eggs nor ham nor any other sort of meat appeared. It was just as it had been at every other inn. The world outside England seemed sadly deficient in its understanding of a proper breakfast. It could not be helped, so he joined the others in agreeing to his motherâs suggestion. After all, it was not as if they did not always agree with his motherâs suggestions.
By pure chance, they arrived at the Cathedral just before the clock struck noon, unaware that the clock was one of the wonders of the town. It was an astronomical clock, some thirty feet high. When the noon hour struck, a rooster atop the edifice beat its wings, raised its head, and crowed three times. An angel with an hourglass turned it over while other angels played a hymn on the bells. In a small oratory, a dove descended while the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary for the Annunciation.
The first bell caught their attention and they watched in fascination. Lady Elinor darted around the clock to try to see all its wonders. The sacristan, a little gnome of a man in a dusty cassock, was delighted by the attention and gladly began answering all the questions that were thrown at him.
The clock was indeed of great antiquity, being first mentioned in the fourteenth century. The wicked Calvinists had almost destroyed it in 1562, and the evil Jacobins attacked it again during the Revolution, but it was always repaired and new figures were added over the centuries.
Rycote had begun by viewing it with his English distrust of things not only foreign but papist. However, the mechanics of the thing caught his interest, and he turned to Tunbury. âCan you ask him to explain the dials?â
The sacristan was happy to do so. An oval dial represented the minutes, with the hand lengthening and shortening as required. On the west side of the tower was a perpetual calendar, and above it an astrolabe showing the stars with a round ball gilded on one side to show the phases of the moon.
While Rycote was absorbed in the mechanics of the thing, Elinor succumbed to its enchantment and grabbed Tunburyâs arm. âHarry, just look. Isnât it wonderful?â
He could not look away from her face. Most people leave that eager enthusiasm behind with childhood. Not Norrie. She was staring wide-eyed, pulling him around to see the different figures move.
He had forgotten how much fun everything was with Norrie.
Six
A confused Lady Elinor lay on her bunk as the engine of the steamer carrying them from Marseilles to Civita Vecchia chugged in time to her thoughts. He has come back , he has come back . Her friend Harry had come back. He was treating her as a friendly companion now, just as he always had. She could be herself with him. There was no need to pretend. He knew her, faults and all, just as she knew him. They understood each other. That was what she wanted, wasnât it? His friendship?
Well, yes, she wanted that. At least, it was what she had thought she wanted when he first returned.
Now she wasnât sure.
She had come to think that she wanted far more than friendship from Harry, but she wasnât at all sure she knew what Harry wanted.
Her confusion had started on the Channel crossing. Something had happened to her then, and she thought something had happened to Harry as well. She was sure of it. Well, almost sure. There had been some sort of spark between them. She thought so, but he had kept away from her after that and had just been brotherly.
On the other hand, when he had gotten so angry at the opera in Paris, he hadnât sounded exactly brotherly. After all, Pip hadnât pounced on her to bawl her out for flirting, and when it came to his sisters, Pip was about as stuffy as a young man could possibly be. But the way Harry had reactedâshe couldnât help thinking that it seemed a lot like jealousy. Her body arched and twisted slightly, and she smiled at the memory. Very well, it probably hadnât been the most virtuous way to
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