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She clapped her hands like an excited little girl, and Mr Whippering beamed down at her fondly Melisande set aside her plate and rose, but Aunt Esther was listing her guests on her fingers
"Mr and Mrs Flowers--I’ve seated you next to Mr Flowers because he’s always quite kind and knohen to agree with a lady Miss Charlotte Stewart, who has the best gossip Captain Pickering and his wife--he used to be in the navy, you know, and has seen the strangest things, and--oh! Here’s Meg"
A , had entered the room and curtsied
Aunt Esther flew to her "Show reen The green er, but the blue is ever so reen," she confided to Melisande "Now don’t forget: seven of the clock"
Vale, who had been sitting all this while, co muffins, finally rose "Don’t you worry, Aunt We’ll be down precisely at seven and with our best bows and buttons"
"Lovely!" his aunt exclaimed
Melisande s, and began to follow the ot," Aunt Esther called "One other couple will be there as well"
Both Melisande and Vale turned politely to hear the nauests
"Mr Timothy Holden and his wife, Lady Caroline" Aunt Esther beamed "They used to live in London before they ht be a treat for the both of you Mr Holden is quite a dashing gentleman Maybe you even know him?"
And for the life of her, Melisande didn’t knohat to say
SOMETHING WAS WRONG with Melisande, Jasper thought later that night She sat on the farther end of the long supper table from hius, the latter already on his third glass of tongue-loosening wine Melisande wore a deep brown dress with sreen flowers and leaves embroidered down the bodice and around the sleeves She looked quite lovely, her pale oval face serene, her light brown hair softly pulled back Jasper doubted anyone else in the room noted her unease save he
He sipped his wine and considered his lady wife, s Mrs Flowers leaned close to say Perhaps the company of newly met people intimidated Melisande He knew she was a shy creature, as all the fey ont to be She didn’t like crowds, didn’t like long social events It was opposite to Jasper’s own nature, but he understood this about her, even if he could never feel that way himself He was used to her stiff reticence when they went out
neight="0" width="4">But this unease was , and it bothered hiathering Aunt Esther’s cook was very good, and the supper was plain but enjoyable The narrow dining rooenerous with the wine bottlesMiss Steas to his right She was a woed cheeks and an enorht the strong scent of patchouli
"I hear you’ve just come from London, what?" the lady said
"Indeed, ma’am," Jasper replied "Over hill and over dale we’ve ridden, just to visit sunny Edinburgh"
"Well, at least you didn’t come in winter," she retorted somewhat obscurely "Travel’s dreadful after the first snowfall, though the city’s pretty enough--all the snow cloaking the dirt and soot Have you seen the castle?"
"Alas, no"
"You should, you should" Miss Stewart nodded vigorously, nificent Not lish appreciate the beauty of Scotland"
She fixed hiimlet eye
Jasper hastily sed a bite of the very fine lamb his aunt had served "Oh, quite My lady wife and I have been stunned by the countryside thus far"
"And so you should be in my opinion" She sawed at her laht or ten years ago, and they haven’t regretted it for a day Have you, Mr Holden?" she appealed to the gentle across the table froly handsome if one liked men with soft cheeks and red lips, which apparently lances ai and a red velvet coat, worked in gold and green embroidery at the sleeves
At Miss Stewart’s question, Holden inclined his head and said, "My wife and I enjoy Edinburgh"
He glanced down the table, but oddly it wasn’t his oife he looked at but rather Jasper’s
Jasper sipped his wine, his eyes narrowed
"The society here is quite superior," Lady Caroline chiood deal older than her handsome husband and was titled to boot There ht it was nearly white, and pale pinkish skin that ht blue eyes gave her any color, poor woainst her colorless skin, giving her the appearance of a white rabbit
"The garden is lovely this time of year," she said "Perhaps you and Lady Vale will honor us by co your visit?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Jasper saw Melisande go still She was so motionless he wondered if she breathed
He smiled po {">Hionlitely "I’m devastated to decline your kind offer I’h I have business with a friend who lives north of here"
"Oh, yes? Who is that?" Miss Stewart inquired
Melisande had relaxed again, so Jasper turned his attention to his neighbor "Sir Alistair Munroe Do you know him?"
Miss Stewart shook her head decisively "Know of him, of course, but never met the man, more’s the pity"
"A wonderful book he’s written," Sir Angus rumbled from the far end of the table "Simply marvelous Filled with all manner of birds, animals, fishes, and insects Most instructional"
"But have you ever met the man?" Aunt Esther demanded from the foot of the table
"Can’t say that I have"