Free An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer

of hours."
    "Just what I have been saying to your niece, ma'am," he replied, pulling out a chair for Miss Devenish.
    As he did so a hand smote him on the shoulder.
    "Hallo, Charles! How are you? What are you doing here? I thought you were supping in state! Judith and Worth are."
    The Colonel turned. "Hallo, Perry!" he said, shaking hands. "How do you do, Lady Taverner? Yes, I ought to be in the other room, but I missed Worth, and so came here instead. Are you staying long in Brussels? Do you like it?"
    "Oh, pretty fair! 'Evening, ma'am - 'evening, Miss Devenish. Look, Harriet, there's Dawson waving to us: he has secured a table. Charles, are you staying with Worth? Oh then, I shall see you!"
    He passed on, and the Colonel turned back to Miss Devenish to find her staring at him in the liveliest surprise. He could not help laughing. "But what have I done? What have I said?" he asked.
    "Oh! nothing, of course! But I had no idea you were Colonel Audley until Sir Peregrine spoke to you. Lady Worth is such a particular friend of mine!"
    Mrs Fisher interposed to say in rather a bewildered voice: "My love, what is all this? Surely you have been introduced!"
    "No," admitted Miss Devenish. "I came upon Colonel Audley quite by accident."
    "But we were as good as introduced, ma'am," said the Colonel, "for I distinctly remember my sister telling me that she would present me to Miss Devenish. But just then the King and Queen arrived, and the opportunity was lost."
    Mrs Fisher smiled indulgently, but remarked that she had never known her niece to be so scatter brained.
    A couple of hours later Lady Worth, coming back into the ballroom on her husband's arm, was dumbfounded by the sight of Colonel Audley waltzing with Miss Devenish.
    "Oh, so you contrived it, did you?" said Worth, also observing this circumstance.
    "I did no such thing!" replied Judith. "In fact, I had quite made up my mind it would be useless to present him to poor Lucy, straight from Bab Childe's clutches! But was there ever such a provoking man? Not but what I am very glad to see him with Lucy. Even you will admit that that would be preferable to an entanglement with Lady Barbara! I wonder who introduced him to her?"
    She was soon to learn from the lady herself in what manner the Colonel had become acquainted with Miss Devenish, for Lucy joined her presently and confided the story to her sympathetic ear.
    "Very disagreeable for you," said Judith. "I am glad Charles was at hand to be of assistance."
    "He was so very kind! But I am afraid you must have peen wondering what had become of him. Was it very wrong of me to let him have supper with us?"
    Judith started. "So that was where he was! To be pure, I could not see him at any of the tables, but there was such a crowd I might easily miss him. I make no doubt he had a much more agreeable time of it with you. "
    "We had a very cosy party," replied Miss Devenish, "if only my aunt had not found the heat so oppressive!
    Colonel Audley has such pleasant, open manners that makes one feel one has known him all one's life."
    Lady Worth agreed to it, and had the satisfaction, during their drive home, of hearing Colonel Audley comment favourably on Miss Devenish. "A very charming, unaffected girl," he said.
    "I am glad you were able to be of service to her."
    "Pinning up her lace? No very great matter," replied the Colonel.
    "I understood she had a disagreeable adventure: some young man (she would not tell me his name) was ungentlemanly enough to force his attentions upon her, surely?"
    "Oh, I had nothing to do with that!" said the Colonel. "He was probably in his cups, and meant no serious harm."
    "She is unfortunately situated in having an aunt too indolent to chaperon her as she should, and an uncle whose birth and manners cannot add to her consequence. The fact of her being an heiress makes her very generally sought after!
    "An enviable position!" said the Colonel.
    "Ah, you do not know! But I was an heiress myself, and I can tell