Alice woke feeling very hungry. Was this how she usually reacted to stress? No, it was her body looking for sustenance. She smiled as she looked at the table. Betty had left her some bread and soup. She wondered where Betty had gone. Anything to avoid thinking about last night. Her dress was gone as well as her reticule. Betty must be returning them to the duke, she told herself. Then it hit her.

"Oh no, my necklace," she exclaimed, remembering it was still in the purse.

She couldn't be without the only connection to her family. It was the only thing of value she owned. Now she would have to call upon the duke, but perhaps Jarvis would just give her the necklace. After all, he would know it was hers as it had been with her on the day she arrived at the duke's home. Her little case was where she had left it, and she took out the better of her two dresses to call upon the duke.

As she readied herself to leave, Betty returned.

"Where are you going?" she asked and Alice explained herself.

"No, Alice, I do not think that is a good idea. Just let it go. It isn't worth it. My fear is that you will be arrested and then you'll be done for. You won't survive prison."

Was she right? Alice asked herself. Alice knew she didn't know much in the way of the world. She had always held the view that to tell the truth was the right thing to do but recent circumstances had taught her this wasn't the case. It didn't seem right to her, but she couldn't risk it. The duke and Edmund would be socially shamed for believing her. She could hear the gossip in her mind, wasn't it obvious she wasn't of their class, imagine how she must have used her feminine charms to fool them. No, Betty was right. She couldn't waltz back and expect them just to take her word of having amnesia. They would be looking for atonement.

"I saw your young man. He did seem quite charming," Betty wasn't going to reveal any more. It wouldn't do for Alice to get her hopes up. Edmund was just being a gentleman by looking for her. Betty's duty was to protect Alice now.

"What did he say, Betty?"

She looked into Alice's hopeful face. Alice had to be taken out of her fantasy. Betty knew that love clouded judgment.

"No, Alice, I didn't get to speak to him much. The butler called him away. We shall have to think about what kind of work you can do. Jim has heard that a family is looking for a nanny. He owns the factory Jim works in and they would be interested in you. Jim has said you are his sister who has been recently widowed, and therefore, have no references. It's something until you can find better."

"Betty, I don't know what I'd do without you. Last night, I realized I was alone with nowhere to go, except to you. You were the only one I could turn to. How lucky you are to have Jim. God bless you both for looking after me."

"You are a nice young woman and you need someone on your side. It wasn't right what was done to you, and I have no doubt that Connie was involved, but unless we can prove it, then you are to blame. Alice, did I ever show you the photograph from the newspaper that Mrs. Dempsey sent showing us the toff that Connie said she was involved with? It was too funny to throw away. We always thought she was a liar. It was from last Season." Betty knew Alice needed to find humor in something to break her state of mind.

"Look at this," Betty showed her the image of four young people in the society pages.

"Goodness gracious me!" Alice couldn't believe what she was seeing. Bosley was the man that Connie claimed to be seeing. Now it was coming back to her. At the Guildford estate, she had seen Connie with Bosley.

"That's the man who disgraced Edmund last night. He brought Lady Jane to Almack's just to unmask me."

"Then he's a cad and typical of the sort of company Connie keeps. The only way to shift jewelry like that would be to have connections. He would give Connie that connection and could easily sell the jewels off. No one would question one of them. But knowing and proving are two different things, Alice. But at least you know the truth."

Betty watched Alice as she sat down.

"Betty, Edmund needs to be protected from him. He needs to know the truth. I'm sure if I told the duke then…"

"No, Alice. They will not believe you. It will come across as revenge for him outing you in public. You are the one that will suffer. Forget about how kind they were. They were kind because they thought you were one of them. They will always stick together. It's different now. You're a commodity. Leave it be."

"But Betty, you don't know them like I do."

"No, Alice. You don't know them as Alice. You know them as Miss Faith, the damsel in distress. You are nothing to them. If you had been dressed as you are, they would have sent you on your merry way when the carriage ran into you. If you wish to clear your name, then we can see what we can do, but nothing more. You cannot go to them. I can see you are disappointed in my words, and I have no wish to be harsh with your, Alice, but you need looking after. Why don't you make dinner tonight? It will help to get your mind off this whole sorry business."

Alice didn't wish to be dismissive of Betty. She had nowhere else to go and Betty was only trying to be kind. It didn't help that her heart was back with the duke and Edmund. She sighed as she began to prepare dinner. This was usually the time she began to dress for dinner. Just a mere twenty-four hours ago, her main concern was that her family wouldn't be as warm as the duke and Edmund. She had gone from being a lady to a maid, and she would have to start her new job sooner rather than later.

Their evening was quiet. Alice didn't wish to be intrusive and excused herself after clearing away the dishes.

"Alice, my boss said for you to call upon his wife tomorrow. Here is the address." Jim gave her the piece of paper, "It's a live-in position, which is good."

She knew he meant it as a positive for the job, but she couldn't help feeling a little sad that again she would be uprooted.

"That was very kind of you to go to so much trouble," she said as she settled into her little corner bed.

Her world was about to change again.