care for wine?" he asked. "I have some very nice German wine put away in the cellar. I could send it up to her."
"How kind of you!" Cassie said with a smile. "So thoughtful..."
Phillip waved away her thanks with an awkward gesture. "Not at all, Miss Richards. I am only sorry that your day, and Miss Duvall's, was marred by illness."
"Yes. It was such a lovely day."
He nodded. "Lovely," he murmured. Then, looking rather abashed by that one word he had spoken, he backed up into the library. "I will send that wine up to Miss Duvall. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do."
"Thank you, Lord Royce." Cassie went on her way with her basin, thoroughly bemused by the mystifying Lord Royce. It seemed like every day she found that there was much more to him than books and studies and logic.
Chapter 11
"Don't they make a charming picture?" Lady Royce said, looking up from her embroidery to smile fondly across the drawing room at her son and Cassandra.
Antoinette had retired after supper with a lingering headache, but the others had gathered in the drawing room. Phillip and Cassandra were seated together at the pianoforte, attempting a duet. Unfortunately, neither of them was particularly musical, and the discordant plonking noise echoed in the large room.
Chat winced at an especially strident note, and laid down another card in her game of Patience. "Charming. But do you suppose they could engage in something quiet, like cards? Or reading?"
"Then we could not admire your niece's talent at the pianoforte!" Lady Royce protested. "Every young lady should play a musical instrument, do you not agree, Chat?"
"Almost every young lady," Chat murmured. She had to agree that Cassie looked very pretty bent over the ivory keys, her dark pink silk skirts spread about her. Chat only hoped that, with all the ghosts floating about the castle, Mozart did not choose to join them, full of wrath at the mangling of his concerto.
"Miss Richards is a very pretty girl indeed," Lady Royce continued. "I must confess I had no idea what to expect, since she had spent so long away from England."
Chat gave a little smile and laid down another card. "Did you think she would wear grass skirts or some such, Melinda?"
Lady Royce blushed, ducking her head over her sewing. "Of course not! I just—wasn't sure."
"Yes. Her parents were not precisely conventional, not like my older brother the viscount. I am not sure Cassandra would pass muster with the high sticklers at Almack's! But she has her own charms."
"Oh, assuredly! She is very pretty, as I said. And obviously kindhearted." Lady Royce gave Chat a sly smile. "Phillip seems to like her a great deal."
Chat looked back over at the young couple. They appeared to be quarreling over a piece of sheet music, with Cassie attempting to pull it out of his hands. "Oh, yes," she said wryly. "You can tell how much they like each other just by looking at them."
"She seems just the sort who could make him come out of his library and into the world. He never would have left his books to go on a picnic before Miss Richards came here, let alone agree to a masked ball!" Lady Royce nodded decisively. "Yes, she is very good for him."
But would he be good for her, Chat wondered. He did have a title and a tidy fortune. But Cassie had her own fortune and was such a free spirit. Could someone like Lord Royce make her happy?
Chat's own comfortable marriage to Lord Willowby, which had lasted twenty harmonious years before his death, made her want nothing less for her niece. A title could not make deep incompatibilities just disappear.
Still, she had to admit that they did look very handsome together.
* * *
"You are playing it all wrong!" Cassie said, taking the piece of now rather tattered music from Lord Royce's hand and putting it on the stand. "See these notes here and here? All wrong!"
"My dear Miss Richards, I am not the one who is tone-deaf," he muttered.
Cassie stared at him. "Look at
"How kind of you!" Cassie said with a smile. "So thoughtful..."
Phillip waved away her thanks with an awkward gesture. "Not at all, Miss Richards. I am only sorry that your day, and Miss Duvall's, was marred by illness."
"Yes. It was such a lovely day."
He nodded. "Lovely," he murmured. Then, looking rather abashed by that one word he had spoken, he backed up into the library. "I will send that wine up to Miss Duvall. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do."
"Thank you, Lord Royce." Cassie went on her way with her basin, thoroughly bemused by the mystifying Lord Royce. It seemed like every day she found that there was much more to him than books and studies and logic.
Chapter 11
"Don't they make a charming picture?" Lady Royce said, looking up from her embroidery to smile fondly across the drawing room at her son and Cassandra.
Antoinette had retired after supper with a lingering headache, but the others had gathered in the drawing room. Phillip and Cassandra were seated together at the pianoforte, attempting a duet. Unfortunately, neither of them was particularly musical, and the discordant plonking noise echoed in the large room.
Chat winced at an especially strident note, and laid down another card in her game of Patience. "Charming. But do you suppose they could engage in something quiet, like cards? Or reading?"
"Then we could not admire your niece's talent at the pianoforte!" Lady Royce protested. "Every young lady should play a musical instrument, do you not agree, Chat?"
"Almost every young lady," Chat murmured. She had to agree that Cassie looked very pretty bent over the ivory keys, her dark pink silk skirts spread about her. Chat only hoped that, with all the ghosts floating about the castle, Mozart did not choose to join them, full of wrath at the mangling of his concerto.
"Miss Richards is a very pretty girl indeed," Lady Royce continued. "I must confess I had no idea what to expect, since she had spent so long away from England."
Chat gave a little smile and laid down another card. "Did you think she would wear grass skirts or some such, Melinda?"
Lady Royce blushed, ducking her head over her sewing. "Of course not! I just—wasn't sure."
"Yes. Her parents were not precisely conventional, not like my older brother the viscount. I am not sure Cassandra would pass muster with the high sticklers at Almack's! But she has her own charms."
"Oh, assuredly! She is very pretty, as I said. And obviously kindhearted." Lady Royce gave Chat a sly smile. "Phillip seems to like her a great deal."
Chat looked back over at the young couple. They appeared to be quarreling over a piece of sheet music, with Cassie attempting to pull it out of his hands. "Oh, yes," she said wryly. "You can tell how much they like each other just by looking at them."
"She seems just the sort who could make him come out of his library and into the world. He never would have left his books to go on a picnic before Miss Richards came here, let alone agree to a masked ball!" Lady Royce nodded decisively. "Yes, she is very good for him."
But would he be good for her, Chat wondered. He did have a title and a tidy fortune. But Cassie had her own fortune and was such a free spirit. Could someone like Lord Royce make her happy?
Chat's own comfortable marriage to Lord Willowby, which had lasted twenty harmonious years before his death, made her want nothing less for her niece. A title could not make deep incompatibilities just disappear.
Still, she had to admit that they did look very handsome together.
* * *
"You are playing it all wrong!" Cassie said, taking the piece of now rather tattered music from Lord Royce's hand and putting it on the stand. "See these notes here and here? All wrong!"
"My dear Miss Richards, I am not the one who is tone-deaf," he muttered.
Cassie stared at him. "Look at
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