Grace talking to another debutante wasn't bad news at all, was it? Ford wasn't sure whether her nerves were just as problematic with other women as they seemed to be in more formal settings, but if she could make a good impression with someone's sister, that could be a mark in their favor. He searched his mental catalogue for the Fawleys and tried to think. There was a Mr. Fawley, some years older and already married, he thought, so no help there. One Miss Fawley had just become Mrs. Abbott this year, wasn't that so? And if he remembered correctly, Mr. Abbott had an unmarried brother — but getting a friend to introduce you to her sister's husband's brother was a bit of a stretch. Word had certainly traveled shorter distances before, but it was nothing they could count on doing them any favors.

"What about Verity?" he asked instead. He'd lost track of his sister after the last dance, but maybe Noble had seen her off with someone or other.