre's second coachman will pick you up here, after you have lunched."

"Mr. Kinver will take me shopping?" Alice asked apprehensively.

"Yes, he will. As Sir Horace is aware, Mr. Kinver worked for a young lady in a situation similar to yours and knows the proper individuals for you to patronize. And Miss Cooper, it is 'Kinver.' Not 'Mr. Kinver.' He is your servant, and you must address him properly."

"Yes, Mr. Hughes."

"Miss Cooper, it will be more proper for you to call me 'Hughes'."

Alice tilted her head and considered his words. "No, Mr. Hughes it wouldn't. I worked for you. And—and you're trying to help me. Maybe it's correct for you to call me 'Miss Cooper,' but it just wouldn't be right for me to talk to you as though you're my servant. You aren't and you never were. That's how I see things."

Hughes allowed himself to smile. "If that is what you wish, then I won't argue with you. I'll go deliver Sir Horace's message to his friend. You will be informed when arrangements have been made."

"Do you know—will Sir Horace visit me today?"

"He was unable to tell me for certain what his schedule will permit. But it is unlikely that he would be able to visit you today. "

"I see," she replied forlornly. "Then I suppose there will be plenty of time for me to get ready for when he does visit. Thank you, Mr. Hughes. I do appreciate all you've done to help me."

Hughes bowed and departed, leaving Alice a prey to her inevitable anxieties.