Miranda smiled. Her mother always said that one could tell a person by his eyes, and Olivia's brother had very good eyes.

"Nigel, would you please be so kind as to escort Miranda home?" Lady Rudland asked. "Her father seems to have been detained."

Miranda wondered why he winced when she said his name.

"Certainly, Mother. Olivia, did you have a good party?"

"Smashing."

"Where is Winston?"

Olivia shrugged. "He's off playing with the saber Billy Evans gave him."

"Not a real one, I hope."

"God help us if it is," Lady Rudland put in. "All right, Miranda, let's get you home. I believe your cloak is in the next room." She disappeared through the doorway and emerged a few seconds later with Miranda's serviceable brown coat.

"Shall we be off, Miranda?" The godlike creature held out his hand to her.

Miranda shrugged on her coat and placed her hand in his. Heaven!

"I will see you on Monday!" Olivia called out. "And don't worry about what Fiona said. She's just a silly old cow."

"Olivia!"

"Well, she is, Mama. I don't want to have her back."

Miranda smiled as she let Olivia's brother lead her down the hall, Olivia's and Lady Rudland's voices slowly fading away. "Thank you very much for taking me home, Nigel," she said softly.

He winced again.

"I'm- I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I ought to be calling you 'my lord,' oughtn't I? It's just that Olivia and Winston always refer to you by your given name and I- " She cast miserable eyes toward the floor. Only two minutes in his splendid company, and already she'd blundered.

He stopped and crouched down so that she could see his face. "Don't worry about the 'my lord,' Miranda. I'll tell you a secret."

Miranda's eyes widened, and she forgot to breathe.

"I despise my given name."

"That's not much of a secret, Nig- I mean, my lord, I mean, whatever you wish to be called. You wince every time your mother says it."