Page 30 (1/2)

The dowager waved Lady Althea and her mother into the house, and then turned "You shall not be welcome, Duke," she said "And Miss Lytton, I’m sure you understand that the canineabout skin infections," Olivia put in, hopingand catch a case of purple buer stated The door shut behind her

Olivia sighed

Then she realized that she was standing in front of the line of small children, who didn’t seem inclined to mill about the way children normally do They were rather dirty and thin And they looked anxious "Let’s see," she said to the eldest "Your name is Apple because you have lovely red cheeks" She looked to the next "You look very fast, so you must be Arrow And this must be Apron because--"

"I’irl!"

"Hmmm," Olivia said "Then how about Ant? You are about the size of a peasecod"

"I’ll get bigger," he said stoutly

"Very true" She could see s up The line had broken, and now they were clustering around her "Let’s try the girls You er that I heartily envy"

The girl giggled "Me gram says it’s the color of the devil’s beard"

"It’s not theof comparisons, but then we should all be so lucky as to have a fire that burns all the way through the winter, not toto the last, very sination failed

"An acorn," came a deep voice just behind her The duke leaned over and put a finger under the child’s chin "You are no hter "That’s what ht, Miss Acorn," Olivia said, flashing the duke a surprised s close to Olivia’s ankle, but on hearing her naOlivia held out Lucy’s ribbon "Would anyone like to take Lucy for a little walk?" A e square, Lucy prancing before

Olivia looked at the three ree?"

" ’Zekiel Edgeworth bought a new eworth stable his horse?"

"Right there!" they squealed Sure enough, there was a chestnutcare of her," Ant said importantly

Olivia held out her hand, looked down, and then stripped off her glove "What was I thinking?" she said, causing another storain to Ant "Now, Master Ant, will you introduce arden?"

"Isn’t she beautiful?" Ant breathed, aaspects," Olivia acknowledged "What’s her naeworth likes to call her Starstruck But we think that’s a rackety name So we call her Alice See, she already knows her nah, the hter Olivia was trying her best to ignore the oodness’ sake

"Alice has a bad case of pigeon toes--or hooves, to be exact," the duke observed, co even closer to her

Olivia and children frowned at hi in a horse," she announced