As he worked his way into the Palace he began to see fewer Grenadier Guards and more shapely green ankles scissoring back and forth beneath flouncing skirts. James had five principal mistresses, including a Countess and a Duchess, and seven secondary mistresses, typically Merry Widows of Important Dead Men. Most of them were Maids of Honour, i.e., members of the ducal household, therefore entitled to loiter around St. James's all they wanted. Daniel, who made a sporting effort to keep track of these things, and who could easily list the King's mistresses from memory, had entirely lost track of the Duke's. But it was known empirically that the Duke would pursue any young woman who wore green stockings, which made it much easier to sort things out around St. James's, just by staring at ankles.