and seek the quiet and peace of the woods where at least she could shut out all reminders of it while she drew, walked or read.
Yet Caroline’s acid words were ever present in her mind, so Celia restricted her walks to the Delaney’s small wood.
One afternoon she was unable to escape before being caught in the drawing-room with visitors who had come in for tea. One of the men who had called was Scott Bannister, who had come with his sister Lorraine. They were hardly settled into a conversation when Jack Longard arrived, followed shortly after by Ellen, Julia and Lord Robert Merrick. It quickly became a small party, with conversation centering on the coming ball.
Sylvia was asked to play the pianoforte and two or three of them sang alongside. Caroline had a fine voice, if a bit high, and her cousin, Jack’s tenor was a nice foil for it. Caroline distinguished herself before her audience and as she sang her eyes would now and then settle on Robert.
“I hear you are fond of walks, Cousin Celia,” said a voice behind Celia. Celia turned to see the handsome face of Scott Bannister, who had quietly moved from where he was and had taken the seat next to her. He seemed eager to engage her in conversation under the sounds of singing.
Scott had been away in London since that first time she had met him and had only returned the night before. There was a dancing light in his grey eyes. He was very attractive and there was a carefree, engaging air about him. He seemed determined in spending a long time in conversation with her and Celia felt flattered and somehow relieved that her mind would be kept from Robert and the worry and guilt that usually accompanied thoughts of him.
“I hope I may be allowed two of your waltzes, Miss Meade,” Scott said. “I confess I have thought of nothing else but your smile these past few days.”
Celia ignored the pointed flattery and asked Scott how he had fared in his journey.
“No contretemps,” said Scott, “although I did encounter a disturbance in the outskirts of London. Some scruffy soldiers—the Tenth Regiment, I believe, were encamped there getting ready to head out.”
“What was the disturbance?” asked Celia, interested.
“I believe it concerned their wages. I hear the enormous cost of the war still has repercussions and some of the troops were restless. They want to be pampered, even after there’s nothing left for them to do.”
“I hope their wages are forthcoming,” said Celia. She remembered how differently Lord Merrick had mentioned the soldiers’ problems and how sorry he was to be pulled away from his work with the government by his father’s illness.
“Nothing to worry, Miss Meade. Certainly the soldiers’ wages are not our concern and they do make a fuss for everything.” Scott moved a bit closer. “May I beg a promise of the first and last waltz?”
“Yes, of course,” said Celia, thinking that at least those two dances would be secured. Caroline was jealous of introducing her friends to the Meades and she would at least not appear the wallflower.
For a while she was distracted by Scott’s talk. But he seemed to take nothing in life too seriously. Even the dire circumstances of the nation’s troops seemed of little consequence to him.
Celia listened to him, for at least it would keep her eyes from turning to the spot where Robert was.
She became so absorbed in conversation with Scott that she did not notice that Robert gazed at her from across the room and that Caroline, noticing this, placed herself smack between him and the sight of Celia and began a lengthy conversation with him.
Celia let herself be pulled away from the strife that thoughts of Robert brought her and it was on that very same evening that she realized that her love for Robert grew by the minute and she was helpless to stop it.
* * *
It was irresponsible behavior, she told herself that night as she tried in vain to fall asleep. She was risking the very survival of her
Yet Caroline’s acid words were ever present in her mind, so Celia restricted her walks to the Delaney’s small wood.
One afternoon she was unable to escape before being caught in the drawing-room with visitors who had come in for tea. One of the men who had called was Scott Bannister, who had come with his sister Lorraine. They were hardly settled into a conversation when Jack Longard arrived, followed shortly after by Ellen, Julia and Lord Robert Merrick. It quickly became a small party, with conversation centering on the coming ball.
Sylvia was asked to play the pianoforte and two or three of them sang alongside. Caroline had a fine voice, if a bit high, and her cousin, Jack’s tenor was a nice foil for it. Caroline distinguished herself before her audience and as she sang her eyes would now and then settle on Robert.
“I hear you are fond of walks, Cousin Celia,” said a voice behind Celia. Celia turned to see the handsome face of Scott Bannister, who had quietly moved from where he was and had taken the seat next to her. He seemed eager to engage her in conversation under the sounds of singing.
Scott had been away in London since that first time she had met him and had only returned the night before. There was a dancing light in his grey eyes. He was very attractive and there was a carefree, engaging air about him. He seemed determined in spending a long time in conversation with her and Celia felt flattered and somehow relieved that her mind would be kept from Robert and the worry and guilt that usually accompanied thoughts of him.
“I hope I may be allowed two of your waltzes, Miss Meade,” Scott said. “I confess I have thought of nothing else but your smile these past few days.”
Celia ignored the pointed flattery and asked Scott how he had fared in his journey.
“No contretemps,” said Scott, “although I did encounter a disturbance in the outskirts of London. Some scruffy soldiers—the Tenth Regiment, I believe, were encamped there getting ready to head out.”
“What was the disturbance?” asked Celia, interested.
“I believe it concerned their wages. I hear the enormous cost of the war still has repercussions and some of the troops were restless. They want to be pampered, even after there’s nothing left for them to do.”
“I hope their wages are forthcoming,” said Celia. She remembered how differently Lord Merrick had mentioned the soldiers’ problems and how sorry he was to be pulled away from his work with the government by his father’s illness.
“Nothing to worry, Miss Meade. Certainly the soldiers’ wages are not our concern and they do make a fuss for everything.” Scott moved a bit closer. “May I beg a promise of the first and last waltz?”
“Yes, of course,” said Celia, thinking that at least those two dances would be secured. Caroline was jealous of introducing her friends to the Meades and she would at least not appear the wallflower.
For a while she was distracted by Scott’s talk. But he seemed to take nothing in life too seriously. Even the dire circumstances of the nation’s troops seemed of little consequence to him.
Celia listened to him, for at least it would keep her eyes from turning to the spot where Robert was.
She became so absorbed in conversation with Scott that she did not notice that Robert gazed at her from across the room and that Caroline, noticing this, placed herself smack between him and the sight of Celia and began a lengthy conversation with him.
Celia let herself be pulled away from the strife that thoughts of Robert brought her and it was on that very same evening that she realized that her love for Robert grew by the minute and she was helpless to stop it.
* * *
It was irresponsible behavior, she told herself that night as she tried in vain to fall asleep. She was risking the very survival of her
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