character and a period of time for the setting.”
“Which?” he asked.
“Early Tudor,” Merlyn replied.
“Henry Tudor?” he asked with an arched brow. “You needn’t look so shocked, Miss Forrest, I minored in history.”
“Your period?”
“Ancient Greece.”
She sighed. “Pericles…Herodotus…Socrates…Plato…”
“Ah, a student.”
“An eternal student,” she agreed. “I enjoyed the ruins, especially the site of Troy. You read about Heinrich Schliemann, of course? Amazing, how he used the ancient texts to…”
“You enjoyed the ruins?” He pounced on that, his eyes emphasizing his obvious contention that she couldn’t afford a raft to float to Greece on.
“In the books I borrowed from the library, of course,” she said quickly. “No, Mr. Thorpe, I could hardly afford a leisurely cruise to the Mediterranean, as you’ve reminded me so often.”
“Stop baiting me,” he said. “What did you most enjoy studying?”
“The kings of England. The royal family fascinates me,” she confessed. “And the founding of the Tudor line was a particularly romantic period.”
“Yes, romance does seem to play an important part in your life,” he observed with a curt laugh. “How many times have you read
Jane Eyre?
”
“A dozen,” she replied. “It’s a lovely book. And you did rather appear out of the dark looking like Edward Rochester that night.”
“I wasn’t riding a horse, and I didn’t have a dog at my heels,” he reminded her.
“Mere details.”
“Well, what character are you doing?” he asked Lila, going back to his original subject.
“A character loosely based on Jasper Tudor,” she told him.
“Can you get enough information?”
“Merlyn already has,” Lila told him. “She’s a wonder. I’ve never seen the like of the books she brought with her.”
“Rob a bank?” he asked Merlyn pleasantly. “Or are they library books?”
“They were presents,” she mumbled. “From my father.”
Which was true. And they had cost a mint—some of them were out-of-print editions. She’d have to keep them out of his sight, or he might start making embarrassing connections.
After that, the conversation turned to politics, and Merlyn found herself caught up in it. It was a subject she knew a bit about, having helped friends of her father campaign from time to time. Cameron had a sharp, quick mind and inevitably they argued on issues. But he made valid points, and she enjoyed the heated exchanges. Lila only watched, a secretive smile playing around her lips.
“I have to confess, I’d forgotten what a challenge an educated mind could be,” Cameron said eventually, his eyes thoughtful as they studied Merlyn.
“Delle isn’t college educated?” Lila asked.
He glared at his mother. “Delle’s mind is quite sharp enough to suit me,” he said.
“But Merlyn can fish,” Amanda said shyly, joining the conversation for the first time.
Cameron glanced at his daughter. “So she can,” he said. Amazingly, he smiled. “Were you fishing, too?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
He glanced at Merlyn, then back at his daughter. “I thought you didn’t like to handle the worms, Amanda.”
“Merlyn did it for me,” the child volunteered smugly.
“Barbaric,” Cameron commented.
“It’s not barbaric,” Merlyn told him with a flash of green eyes. “The worms obviously had nothing left to live for. I was simply helping them into the next world.”
“And the fish?”
“Same difference,” she returned. “The whole thing is quite humane, you see.”
“What a bright idea,” Lila said. “I’ve wondered for years how to rationalize that cruel sport.”
“Mother would spare every wild creature on earth if she had her way,” Cameron said darkly. “She belongs to a dozen societies for the preservation of animals that no one ever heard of.”
“You think conservation is an unworthy cause, Mr. Thorpe?” Merlyn asked. She leaned her chin on her hands and glared at him.
“Which?” he asked.
“Early Tudor,” Merlyn replied.
“Henry Tudor?” he asked with an arched brow. “You needn’t look so shocked, Miss Forrest, I minored in history.”
“Your period?”
“Ancient Greece.”
She sighed. “Pericles…Herodotus…Socrates…Plato…”
“Ah, a student.”
“An eternal student,” she agreed. “I enjoyed the ruins, especially the site of Troy. You read about Heinrich Schliemann, of course? Amazing, how he used the ancient texts to…”
“You enjoyed the ruins?” He pounced on that, his eyes emphasizing his obvious contention that she couldn’t afford a raft to float to Greece on.
“In the books I borrowed from the library, of course,” she said quickly. “No, Mr. Thorpe, I could hardly afford a leisurely cruise to the Mediterranean, as you’ve reminded me so often.”
“Stop baiting me,” he said. “What did you most enjoy studying?”
“The kings of England. The royal family fascinates me,” she confessed. “And the founding of the Tudor line was a particularly romantic period.”
“Yes, romance does seem to play an important part in your life,” he observed with a curt laugh. “How many times have you read
Jane Eyre?
”
“A dozen,” she replied. “It’s a lovely book. And you did rather appear out of the dark looking like Edward Rochester that night.”
“I wasn’t riding a horse, and I didn’t have a dog at my heels,” he reminded her.
“Mere details.”
“Well, what character are you doing?” he asked Lila, going back to his original subject.
“A character loosely based on Jasper Tudor,” she told him.
“Can you get enough information?”
“Merlyn already has,” Lila told him. “She’s a wonder. I’ve never seen the like of the books she brought with her.”
“Rob a bank?” he asked Merlyn pleasantly. “Or are they library books?”
“They were presents,” she mumbled. “From my father.”
Which was true. And they had cost a mint—some of them were out-of-print editions. She’d have to keep them out of his sight, or he might start making embarrassing connections.
After that, the conversation turned to politics, and Merlyn found herself caught up in it. It was a subject she knew a bit about, having helped friends of her father campaign from time to time. Cameron had a sharp, quick mind and inevitably they argued on issues. But he made valid points, and she enjoyed the heated exchanges. Lila only watched, a secretive smile playing around her lips.
“I have to confess, I’d forgotten what a challenge an educated mind could be,” Cameron said eventually, his eyes thoughtful as they studied Merlyn.
“Delle isn’t college educated?” Lila asked.
He glared at his mother. “Delle’s mind is quite sharp enough to suit me,” he said.
“But Merlyn can fish,” Amanda said shyly, joining the conversation for the first time.
Cameron glanced at his daughter. “So she can,” he said. Amazingly, he smiled. “Were you fishing, too?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
He glanced at Merlyn, then back at his daughter. “I thought you didn’t like to handle the worms, Amanda.”
“Merlyn did it for me,” the child volunteered smugly.
“Barbaric,” Cameron commented.
“It’s not barbaric,” Merlyn told him with a flash of green eyes. “The worms obviously had nothing left to live for. I was simply helping them into the next world.”
“And the fish?”
“Same difference,” she returned. “The whole thing is quite humane, you see.”
“What a bright idea,” Lila said. “I’ve wondered for years how to rationalize that cruel sport.”
“Mother would spare every wild creature on earth if she had her way,” Cameron said darkly. “She belongs to a dozen societies for the preservation of animals that no one ever heard of.”
“You think conservation is an unworthy cause, Mr. Thorpe?” Merlyn asked. She leaned her chin on her hands and glared at him.
Similar Books
