Read Online Summer of the Moon Flower (The de Vargas Family) by Annie Seaton - Free Book Online
Authors: Annie Seaton
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her rosewood
writing table, she rested her chin in her hand and closed her eyes. She should
contact Indigo and let her know she would be coming to Cornwall to collect the
two boys for a visit to the Alps, but she was restless.
Impatiently she stood again, and walked
across to the cloakroom and pulled out her long silver coat. Tomorrow would be
soon enough to send a missive to her sister. For the moment she needed a walk
to clear her head. The Earl of Rothmore would not leave her thoughts and she
must have clear head to plan her journey.
Sofia let herself out the door and stepped
on to the footpath. All was quiet. The gas lights shone dimly in the early
evening gloom and cast eerie shadows onto the deserted street. She shook herself,
irritation settling in her chest. Since the attack at Westbahnof, she
had avoided going anywhere alone, but tonight she was determined to overcome
her trepidation. A visit to Café Schwarzenberg and Herr Hochleitner would help
her regain her confidence. The Kaffeehäuser was on the Kartner
Strasse on the other side of the Ringstrasse and a two mile walk
from her salon and she set off, composing the message to Indigo in her head as
she headed toward the palace on the Museumplatz.
If she left the Rothmore order under
Lucienne’s direction, she could leave for Cornwall within a couple of days. She
had warned Indigo the visit was imminent so it should not be a problem to
collect the boys. The last she’d heard Jago and Jory had been sent home from
their boarding school because of their spirited behavior. She smiled to
herself; the chaos in her sister’s household kept her in a constant state of
amazement.
Sofia enjoyed her own quiet life alone in
her apartment above the salon. Granted, it did become lonely at times but she
would not be able to function in the noisy chaos that was Indigo’s manor house.
The boys had all inherited their mother’s strong will and were determined to
demonstrate it at every opportunity. Unfortunately, none of the schools they
had attended were predisposed to dealing with such boisterous young men.
The noise and chaos were kept in check to
some extent by Mr. and Mrs. Grimoult, Indigo’s trusted servants. Nevertheless,
Sofia loved visiting, and it gave her respite from the constant worry of overseeing
the moonflower research at the laboratory.
She paused as a carriage sped past her and
blinked in confusion. As it had flashed past it had reminded her of the
carriage the earl…Dougal…had entered earlier. Biting her lip, she determined to
forget this man who had occupied her thoughts since the moment he had walked
into the salon.
Even if she had been interested in a
liaison, it was out of the question. He was a client—or rather his wife was—
and that was the gist of the problem. He was married and therefore she would
give him no more thought. Taking a deep breath she thought of the forthcoming
expedition, as the sweet fragrance of the spring flowers in the Burggarten drifted out to her. There was a gap in the wall and a viewing area for the public
to see the private garden and Sofia stood with her hand on the cold fence rail.
The night flowers were illuminated by the rising moon and she craned her neck
to get a glimpse of the moonflower which she knew was growing amongst the ferny
fronds behind the fountain. It was the only place she knew where the moonflower
had been propagated successfully out of the Alpine region.
For a brief moment, she pondered the
possibility of breaching the garden one night and collecting the specimens from
there, but quickly realized there were few flowers in bloom. She stretched on
her toes and froze as a cold metallic finger brushed her arm. Turning swiftly,
she put her hand on her rapidly beating heart, and let a relieved breath out
when she realized it was only a decorative piece of the fence rail.
Looking around at the mist settling in the
spring evening, she tucked her head down and walked briskly toward the
writing table, she rested her chin in her hand and closed her eyes. She should
contact Indigo and let her know she would be coming to Cornwall to collect the
two boys for a visit to the Alps, but she was restless.
Impatiently she stood again, and walked
across to the cloakroom and pulled out her long silver coat. Tomorrow would be
soon enough to send a missive to her sister. For the moment she needed a walk
to clear her head. The Earl of Rothmore would not leave her thoughts and she
must have clear head to plan her journey.
Sofia let herself out the door and stepped
on to the footpath. All was quiet. The gas lights shone dimly in the early
evening gloom and cast eerie shadows onto the deserted street. She shook herself,
irritation settling in her chest. Since the attack at Westbahnof, she
had avoided going anywhere alone, but tonight she was determined to overcome
her trepidation. A visit to Café Schwarzenberg and Herr Hochleitner would help
her regain her confidence. The Kaffeehäuser was on the Kartner
Strasse on the other side of the Ringstrasse and a two mile walk
from her salon and she set off, composing the message to Indigo in her head as
she headed toward the palace on the Museumplatz.
If she left the Rothmore order under
Lucienne’s direction, she could leave for Cornwall within a couple of days. She
had warned Indigo the visit was imminent so it should not be a problem to
collect the boys. The last she’d heard Jago and Jory had been sent home from
their boarding school because of their spirited behavior. She smiled to
herself; the chaos in her sister’s household kept her in a constant state of
amazement.
Sofia enjoyed her own quiet life alone in
her apartment above the salon. Granted, it did become lonely at times but she
would not be able to function in the noisy chaos that was Indigo’s manor house.
The boys had all inherited their mother’s strong will and were determined to
demonstrate it at every opportunity. Unfortunately, none of the schools they
had attended were predisposed to dealing with such boisterous young men.
The noise and chaos were kept in check to
some extent by Mr. and Mrs. Grimoult, Indigo’s trusted servants. Nevertheless,
Sofia loved visiting, and it gave her respite from the constant worry of overseeing
the moonflower research at the laboratory.
She paused as a carriage sped past her and
blinked in confusion. As it had flashed past it had reminded her of the
carriage the earl…Dougal…had entered earlier. Biting her lip, she determined to
forget this man who had occupied her thoughts since the moment he had walked
into the salon.
Even if she had been interested in a
liaison, it was out of the question. He was a client—or rather his wife was—
and that was the gist of the problem. He was married and therefore she would
give him no more thought. Taking a deep breath she thought of the forthcoming
expedition, as the sweet fragrance of the spring flowers in the Burggarten drifted out to her. There was a gap in the wall and a viewing area for the public
to see the private garden and Sofia stood with her hand on the cold fence rail.
The night flowers were illuminated by the rising moon and she craned her neck
to get a glimpse of the moonflower which she knew was growing amongst the ferny
fronds behind the fountain. It was the only place she knew where the moonflower
had been propagated successfully out of the Alpine region.
For a brief moment, she pondered the
possibility of breaching the garden one night and collecting the specimens from
there, but quickly realized there were few flowers in bloom. She stretched on
her toes and froze as a cold metallic finger brushed her arm. Turning swiftly,
she put her hand on her rapidly beating heart, and let a relieved breath out
when she realized it was only a decorative piece of the fence rail.
Looking around at the mist settling in the
spring evening, she tucked her head down and walked briskly toward the
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