Henry asked, honestly bewildered. Helena glared at him. “What every man does—makes a mess of women’s lives.” She refused to look at him and instead turned to Louise. “I think it was a terribly tactless thing for you to bring him here, now that we know his true nature.” Henry turned to Louise. “Know what? I thought you said Bea wanted to see me.” He had run into the Duchess of Argyll and her sometime traveling companion Stephen Byrne in Germany. The American Civil War veteran had served on the queen’s Secret Service until Her Majesty tossed him out of her employ and her country. “She did. She does, I’m sure of it.” Louise turned to look down the hallway as if Beatrice might have left a visible wake marking her dramatic departure. “I don’t know why she’s acting this way. She was broken hearted when Mama forced her to write and reject your proposal.” “I know why,”
