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Authors: Jane Feather
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neither,” Morecombe announced.
“It’s quite all right. I’ll take care of it myself,” Livia said. “With Lady Farnham’s help, of course.” She shot Aurelia a look of anxious appeal.
“Yes, of course,” Aurelia said, trying to contain her laughter at the disapproval on the faces of the three retainers. “Of course we wouldn’t expect any of you to take on such a monumental task. But I’m sure Hester can help, and Jemmy can fill watering cans.”
“Oh dear,” Alex murmured as the trio departed without offering an opinion on the assistance of their juniors. “Somehow the practicalities of such an offering escaped me. Shall I come every morning and water them myself? Would that help?”
“No, of course you shan’t,” Livia said on a bubble of laughter. “We’ll manage even if I’m condemned to wander amongst them with a watering can for the rest of my days. I’m sure I shan’t miss attending all the balls and the parties…although I confess I am particularly fond of the theatre,” she added with a mournful sigh. “It might be difficult to forgo that.”
“Absurd woman,” Alex accused, thinking once again how much he enjoyed her laughter, even when she was mocking him. He glanced at the long case clock in the corner of the room as it struck ten. “Damn it, but I have to go. An appointment…” He hurried to the hall for his cane, hat, and gloves. “Livia, I came to ask you to join me in the park this afternoon. I’ll collect you at five o’clock…that is the hour for seeing and being seen, is it not?”
“Generally yes,” Livia said, following him into the hall. “But has it occurred to you that I might have something else to do this afternoon?”
He drew on a glove and frowned at her. “No…do you? Can’t you put it off?”
“I might not wish to,” she said, on her mettle once again.
His frown deepened. “I’m not very adept at this game of flirtation, ma’am. It has always struck me as pointless. If you don’t wish to join me this afternoon, then please say so.”
“As it happens, I wasn’t flirting,” Livia retorted, the sunshine vanished from her eyes. “I don’t care to have my mind made up for me by someone else’s assumptions. You presume too much, Prince Prokov.”
“Ah.” He drew on the second glove, smoothing the fine leather over his hand, frowning as he did so. “It is perhaps a failing of mine,” he conceded after a minute. “In my culture men tend to make the decisions.” He looked across at her then and his teeth flashed in a smile. “I’m willing to learn the English way. Surely you can’t resist the opportunity to teach me, ma’am?”
Perhaps she couldn’t. Livia debated the question, keeping him waiting for her answer, although his smile didn’t waver and that clear blue gaze didn’t move from her face. “I’ve always enjoyed a challenge, sir,” she said finally. “We’ll see if I’m up to this one.”
“I don’t doubt it for a minute.” He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips, brushing her knuckles with the merest breath of a kiss. “At five o’clock, then.”
“Five o’clock.” She moved to open the door but he reached over her to lift the latch himself.
“Forgive the observation, ma’am, but isn’t there a saying about not keeping a servant and opening one’s own doors?”
“The saying you mean goes something like, there’s no point keeping a dog and barking oneself,” she said. “And Morecombe and the twins are a law unto themselves. They don’t really work for me, they work for the memory of Sophia Lacey, as I think I explained…and talking of dogs…” She broke off as Tristan and Isolde came hurtling up the steps from the street, a flustered Hester struggling to hold on to their leashes.
“I beg your pardon, mum, but I can’t hold ’em,” Hester panted as the leash was wrenched from her hand. “I was going to take ’em round to the kitchen.”
“That’s all right, Hester,”
“It’s quite all right. I’ll take care of it myself,” Livia said. “With Lady Farnham’s help, of course.” She shot Aurelia a look of anxious appeal.
“Yes, of course,” Aurelia said, trying to contain her laughter at the disapproval on the faces of the three retainers. “Of course we wouldn’t expect any of you to take on such a monumental task. But I’m sure Hester can help, and Jemmy can fill watering cans.”
“Oh dear,” Alex murmured as the trio departed without offering an opinion on the assistance of their juniors. “Somehow the practicalities of such an offering escaped me. Shall I come every morning and water them myself? Would that help?”
“No, of course you shan’t,” Livia said on a bubble of laughter. “We’ll manage even if I’m condemned to wander amongst them with a watering can for the rest of my days. I’m sure I shan’t miss attending all the balls and the parties…although I confess I am particularly fond of the theatre,” she added with a mournful sigh. “It might be difficult to forgo that.”
“Absurd woman,” Alex accused, thinking once again how much he enjoyed her laughter, even when she was mocking him. He glanced at the long case clock in the corner of the room as it struck ten. “Damn it, but I have to go. An appointment…” He hurried to the hall for his cane, hat, and gloves. “Livia, I came to ask you to join me in the park this afternoon. I’ll collect you at five o’clock…that is the hour for seeing and being seen, is it not?”
“Generally yes,” Livia said, following him into the hall. “But has it occurred to you that I might have something else to do this afternoon?”
He drew on a glove and frowned at her. “No…do you? Can’t you put it off?”
“I might not wish to,” she said, on her mettle once again.
His frown deepened. “I’m not very adept at this game of flirtation, ma’am. It has always struck me as pointless. If you don’t wish to join me this afternoon, then please say so.”
“As it happens, I wasn’t flirting,” Livia retorted, the sunshine vanished from her eyes. “I don’t care to have my mind made up for me by someone else’s assumptions. You presume too much, Prince Prokov.”
“Ah.” He drew on the second glove, smoothing the fine leather over his hand, frowning as he did so. “It is perhaps a failing of mine,” he conceded after a minute. “In my culture men tend to make the decisions.” He looked across at her then and his teeth flashed in a smile. “I’m willing to learn the English way. Surely you can’t resist the opportunity to teach me, ma’am?”
Perhaps she couldn’t. Livia debated the question, keeping him waiting for her answer, although his smile didn’t waver and that clear blue gaze didn’t move from her face. “I’ve always enjoyed a challenge, sir,” she said finally. “We’ll see if I’m up to this one.”
“I don’t doubt it for a minute.” He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips, brushing her knuckles with the merest breath of a kiss. “At five o’clock, then.”
“Five o’clock.” She moved to open the door but he reached over her to lift the latch himself.
“Forgive the observation, ma’am, but isn’t there a saying about not keeping a servant and opening one’s own doors?”
“The saying you mean goes something like, there’s no point keeping a dog and barking oneself,” she said. “And Morecombe and the twins are a law unto themselves. They don’t really work for me, they work for the memory of Sophia Lacey, as I think I explained…and talking of dogs…” She broke off as Tristan and Isolde came hurtling up the steps from the street, a flustered Hester struggling to hold on to their leashes.
“I beg your pardon, mum, but I can’t hold ’em,” Hester panted as the leash was wrenched from her hand. “I was going to take ’em round to the kitchen.”
“That’s all right, Hester,”
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