collection, one by which to remember me.
"'Knowing your love of history and antiquities, I have chosen a seal ring, once belonging to one of the minor maharajahs of Jaipur a century ago. You will see it is set with an oval sapphire which has been carved in a flowing script with the maharajah's name. When you look on it, remember the woman who enjoyed a zest and passion for life. I would that your own passions be reborn.
"'Presumably, if this paper is open to your eyes, then I am dead, so I will be perfectly frank and say what needs to be said. Let go the pains of the past, Adrian. Before your great-grandfather changed the Marrable motto, the older one read Virescit vulnere virtus. Courage grows strong at a wound. So does love.'"
Mr. Whitmore fell silent as Lord Marrable rose and moved to the window. Vanessa could sense the barriers thickening about him as he gave his back to all in the room and stood looking out onto the gardens and lawns. Lady Gwen had touched upon an unspeakable topic, the same one hinted at earlier in Knights Chapel. It was obviously bound up with Lord Marrable's wives, either one or both.
Vanessa suddenly wished she were already on her train, headed for Hampshire. She was an outsider here and shouldn't be privy to such personal matters.
Mr. Whitmore reached into his jacket and withdrew a small, velvet-covered box. He pondered Lord Marrable's back, obviously uncertain whether to disturb him. Cissy, owning no such reticence, sprang to her feet and accepted the box for her brother. As she opened it, Vanessa spied a flash of bright gold and the deep blue of the sapphire.
"How marvelously thoughtful of Aunt Gwen." Cissy's voice sparkled as she moved to the viscount's side. "Look, Adrian. Have you ever seen a ring so fine?"
Lord Marrable took the box and, briefly, he and Cissy spoke in low tones. A moment later, he turned and reseated himself, his features shuttered. Once Cissy settled herself, he gestured for Mr. Whitmore to continue.
"Y-Yes." Mr. Whitmore fumbled his spectacles back in place on the bridge of his nose. "The next passage is directed to Mr. Lawrence Marrable. It reads as follows:
"'Lawrence, I am mindful of your own wide interests. In particular, I am mindful of your love of beauty, extravagance, and also, shall we say, of your unbridled generosity toward the ladies.’”
Lawrence shifted self-consciously in his seat.
"'These words are intended with your best interest at heart, so again I will be frank. I encourage you to employ restraint in your life, to rule over your impulses. It is precisely because of those impulses, sometimes given to excessive and, in certain cases, undeserved magnanimity, I fear you might allow portions of my small though precious collection to trickle to others outside the family.
"'Thus, Lawrence, knowing you are well able to provide for any lady who draws your interest, I leave you also with a single, but carefully chosen, memento by which to remember me. In this case, a cameo, its profile carved of my own likeness at the workshops outside the ruins of Pompeii.'"
Vanessa recalled the trip, recalled stumbling onto the place after visiting the ancient city and the cameo being carved.
"'I have had it fashioned into a stickpin of purest gold and set with a small diamond. When you look on it, remember a woman whose own impulses led to varying consequences, but who loved greatly in this life, loved you most dearly, and would see you set your world aright.'"
Aware Lawrence might feel some embarrassment at the moment, Vanessa kept her gaze from him as he received the velvet-boxed gift from Mr. Whitmore. Evidently, Lawrence's proclivities had met with Lady Gwen's disapproval. He was an attractive man who doubtless had many lady admirers and who appreciated their beauty as well. She conceded to not having been wholly unaffected herself when she first met him. He was an engaging man with
"'Knowing your love of history and antiquities, I have chosen a seal ring, once belonging to one of the minor maharajahs of Jaipur a century ago. You will see it is set with an oval sapphire which has been carved in a flowing script with the maharajah's name. When you look on it, remember the woman who enjoyed a zest and passion for life. I would that your own passions be reborn.
"'Presumably, if this paper is open to your eyes, then I am dead, so I will be perfectly frank and say what needs to be said. Let go the pains of the past, Adrian. Before your great-grandfather changed the Marrable motto, the older one read Virescit vulnere virtus. Courage grows strong at a wound. So does love.'"
Mr. Whitmore fell silent as Lord Marrable rose and moved to the window. Vanessa could sense the barriers thickening about him as he gave his back to all in the room and stood looking out onto the gardens and lawns. Lady Gwen had touched upon an unspeakable topic, the same one hinted at earlier in Knights Chapel. It was obviously bound up with Lord Marrable's wives, either one or both.
Vanessa suddenly wished she were already on her train, headed for Hampshire. She was an outsider here and shouldn't be privy to such personal matters.
Mr. Whitmore reached into his jacket and withdrew a small, velvet-covered box. He pondered Lord Marrable's back, obviously uncertain whether to disturb him. Cissy, owning no such reticence, sprang to her feet and accepted the box for her brother. As she opened it, Vanessa spied a flash of bright gold and the deep blue of the sapphire.
"How marvelously thoughtful of Aunt Gwen." Cissy's voice sparkled as she moved to the viscount's side. "Look, Adrian. Have you ever seen a ring so fine?"
Lord Marrable took the box and, briefly, he and Cissy spoke in low tones. A moment later, he turned and reseated himself, his features shuttered. Once Cissy settled herself, he gestured for Mr. Whitmore to continue.
"Y-Yes." Mr. Whitmore fumbled his spectacles back in place on the bridge of his nose. "The next passage is directed to Mr. Lawrence Marrable. It reads as follows:
"'Lawrence, I am mindful of your own wide interests. In particular, I am mindful of your love of beauty, extravagance, and also, shall we say, of your unbridled generosity toward the ladies.’”
Lawrence shifted self-consciously in his seat.
"'These words are intended with your best interest at heart, so again I will be frank. I encourage you to employ restraint in your life, to rule over your impulses. It is precisely because of those impulses, sometimes given to excessive and, in certain cases, undeserved magnanimity, I fear you might allow portions of my small though precious collection to trickle to others outside the family.
"'Thus, Lawrence, knowing you are well able to provide for any lady who draws your interest, I leave you also with a single, but carefully chosen, memento by which to remember me. In this case, a cameo, its profile carved of my own likeness at the workshops outside the ruins of Pompeii.'"
Vanessa recalled the trip, recalled stumbling onto the place after visiting the ancient city and the cameo being carved.
"'I have had it fashioned into a stickpin of purest gold and set with a small diamond. When you look on it, remember a woman whose own impulses led to varying consequences, but who loved greatly in this life, loved you most dearly, and would see you set your world aright.'"
Aware Lawrence might feel some embarrassment at the moment, Vanessa kept her gaze from him as he received the velvet-boxed gift from Mr. Whitmore. Evidently, Lawrence's proclivities had met with Lady Gwen's disapproval. He was an attractive man who doubtless had many lady admirers and who appreciated their beauty as well. She conceded to not having been wholly unaffected herself when she first met him. He was an engaging man with
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