There were all sorts of explanations, but the end result was that she was dealing with the disaster of the impending duel alone.

And she was making absolutely no progress trying to break down Gideon's stubborn, autocratic insistence on handling the thing by himself.

Harriet was standing with a small group of friends from the Fossils and Antiquities Society when Felicity found her.

"Applegate and Fry have arrived," Felicity announced. "I saw them a moment ago. I believe they are looking for your husband."

Lady Youngstreet's eyes took on an air of excitement. "This is it, then. Fry said they were going to track Morland down this afternoon one way or another and force him to agree to a time and place."

"Oh, dear," Harriet said, feeling helpless.

"I daresay I have never heard of a duel taking place amid so much publicity before," one of the other members of the group muttered. "Very odd."

Sir George, an expert on femurs, looked grave. "They will have to be cautious or the authorities will discover the time and place. Arrests will be made."

"Good God," Harriet whispered. She was momentarily staggered by the notion of Gideon in prison.

Felicity patted her arm reassuringly. "Do not worry, Harriet. I do not believe St. Justin would have started this unless he knew how to finish it properly."

"That is what he keeps saying." Harriet stood on tiptoe to see if she could spot Gideon. His size usually made it quite easy to find him in a crowd.

He was standing on the far side of the ballroom near the windows. Harriet thought she could just make out the top of Lord Fry's bald head next to him.

A ripple of conversation washed over the crowd. It began at the far side of the ballroom and crested like a wave in Harriet's direction.

The murmur of voices grew louder as the wave rolled toward her.

"What is it?" Harriet asked Felicity. "What is going on?"

"I do not know yet. Something has happened." Felicity waited expectantly.

Sir George assumed a worldly air. "Expect the location has been established. Probably agreed on pistols. No one uses rapiers anymore. Much too old-fashioned."

"May as well hold the thing in Drury Lane and invite the tow," Lady Youngstreet observed.

Harriet clutched Felicity's arm. "What am I going to do? I cannot allow St. Justin to fight this duel."

"Wait and see what happens," Felicity advised.

The roar of conversation was closer now, almost upon them. A few words could be heard clearly.

"Left for the Continent…"

"… Not a word to anyone…"

"Even his own staff did not know…"

"A damnable coward…"

"… Always said he was too handsome for his own good. Obviously no backbone in the man…"

Someone leaned over to speak to Lady Youngstreet. Lady Youngstreet listened attentively and then turned to make the announcement to the small group gathered around Harriet. Everyone waited breathlessly.

"Morland has fled to the Continent," Lady Youngstreet stated. "Packed his bags and vanished in the middle of the night. Did not even inform his staff. His creditors will be pounding on his door in the morning."

Everyone broke into excited conversation. Harriet felt dazed. She tried to catch Lady Youngstreet's attention. "Do you mean there will not be a duel?"

"Apparently not. Morland has turned coward and fled," Lady Youngstreet said. "St. Justin has driven him right out of the country."

Sir George nodded, looking wise. "Always said St. Justin had plenty of gumption. Had to have it in order to put up with the sort of thing he's faced during the past few years."

"Obviously the things that were said about him must have been lies," Lady Youngstreet declared. "Our Harriet would never have married him if he had not been a man of strong character."

The other members of the group murmured agreement.

Harriet was so relieved, she barely heard what the others were saying. "Felicity, there is not going to be a duel."

"Yes, I know." Felicity laughed. "You can stop quarreling with St. Justin now. It is all over. And if I am not mistaken, I believe your husband has managed to wipe the stain off his honor in the process. Quite remarkable."

"There never was a stain on his honor," Harriet said automatically. "It was all just gossip."

"Yes, well, that is apparently everyone else's opinion now, too." Felicity smiled. "Amazing how swiftly Society can do an about-face, is it not? Everyone prefers to back an obvious winner. St. Justin is going to wake up tomorrow morning and discover that he is all the rage."

But Harriet was no longer listening. She saw the crowd part and realized that Gideon was striding toward her through the huge throng. Several people attempted to speak to him, but Gideon looked neither to the right nor the left. His gleaming gaze was fixed on Harriet and it did not waver as he came to a halt in front of her and took her hand.

"I believe they are about to play a waltz, my dear. Will you favor me with this dance?"

"Oh, Gideon, yes. " Harriet cried softly. She rushed into his arms.

Gideon laughed exultantly as he swept her out onto the dance floor.

A long while later, seated in the carriage on the trip home, Harriet confronted Gideon. It was the first time she had had him alone all evening.

"Is it truly over, Gideon?"

"It would appear so. It took some work for Applegate and Fry to discover what happened to Morland, but they finally tracked down the facts this evening. I think they were quite disappointed to learn that he had fled the country. They had been looking forward to fulfilling all their duties as seconds."

Harriet eyed him intently. "Tell me, Gideon, is this the way you planned it all along? Did you know Morland would run away rather than face you in a duel?"

Gideon shrugged. "It was a distinct possibility from the start. I knew him to be a coward."

"You should have told me, Gideon I have been so worried."

"I could not be certain it would work out this way. Which was why I did not confide in you, my dear. I did not want to raise your hopes. There was still the chance that I would actually have to meet him and I knew the notion upset you."

Harriet was torn between relief and anger. "I do wish you would discuss things with me, my lord. It is very annoying to be kept in the dark."

"I did what I thought was best, Harriet."

"Your notion of what is best does not always coincide with mine," she told him forcefully. "You are far too accustomed to acting without bothering with explanations. You must learn to curb that tendency."

Gideon smiled faintly. "Are you going to spend the rest of the night lecturing me, my dear? Personally, I can think of other things I would rather do."

Harriet sighed as the carriage came to a halt in front of the townhouse. "If I were not so terribly relieved to know you are safe, I vow, I would lecture you all night and straight through until morning."

"But I am safe," Gideon drawled softly as a footman opened the door. "And you are relieved. So we shall skip the lectures and go to bed, hmm?"

Harriet threw him a wry glance as she was handed down. Gideon stepped down behind her, took her arm, and guided her up the steps. He was still smiling.

The door opened and Owl appeared. His dour face looked even more grim than usual. "Good evening, my lady. Your lordship."

Harriet eyed him warily. "Has someone died, Owl?"

"No, madam." Owl looked at Gideon. "We have guests."

"Guests?" Gideon stopped smiling. "Who the hell is paying us a visit at this late hour? I have not extended an invitation to anyone."

"Your parents have arrived, sir."

Harriet was delighted. "Wonderful."

"My parents," Gideon exploded. His eyes darkened with anger. "Bloody hell. What the devil are they doing here?"