The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever

'I'm sorry, Miranda.'

Miranda stayed silent until Olivia finally kicked her. 'I accept your apology,' she said grudgingly.

Fiona nodded and ran off.

'I can't believe you called her a silly old cow,' Miranda said.

'You must learn to stand up for yourself, Miranda.'

'I was standing up for myself just fine before you came along, Livvy. I just wasn't doing it so loudly.'

Olivia sighed. 'Mama says I haven't an ounce of restraint or common sense.'

'You don't,' Miranda agreed.

'Miranda!'

'It's true, you don't. But I love you anyway.'

'And I love you, too, Miranda. And don't worry about silly old Fiona. You can marry Winston when you grow up and then we'll be sisters truly.'

Miranda glanced across the room and eyed Winston dubiously. He was yanking on a little girl's hair. 'I don't know,' she said hesitantly. 'I'm not sure I would wish to marry Winston.'

'Nonsense. It would be perfect. Besides, look, he just spilled punch on Fiona's dress.'

Miranda grinned.

'Come with me,' Olivia said, taking her hand. 'I want to open my gifts. I promise I'll squeal the loudest when I get to yours.'

The two girls walked back into the room, and Olivia and Winston opened their gifts. Mercifully (in Lady Rudland's opinion), they finished at four o'clock on the button, which was the time that the children were meant to go home. Not a single child was picked up by servants; an invitation to Haverbreaks was considered quite an honor, and none of the parents wanted to miss the opportunity to hobnob with the earl and countess. None of the parents besides Miranda's, that was. At five o'clock, she was still in the sitting room, assessing the birthday booty with Olivia.

'I can't imagine what has happened to your parents, Miranda,' Lady Rudland said.

'Oh, I can,' Miranda replied cheerfully. 'Mama's gone to Scotland to visit her mama, and I'm sure Papa has forgotten about me. He often does, you know, when he's working on a manuscript. He translates from the Greek.'

'I know.' Lady Rudland smiled.

'Ancient Greek.'

'I know,' Lady Rudland said on a sigh. This was not the first time Sir Rupert Cheever had misplaced his daughter. 'Well, you shall have to get home somehow.'

'I'll go with her,' Olivia suggested.

'You and Winston need to put away your new toys and write thank-you notes. If you don't do it tonight, you shan't remember who gave you what.'

'But you can't send Miranda home with a servant. She'll have no one to talk to.'

'I can talk to the servant,' Miranda said. 'I always talk to the ones at home.'

'Not ours,' Olivia whispered. 'They're starched and silent and they always look at me disapprovingly.'

'Most of the time you deserve to be looked at disapprovingly,' Lady Rudland interjected, giving her daughter a loving pat on the head. 'I have a treat for you, Miranda. Why don't we have Nigel bring you home?'

'Nigel!' Olivia squealed. 'Miranda, you lucky duck.'

Miranda raised her brows. She had never met Olivia's older brother. 'All right,' she said slowly. 'I should like to finally meet him. You talk about him so often, Olivia.'

Lady Rudland summoned a maid to fetch him. 'You've never met him, Miranda? How odd. Well, I suppose he's usually only home at Christmas, and you always go to Scotland for the holiday. I had to threaten to cut him off to get him home for the twins' birthday. As it was, he wouldn't attend the party for fear that one of the mamas would try to marry him off to a ten-year-old.'

'Nigel is nineteen, and he is very eligible,' Olivia said matter-of-factly. 'He's a viscount. And he's very handsome. He looks just like me.'

'Olivia!' Lady Rudland said reprovingly.

'Well, he does, Mama. I should be very handsome if I were a boy.'

'You're quite pretty as a girl, Livvy,' Miranda said loyally, eyeing her friend's blond locks with just a little envy.

'So are you. Here, pick one of Fiona-cow's ribbons. I don't need them all, anyway.'

Miranda smiled at her lie. Olivia was such a good friend. She looked down at the ribbons and perversely chose the violet satin. 'Thank you, Livvy. I shall wear it to lessons on Monday.'

'You called, Mother?'

At the sound of the deep voice, Miranda turned her face to the doorway and almost gasped. There stood quite the most splendid creature she had ever beheld. Olivia had said that Nigel was nineteen, but Miranda immediately recognized him as the man he already was. His shoulders were marvelously broad, and the rest of him was lean and firm. His hair was darker than Olivia's but still streaked with gold, attesting to time spent out in the sun. But the best part about him, Miranda immediately decided, was his eyes, which were bright, bright blue, just like Olivia's. They twinkled just as mischievously, too.

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.'

He smiled down at her. Something had tugged at his heart when he saw this little girl with the too-serious expression playing with his indomitable sister. She was a funny-looking little creature, but there was something quite lovable about her big, soulful brown eyes.

'What are you called?' Miranda asked.

He smiled at her direct manner. 'Turner.'