Colin had his tablet out on the table, taking notes as a silver-haired woman gave instructions. They both frowned at Kate's furry shadow but said nothing. A local constable stood up and introduced himself along with the production's head of security who continued to scowl at the screen in front of him. The silence stretched for an uncomfortable few minutes before the middle- aged man with the regulation hair-cut cleared his throat.

"Do you want to explain how Sarah-Anne Lincoln can be simultaneously performing in a West End play and dancing with your crew here?" He asked Vince.

"I came last-minute to help my roommate. Vince knew I could handle the choreo so let it slide." Kate jumped in with her explanation.

"I was not addressing you Miss...."

"Kate Windslow, I didn't mean to cause any trouble." She looked down at hands and then cast a pleading look at Colin.

"My contract only says the number of dancers required. It does not specify which ones," Vince said defensively.

"I suppose you thought the forms they each needed for the security checks were unnecessary busywork." The man's tone rang with sarcasm.

"Not at all. I did inform the site-coordinator and costume mistress and assumed they passed the information along." Vince looked over at Colin who shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"We all wanted to keep a lid on it. We didn't want the Daniel and Kate train derailing the publicity campaigns we have ready to roll." Colin said. He straightened up as the silver-haired woman nodded her approval.

"Given how rabid their fans were last fall, you didn't think our security team might appreciate a head's up?"

"Not when pretty much everything going to your team has ended up in the hands of the paparazzi." Colin's accusation seemed to startle the Constable but not the security officer.

"Doubtful," the man said calmly. Then he pointed at the screen. "My contacts shared some the files assembled during the competition. Seems Miss Windslow attracted numerous offers to defend her honor, rescue her from the clutches of the older men taking advantage, as it were. Some of the threats are extremely specific."

"I'm aware." Vince said. Kate gave him a confused look but he just shook his head. "We were confident it would all blow over once the broadcasts wrapped."

"Did it?" the constable asked.

"There is no proof the firebombing of my former studios was in anyway connected to the show," Vince said. "Especially since Kate is affiliated with a dance academy, not my crew."

"But the Met were concerned enough to keep tabs on your communications," the security officer pointed at the computer.

Vince shrugged, "They had to start somewhere but I'm not sure what any of this has to do with what's been happening here."

"There are distinct similarities between the communications Miss Clayburn received over this past month, and the ones sent to Miss Windslow when the competition was on the air." The security chief explained.

"But it won't be long before you catch up to him, right?" Kate looked from the security officer to the constable.

"Your photo is a good start. We sent it up for matching but there are not guarantees we will get an i.d.," the constable warned.

"I'm not real keen on sitting around waiting for the shoe to drop as it were." Kate unconsciously imitated Sarah-Anne's posh accent. "I can't imagine Liz putting up with it either."

"You're right. She even talked Daniel into a scheme to flush out the stalker," Colin went on to explain the plan for a staged confrontation between Daniel, Vince, and Kate someplace they could count on some tabloid journalists to show up.

"My sister is ready to volunteer her pub, as long as I can promise her favorite temp worker will be in no danger," the constable said while smiling at Kate. "I'm sure Chief and Commander will want to come along for the adventure."

"What about your promotions schedule?" Kate looked directly at the older woman.

"They told me you were clever," the woman said while doodling on a piece of paper. "Are you clever enough to learn some lines? We can throw in a twist about an unknown cousin showing up from the colonies. Just enough to throw the fans of the books off the scent for an episode or two. I can't wait to see how many new theories they can come up with." She chuckled then winked at Colin.

"Are we going to have to re-do all the ballroom scenes?" Kate asked.

"Not re-do, but certainly add. I'm afraid we will have to extend Vince's contract for another week."

"Not all my crew will be able to stay on, not without at least a couple of days back in the city to sort out their other obligations," Vince warned.

"I have examinations coming up so can't give you more than a couple of extra days, and I am going to need solid practice time," Kate insisted.

"The Earl asked both you and Miss Clayburn to stay in the family wing of the house. It would certainly help us better coordinate our resources." The security officer still sounded a bit put out.

"I don't think Chief would have it any other way," Kate said giving the dog a quick pat. She looked around the table before asking, "What's next?"

"I think we should put you in Tony's capable hands, let him come up with your new looks. Nothing too radical if we want to keep the changing places game plausible," Colin said. The older woman handed him a page of hastily written notes and bid them a good-day.

"Are you and Daniel going to be safe?" Kate asked Vince before leaving. "It doesn't feel right, I mean the guy must be pretty out there. We have no idea what might happen when we push his buttons."

"Safer if we draw him to us here than if we run into him at random in London," Vince looked very determined.

"Alright. But be careful," Kate said.

"I should say the same to you even with your impressive new bodyguard," Vince nodded at the dog who answered with a warning growl.

Tony seemingly passed the test, as it took Kate a few minutes of persuasion to send Chief back up to the house instead of going into the make-up trailer. She settled in front of the mirror with a sigh.

"You're frowning," Tony said while brushing his hands across her forehead. "Come on, tell uncle all about it."

"Are men aways like this?" Kate asked.

"Like what love, you need to be more specific." He stared back at her in the mirror.

"All secretive, deceptive, annoyingly. We won't tell her what's going on and worry her little head about her own safety." Her lower lip started to tremble. "Like I don't know how to defend myself, or think for that matter."

"Maybe they can't help being protective," Tony said handing her a hairband.

"As if! Oh, so protective of Daniel dropping me just before the final because I might have a sore knee. Like I don't live in my own body and know my limits. The jerk! And now I find out Vince had the production company keep back information about security threats."

"I get it could be annoying but why are you upset about it now, isn't it all water under the bridge?" Tony picked up a kit off the bench and asked "Have you ever had your brows threaded? I'm guessing not."

"Not after a couple of the girls in the studio at home came back needing a special wand to paint on something that was supposed to look natural. It was so gross."

"I won't do anything extreme. Just lift the arch a smidge." He worked quickly but it still hurt.

"Ouch. I thought you were my friend," Kate complained. "Mind you its probably safer to keep your distance. At least until they manage to flush out the stalker. Daniel and Vince are going to try to help but its all a bit vague." She lifted her thumb nail to her mouth but Tony stopped her before she could start chewing on it.

"There you are worrying about them. Don't you think they might be worried about you?" Tony put his finger under her chin and moved her head side to side. He put stripes of foundation on the back of his hand and held them beside her face.

"Maybe, they should talk to me first and not treat me like a child." Kate continued to pout.

"It's not always easy, you know. Especially, when you find someone attractive, you can end up doing things more out of instinct. Call it a guy thing." Tony said.

"More like a head up your ass thing." Kate's comment made Tony snort.

"Oh love. I know you want to fight your own battles but they obviously care enough to make your fights their own," Tony went to work with the rest of the palette he had selected. "Would you rather they cowered down and hid behind you?"

"No but you've got it all wrong. I'm not attractive, not to them, just a bratty little sister, is all." Kate crossed her arms.

"In that outfit? Or any ballroom costume?" Tony shook his head.

Kate tugged the flared skirt lower on her legs, "Right, good old thunder-thighs with the big butt."

"You can't be serious," he shook his head then spun her chair so she faced away from the mirror. "You are not seeing what we see. Your proportions are perfect for the job you ask your body to do."

"No, they're not. I'm way to square for any ballet company. Trust me." Kate blinked back the tears this disappointment threatened to unleash whenever she thought about it.

"If anyone told you that, they were just being cruel. It's true you won't easily blend into a corps but I've seen you practicing, it's obvious you are meant to solo, not blend in." Tony finished up her face then turned her back face the mirror. "You need to make friends with yourself my girl."

Kate could not help smiling at what Tony's work produced. Her eyes now looked more mysterious than elfin, her cheekbones sharper, her lips more inviting. It was a face for a confident woman. "You've worked a miracle," she whispered.

"Hardly. I just made it easier to see what was already there." Tony said while lightly squeezing her shoulders.

Kate need the confidence Tony's make-over provided when she walked into the family dining room that evening. Liz was there with Daniel, showing her possessiveness in many subtle ways, while he seemed almost obsessively attentive to her whims. Kate was also rattled to realize Bill and Alex from the pub were actually the Earl of Havershold and his business manager.

"You told me you were farmers," she said.

"And we are. There's nearly three hundred acres under cultivation and a hundred and fifty sheep out on the grazing. We have also been busy this year trying to recover some of the wetlands on the edge of the forest preserve," Alex said.

"Seems like a lot." Kate said slowly, trying to think of some comparisons. She looked to Daniel but he did not seem to be following the conversation.

"It takes a village," William remarked.

"You own a village," Liz added flatly.

"It's not what you are thinking," Alex started to explain.

"What, like your hereditary honors are not a feudal hold-over. I bet even the parish priest owes his living to the estate." Liz said.

"Her living," William corrected but admitted, "You are not entirely wrong, I was born and raised with both privilege and responsibilities. Making the transition to a corporation is a delicate process. We started with the villagers becoming shareholders and having them nominate their own advisory council. Still, it is true the estate supports the parish incumbent as part deal struck in the 1500's. We publicly supported the established church so our family chapel being consecrated catholic could be ignored."

"Wasn't it dangerous? Weren't there persecutions?" Daniel's interest in history made him curious.

"It was a tightrope walk combining careful investments, political skills and avoiding any public scandals. There is a rather good local history covering the period if you are interested." William offered before shifting his attention to Kate. "What about your family, how long have they been in Canada?"

"One side came north after the War of 1812, so mostly stodgy conservative types. I know less about the other side. When I was a girl my grandmother told me her mother had run away from some great house with an Irish Catholic boy. Unfortunately, he died on the ship over, so she ended up virtually penniless in Halifax but managed to work her way west teaching piano and giving recitals until she was swept off her feet by a wealthy cattle rancher. It was the sort of romantic fairytale you might use to entertain a small girl." Kate blushed at William's close scrutiny.

"It might not be all that fanciful. You're Mom inherited the sapphire broach, didn't she," Daniel said.

Kate looked startled. "I can't believe you remembered it," she said.

"You had it as your screensaver for ages," Daniel answered.

Liz looked annoyed and tried to draw attention back to more immediate concerns. She was disconcerted by Kate objecting to Daniel and Vince serving as potential targets for the stalker. "There's no reason to rush things. The images on my phone might not be great but at least they're time stamped. So, there must be security footage or maybe dashcams to check." Kate looked over at Alex.

"The police have our full cooperation," he assured her, without admitting their cameras had been tampered with. He found the situation extremely frustrating since the intruder look vaguely familiar in the few images they did have. He had gone through that section of Kate's video frame-by-frame dozens of times. He thought his boss might wear out his phone watching the video but whether it was hard to say whether it was the intruder or the dancer which held the earl's attention.

Chief and Commander came in after dinner looking for their master. William invited Kate to come with them for their evening stroll and she happily agreed. The dogs were very playful near the house but in more of a guarding mode as they neared the middle of the formal gardens. They started barking at the gazebo.

"Friends," a man's voice called as he stepped into better light. A half-dressed Bethany peaked out from behind Devlin.

"That's not a room," Kate teased her embarrassed friend before calling Chief back to head toward the house.

"I dare say its far from the first time the gardens have been used for a tryst," William chuckled.

"I hope Bethany knows what she's doing. She's not very good with casual fun and games and Devlin has almost as bad a reputation as Phillip." Kate shared her worry.

"Not all reputations are deserved, and even when they are, people can change," William said.

"You're right. People change." Kate shrugged.

William cleared his throat before asking, "So were you and Daniel very close?"

"You mean outside of being dance partners? I don't know. I used to think so but these days it feels like wishful thinking." She looked away for a minute.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to intrude, it's just the way he watches you so closely. Like noticing your screensaver." William paused as they got back to the house, "I did want to ask you. Did you happen to notice any familiar details in Lady Kathleen's portrait?"

"The one in the drawing room? I was just startled by how much she looked like my aunt but didn't take it all in," Kate said.

"Let's have another look." William guided her down the hall making jokes about some of his relatives as he went. He stepped back to give Kate room to look at the portrait, struck once again by her resemblance to his wayward relative. It took Kate a minute to spot the broach in the rich folds of the blue dress. Delicate floral sprigs arched around a heart-shaped collection of diamonds. She took out her phone to bring up a picture of her mother's keepsake.

"It's so close. I mean without the diamonds of course." Kate shared the picture with William.

"Yes, well, the family legend holds the Earl caught her in a lie and had the broach done-over to make it heartless like its owner but the artist would not agree to the change. The portrait was then stowed away, only coming out of storage a generation later when Lady Kathleen's namesake went missing."

"Fascinating," Kate murmured as she continued to study the portrait.

"Oh, there you are," Daniel said bursting into the room. "The local constable wants to go over some of the details for tomorrow with you." He stopped and did a double take at the portrait and Kate. "Woah, that's weird. Put you in a Georgian dress and it could be you."

"You see it too?" William said with a quiet voice.

"No way to miss it. Does it mean you are related?" Daniel asked.

"Not likely, or if we are it would be distant cousins," Kate said with a quick glance at William.

"Possibly third cousins but it will take some digging to confirm." William studied the portrait and the young woman who could easily have been its model before shaking his head a saying, "Let's not keep the good constable waiting."