Magnificent Devices 07 - A Lady of Integrity by Shelley Adina Page A

with them, frittering away his money and his time.”
    “They can only give the advice they know to be true for themselves,” Claire said. “But don’t fret. Between you and Maggie, he will see the light. Just not tonight. You have work to do.”
    Below them, a glossy black gondola slipped through the dark water, poled by a man in a loose shirt and trousers. A giggling crowd of girls in filmy white dresses and white face paint, their eyes hollowed out with black, filled it practically to sinking.
    “Wilis,” Claire said. “You know, the spirits of jilted maidens in Giselle , the ballet.”
    Watching them float away, Lizzie asked, “Is that where that expression comes from—‘he gives me the willies’?”
    Wherever the word came from, Alice had the willies, well and truly, and the prickly feeling on the back of her neck under Colombina’s wig only increased as they presented their invitations, were welcomed into the palazzo , and twenty minutes later located Gloria and her chaperone in the ballroom.
    “Oh, thank goodness.” Gloria practically fell on Alice’s and Claire’s necks. “Given that Father isn’t your favorite person in the world, I thought you might not come.”
    “I’ve got nothing against him now,” Alice said. “He’s paid the debt the government of the Canadas required, and you can’t ask for more than that.”
    The words weren’t entirely true, but Alice was glad she’d fibbed when Gloria’s face softened with relief. “You’re so kind.” She turned to Claire and squeezed her hand. “All of you. I’m lucky to have friends like you.” The orchestra struck up a waltz, and she clapped her hands. “Listen! It’s Strauss—my favorite.”
    How could such a wicked man have a daughter as guileless as Gloria? Alice wondered. Or was her approach to life the only way she could survive—the equivalent of hiding one’s face behind one’s hands?
    “Gloria,” Claire said, “I believe your father is coming this way. Is he dressed as a Roman emperor?”
    “I don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise me. He’s bound to make comments about my coming alone. Oh, if only I had a partner!”
    Alice nudged the captain. “Go on. Ask the girl to dance,” she said in a low tone.
    “I am not leaving you,” he replied stiffly.
    “I’ll be right here with Claire and Andrew. Quick. You’ve got a title and you’re eligible. You could get her pa off her back for weeks with one dance.”
    “Great Scott.” The captain implored patience of the frescoes on the ceiling. “Very well. Miss Meriwether-Astor, would you honor me?”
    Gloria skipped off with him so fast she might not have been there at all, and by the time her father joined them, she and the captain had whirled halfway around the floor.
    “Mr. Meriwether-Astor, what a pleasure to see you again,” Claire said politely, extending her hand.
    Alice would rather simply have shot him, but that wouldn’t be polite.
    The man peered at Claire from under the leafy excrescence of his laurel crown. “I’m sorry, you have the advantage of me. Did I see you speaking with my daughter?”
    “You did. She has procured invitations for us, for which we are most grateful. I was at school with her in London, and met you briefly in the Canadas, in Edmonton at the governor’s ball. I am Lady Claire Trevelyan,” she said rather grandly, and introduced everyone but Alice, who did her best to melt into the crowd behind them, close enough to hear but far enough away to appear not to be with their party.
    So this was the man who had nearly gotten her pa strung up like a criminal. Who had backed the French pretender to the throne in hopes of being the power behind it, and financed an invasion that had only failed because of the quick wits and bravery of the sixteen-year-old girl standing not three feet away. This stout, barrel-shaped man with the red face and the iron eyes was forbidden both European and English skies.
    So what was he doing here,