made her clutch her wrap around her. "Yes, my lord?"
"I apologize for the intrusion, Lady Arradale, especially at this late hour. But I request a few moments of your time."
Diana swallowed again, this time swallowing disappointment. No, he hadn't come with lascivious intent, and he hardly seemed aware that she was dressed for bed.
She stepped back and gestured him in, countess to marquess. "Of course, my lord. Some matter I can assist you with? I have port here if you would care for some."
He declined, which meant she couldn't seek courage in a bottle either. After a moment she indicated the two chairs that bracketed the empty fireplace, and they sat.
Like husband and wife.
Stop it, Diana -
"I am commanded to take you to London, Lady Arradale."
Snapped out of foolish fancies, Diana sat upright. "What? By whom?"
"The king, of course. By way of the queen." He handed her a folded, sealed letter.
She opened it and read an invitation from Queen Charlotte to spend a short time as a lady-in-waiting.
"Why?" she demanded, then added, "I will not go, of course."
"It would not be wise to defy the king."
"He has no right - " She stopped, forcing her tangled and startled wits into order. This was far from any expectation she had had of this night.
"Why?" she asked again, a germ of real fear stirring inside. Some of her ancestors - northern rebels - had been commanded to London, never to return. The powers of the kings of England had been restricted since then, but they still could be turned on enemies and rebels.
"You brought yourself to his attention, Lady Arradale." Perhaps her confusion showed, for he added, "You petitioned him to allow you to take the earldom's seat in Parliament."
"And why not?" she demanded, though she felt some embarrassment. She'd always known it was hopeless, but it had irritated her so much that she'd had to try. "My lands are unfairly unrepresented. The earldom has a right to a seat in the House of Lords, and I have the right to demand it."
"Children think in terms of rights and demands."
"Are you calling me a child, my lord?"
"In this, yes. Or perhaps undereducated."
Anger began to burn. "I have had an extensive and thorough education."
"You have stayed too much in the north."
"I like it in the north."
"Because here you can play childish games without consequences."
She glared at him, but beneath anger fear lurked, fueled by his obvious seriousness. "What does the king intend?" She forced out the terrifying words. "The Tower?"
"I do hope not. I would have to invoke habeas corpus on your behalf."
"Would he respect that?"
"He has just been forced to do so in the case of Mr. Wilkes. Here, unlike in France, a person may not be confined at the king's will, but must be brought to trial. However, the troubles of Mr. Wilkes serve to remind us that the king has sharp teeth and can bite."
Wilkes had written a piece for the North Briton critical of the king. He had ended up in the Tower for it, and was still only protected by his position as a member of Parliament.
Diana steadied her nerves. Ironhand, she chanted to herself. Her great ancestor would not be cowed by a monarch even younger than herself. "There is no similarity, my lord. I have not written articles criticizing the king. In fact, I have done nothing illegal or offensive at all."
"Precisely my point, if you will recall. However, you are in some danger."
"Why? Merely for requesting consideration of a plea to take my earldom's seat? Is it not everyone's right - "
With a flash of ruby, he waved that aside. "We have disposed of rights. Your petition disturbed the king, as it would disturb most men. I believe he wrote words such as unnatural and rebellious. More dangerously, it drew his attention to your existence and influence up here - you, a young, unmarried woman in a part of the country which still seems inclined to unrest. A part of the country close to Scotland, which still pose a threat."
"I'm not a rebel," she protested. "I'm as loyal and true as anyone. And he cannot dispose of me. The peers, the nation, would never stand for it!"
"Nor - more to the point - would I."
She wanted to laugh, but she had an unwelcome feeling that the marquess's support might well carry the most weight. "Then what danger do I face, my lord? This danger which presumably you cannot guard against."
Relaxed, long fingers lightly laced,