Mrs. Astor turned as the two of them stood close together in the doorway. She smiled.

“So good of you to join us,” she said. “I was beginning to think you were just going to lurk in the hall all day.”

She stalked towards them, giving Sonia a once over. “Sonia, dear, I would have much less of a problem with you if you stood to inherit anything. As it stands, Arabella has already had two eligible offers and I simply cannot allow her to risk our empire for ...