Escapade by Joan Smith Page B

his guests. Mrs. Sheridan and Mrs. Prentiss were there, each praising her own daughter, while mentally cursing her for being absent. They carefully noted the time so the error might not be repeated tomorrow. Lady Honor and the Marchioness were both still in bed, and never arose before noon. Shortly after 11:00, Sara and Ella came into the room, the former in her riding habit. The mothers fumed impotently when Clare invited Sara to accompany him, though he made it clear it was only a business ride, and he would be stopping at some tenant farms to attend to various matters. Again they made a mental note—tomorrow at 11:00, in riding habits.
    “You don't plan to ride, Miss Fairmont,” Clare said, looking at her cotton gown.
    “No, I plan to take this opportunity to visit your library."
    “Ella is an incorrigible bookworm,” Sara explained.
    “I shall take you there, and turn you over to Mr. Shane, my librarian, before we leave,” he offered.
    The mothers doubly regretted their daughters’ absence when Clare was in such an amiable mood that he was being polite even to the Fairmont girl.
    After breakfast, Sara went for her bonnet and gloves while Clare took Ella through rooms and corridors to a library composed of three adjoining rooms, whose every wall was lined with books. Ella had never seen so many assembled in one place before and thought she had landed in heaven. A tall, slight gentleman with blond hair and spectacles arose from a desk and came towards them.
    “I have received a price on that Gutenberg Bible from the dealer in Belgium,” he said at once, in some excitement.
    “Good, order it if you think the price fair,” Clare said and didn't even inquire the price quoted.
    “I think we ought to talk it over,” Mr. Shane suggested.
    “No, no, Shane, you decide. It is you who is always after me to acquire one, and you too, I suspect, who will go to the bother of reading it. This is Miss Fairmont, a guest. Show her whatever she wants to see, will you please?” With a smile and a bow he was off.
    As he strolled away, he heard the beginning of their discussion.
    “What sorts of books do you have?” Ella asked, peering around the stacks and trying to decipher titles.
    “We have English, French, Latin, Greek, German, and a small number of Russian volumes, Miss. What are you interested in?"
    “Everything,” she stated comprehensively.
    At the first door, Clare turned aside and pretended to study a shelf of books. He had some idea the girl was a talented linguist, and as he was interested in oddities, he wished to overhear more.
    “You read all those languages?” Mr. Shane asked, impressed in spite of her plain appearance.
    “Good gracious, no. I read only English, and a tiny bit of French, but I should like to see the others. Russian, for instance, uses quite a different set of letters from English, I believe, and I should like to see it. Shall we start with the Russian?"
    Not even a dilettante, but merely a curious child, Clare remarked with a sardonic smile, and was happy he had shifted the load of accommodating her on to Shane. He proceeded at a brisk pace to the stables, from which starting point he enjoyed a pleasant ride with Lady Sara.
    Around 3:00 the whole party assembled for a hearty luncheon.
    “What have you planned for this afternoon, Clare?” Belle Prentiss asked her host.
    “We were to have a picnic at the pavilion, but we are getting such a late start we'll make it tomorrow instead."
    “And what shall we do today?” she persisted.
    “Why, it is such a fine day, why don't you young ladies take a walk about the grounds and acquaint yourselves with the place?"
    “We did that this morning,” Miss Prentiss informed him.
    “What, saw all ten thousand acres?” he asked.
    Miss Prentiss threw back her copper curls and laughed. “Oh, you know we could not! Miss Sheridan and I merely went for a stroll about the gardens and to the Tower.” She glanced at him with a saucy eye at this remark,