Sebastian folded his arms and leaned against the wardrobe. He gazed meditatively at Prudence. "Naive is not quite the right word for Miss Merryweather. Harebrained might be a better one. Reckless. Ungovernable. Imprudent. Yes, I can think of a variety of terms that suit Miss Merryweather far better than naive."

She pushed her spectacles higher on her nose and glared at him. "That is unfair, my lord. I am attempting to explain this extremely upsetting situation to Lord Thornbridge. He has every right to know how we come to be in his wife's bedroom."

"By all means," Sebastian replied, his golden eyes brilliant with devilish laughter. "Explain it to him."

Annoyance flared in her as she realized he was not going to help her out at all. Damn the man, he was amusing himself again, this time at her expense. Considering the fact that they were in this situation because of his actions and that she was merely attempting to save his wretched neck, the least he could do was assist her in the task. Pru­dence turned back to Thornbridge.

"The thing is, my lord, this is all a terrible misunderstanding," she said earnestly.

Thornbridge cut her off with a flick of his hand. Now that he was no longer obliged to play the outraged husband, he had apparently decided to assume another role, that of the outraged host. He drew himself up and gave Sebastian a narrow-eyed look.

"Do not trouble yourself, Miss Merryweather. The facts speak for themselves. You are alone up here in a bedchamber with one of the most notorious men of the ton. No further explanations are neces­sary."

Prudence hesitated as she began to sense the new direction in which this was all going. She cautiously cleared her throat. "Sir, I believe you are under a very serious misapprehension."

Thornbridge paid her no heed. He was still glowering self-righ-teously at Sebastian. "Well, sir? Do you intend to do the proper thing by this young woman?"

Still standing with one shoulder propped against the wardrobe, Sebastian inclined his head with mocking gallantry. "As it happens, Thornbridge, Miss Merryweather and I are in this bedchamber be­cause we were seeking some privacy in which to discuss our future. I have decided it is time I married. For her part, Miss Merryweather has wisely concluded that she is not likely to get a better offer due to her advanced years. We have therefore reached an agreement."

"Angelstone," Prudence got out in a strangled voice.

Sebastian did not even hesitate. "Allow me to present my fiancee, sir. Miss Merryweather and I are engaged."

I am sorry to have to say this, my lord, but the disaster in which we find ourselves is entirely your fault," Prudence announced as Sebastian turned the sleek black phaeton into the crowded park.

"You are far too generous, my dear." Sebastian guided the two beautifully matched black horses into the stream of traffic. "I believe we can give you most of the credit for last night's proceedings."

Prudence retreated beneath the brim of her plain chip straw bon­net. She twitched her slate-colored bombazine skirts over her sturdy half boots and sought for a way to defend herself. "I was only trying to help."

"Were you, indeed?"

"If you had allowed me to make the explanations to Lord Thorn-bridge, everything would have been satisfactorily resolved." Prudence gazed straight ahead, acutely aware of the stares she and Sebastian were receiving from passing carriages.

It had been like this since last night when Thornbridge had accom­panied them back to the ballroom and announced the news of the Fallen Angel's engagement.

The Thornbridges' guests had been first stunned and then titillated and finally deeply intrigued. This was far and away the most entertain­ing event of the Season. The notion of the Fallen Angel marrying the amusing Original was obviously more than most members of the ton could bring themselves to believe.

Society's reaction was nothing compared to that of Hester and Trevor. They had been shocked speechless. Sebastian had warned Pru­dence not to attempt to explain the situation to either of them, as it ‘t

would only make things more complicated. Prudence was forced to agree with him on that score.

Surprisingly, it was Hester who had recovered first from the stun­ning announcement. Once she had digested the news, her eyes had turned oddly speculative.

"Not quite what I expected," Hester had mused. "But then, the Fallen Angel rarely does what one expects. And it follows that he would choose someone out of the ordinary for his future countess."

"He's playing another one of his bloody games," Trevor had snarled.

"I'm not so certain of that," Hester had said. "An engagement is an honorable commitment. Whatever else one can say about Angel-stone, he has never been known to break his word. In any event, there's nothing to be done about it now. Prue is engaged to the Fallen Angel and that's a simple fact. We shall have to go on as if everything were quite normal."

The engagement was definitely not a normal event as far as polite society was concerned. All of London was agog. Sebastian had de­creed the drive in the park this afternoon, saying it was better to make a bold show than to try to hide from the unwanted attention. Pru­dence was not entirely certain that his reasoning was correct.

"Pray, do not take offense, Prue," he now said. "The truth is that your explanations to Thornbridge were doing more harm than good."

Prudence glared at him. "I do not see how they could have done any more harm than your ridiculous explanations, my lord. And I do not recall giving you leave to call me by my first name."

Sebastian's mouth curved faintly. "I didn't think you would mind. We are engaged, after all."

"Not by my doing."

"No?" Sebastian's black brow arched mockingly. "What did you think was going to happen when you leaped out of that wardrobe?"

Prudence clutched her large, practical reticule very tightly. "I was attempting to save your life, sir. In case you had not noticed, you were in a somewhat untenable position at the time."

"Yes, I was, wasn't I?" Sebastian looked unconcerned about the matter. "But you jumped to my rescue and I was saved."

"I am glad you appreciate that much, at least." She was stung by his amused sarcasm. "Under the terms of the bargain we made, I was in your debt. I was merely attempting to discharge my obligation to you."

"Ah, yes, our bargain."

"I thought I could repay you by saving you from Lord Thorn-bridge."

"I see."

Prudence subsided back into the guilt-ridden gloom she had been nursing since last night. "I collect you must be very angry, my lord."

Sebastian shrugged. "Not particularly."

Baffled, Prudence slanted him a sidelong glance. "Why ever not?"

"I don't think that our engagement will be a problem."

Prudence brightened. "You have a plan for dealing with our pre­dicament?"

"I suppose one could say that I have."

Prudence gazed at him in growing respect and relief. "My lord, that is excellent news. What, precisely, do you intend to do?"

Sebastian smiled at her, but his gaze was unreadable. "It's a very simple plan, my dear. I intend to enjoy to the fullest the benefits of being an engaged man."

Prudence's mouth fell open. "I beg your pardon?"

"You‘ heard me." Sebastian inclined his head with chilling civility to an elderly lady in a passing carriage who was staring at the black phaeton. The woman looked away quickly.

"You intend to let our engagement stand?" Prudence demanded in disbelief. "Why on earth would you want to do that?"

"I don't see that we have much choice in the matter, do you? If we announce to the world that our engagement is a hoax, your reputation will be in shreds."