him."
Louisa snorted in a most unladylike fashion. "Nay, not him! He is too much like my own husband. Cynical and doubting. William never saw the truth of what was before him, either." She looked away, but before she did, Cassie saw her glowing blue eyes turn sad.
"I think we should invite him," Cassie said. "It might be quite interesting to have him there." She laughed, but she could not forget that flash of sadness in Louisa's eyes. Cassie wondered how she would feel if her own husband did not understand her. But then she shook her head. That would never happen, since she had no plans to ever take a husband!
"Very well," said Antoinette. "We shall make a party of it, then. This Friday, in the East Tower, I think. We will make a believer of Lord Royce if it is the last thing we do."
Chapter 10
"I think we should have a ball," Lady Royce announced the next morning as they all walked along the cliffs on their way to a picnic.
"A ball, Mother?" Lord Royce said, shifting the large hamper under his arm. "Who would we invite?"
"Why, all the neighbors, of course! They are all back from Town, and from their holidays in Brighton and Bath, and they haven't been invited to the castle in a very long time. We should do something to entertain our guests properly."
"Oh, don't go to any trouble on our account, Melinda," said Chat. "We are quite happy just being here. Are we not, girls?"
Cassie and Antoinette murmured in agreement, but secretly Cassie thought a ball sounded splendid.
"Nonsense!" Lady Royce cried. "We will have a ball. A masked ball! There is a dressmaker in the village who can do our costumes for us. I will have her come to the castle this week!" It was obvious that she had thought about this ball idea quite a bit.
"A masked ball?" Lord Royce said, his handsome face the picture of dismay.
"Yes! A masked ball. You can wear a toga, dear, or whatever it was Greeks wore. You don't need to worry about a thing, Phillip. I will plan it all." Then Lady Royce took Chat's arm and led her ahead on the pathway, saying, "Now, Chat dear, you do so much entertaining in Bath, I would like your opinion on the menu for the ball..."
Antoinette walked ahead with them, leaving Cassie alone with Lord Royce. They followed the three women slowly.
"You do not seem very enthusiastic about the idea of a ball, Lord Royce," Cassie said.
"It would be very—interesting. You can tell a great deal about people by what they choose to dress as at a masked ball," he answered, but his expression was still doubtful.
"Indeed." Then, since she was rather excited by the idea of the dance and didn't want him dampening her enthusiasm, she changed the topic. "My aunt tells us that your work on ancient Greece is very well known. I've already told you that you are quite admired by the members of her Philosophical Society."
He tilted his head as he looked at her, as if puzzled by her words. "I have had some modest success," he said quietly. "Though some say it is not proper for an earl to write and publish, I feel that the knowledge is too important not to share, no matter what the gossip."
"Quite right. And how is it you became so interested in Greece?"
"Do you truly wish to know, Miss Richards?" he asked, taking her elbow in his free hand to help her down the steps to the shore. Even through the thick wool of her pelisse, his touch was warm and reassuring. "Or are you just being polite?"
Cassie would never have thought she would truly be interested in the intricacies of ancient Greece. But she found that, strangely enough, she was. Very much. "I am interested."
"When I was a child, my father had a book about the wonders of ancient Greece. I read it over and over until it fell apart. It inspired me to study the classics at Oxford," he said. "But other than that one book, I did not know much about the ancient world. My tutors, and the school I attended, were much more concerned with the running of estates and playing cricket. It was
Louisa snorted in a most unladylike fashion. "Nay, not him! He is too much like my own husband. Cynical and doubting. William never saw the truth of what was before him, either." She looked away, but before she did, Cassie saw her glowing blue eyes turn sad.
"I think we should invite him," Cassie said. "It might be quite interesting to have him there." She laughed, but she could not forget that flash of sadness in Louisa's eyes. Cassie wondered how she would feel if her own husband did not understand her. But then she shook her head. That would never happen, since she had no plans to ever take a husband!
"Very well," said Antoinette. "We shall make a party of it, then. This Friday, in the East Tower, I think. We will make a believer of Lord Royce if it is the last thing we do."
Chapter 10
"I think we should have a ball," Lady Royce announced the next morning as they all walked along the cliffs on their way to a picnic.
"A ball, Mother?" Lord Royce said, shifting the large hamper under his arm. "Who would we invite?"
"Why, all the neighbors, of course! They are all back from Town, and from their holidays in Brighton and Bath, and they haven't been invited to the castle in a very long time. We should do something to entertain our guests properly."
"Oh, don't go to any trouble on our account, Melinda," said Chat. "We are quite happy just being here. Are we not, girls?"
Cassie and Antoinette murmured in agreement, but secretly Cassie thought a ball sounded splendid.
"Nonsense!" Lady Royce cried. "We will have a ball. A masked ball! There is a dressmaker in the village who can do our costumes for us. I will have her come to the castle this week!" It was obvious that she had thought about this ball idea quite a bit.
"A masked ball?" Lord Royce said, his handsome face the picture of dismay.
"Yes! A masked ball. You can wear a toga, dear, or whatever it was Greeks wore. You don't need to worry about a thing, Phillip. I will plan it all." Then Lady Royce took Chat's arm and led her ahead on the pathway, saying, "Now, Chat dear, you do so much entertaining in Bath, I would like your opinion on the menu for the ball..."
Antoinette walked ahead with them, leaving Cassie alone with Lord Royce. They followed the three women slowly.
"You do not seem very enthusiastic about the idea of a ball, Lord Royce," Cassie said.
"It would be very—interesting. You can tell a great deal about people by what they choose to dress as at a masked ball," he answered, but his expression was still doubtful.
"Indeed." Then, since she was rather excited by the idea of the dance and didn't want him dampening her enthusiasm, she changed the topic. "My aunt tells us that your work on ancient Greece is very well known. I've already told you that you are quite admired by the members of her Philosophical Society."
He tilted his head as he looked at her, as if puzzled by her words. "I have had some modest success," he said quietly. "Though some say it is not proper for an earl to write and publish, I feel that the knowledge is too important not to share, no matter what the gossip."
"Quite right. And how is it you became so interested in Greece?"
"Do you truly wish to know, Miss Richards?" he asked, taking her elbow in his free hand to help her down the steps to the shore. Even through the thick wool of her pelisse, his touch was warm and reassuring. "Or are you just being polite?"
Cassie would never have thought she would truly be interested in the intricacies of ancient Greece. But she found that, strangely enough, she was. Very much. "I am interested."
"When I was a child, my father had a book about the wonders of ancient Greece. I read it over and over until it fell apart. It inspired me to study the classics at Oxford," he said. "But other than that one book, I did not know much about the ancient world. My tutors, and the school I attended, were much more concerned with the running of estates and playing cricket. It was
Similar Books
Atkins and Paleo Challenge Box Set (10 in 1): Over 400 Atkins and Paleo Recipes With Pressure, Slow Cooker and Cast Iron for Busy People (Atkins Diet & Paleo Recipes)
Grace Cooper, Eva Mehler, Sarah Benson, Vicki Day, Andrea Libman, Aimee Long, Emma Melton, Paula Hess, Monique Lopez, Ingrid Watson
