was so she could calculate how many times her old home would fit inside.
‘If there is one friendship I would wish very much for you to carefully nurture and cultivate, it is this one,’ her mother whispered, as she stepped forward to brush something invisible off Millie’s coat.
Millie’s eyes lit up with delight.
‘Why, Mama, if I didn’t know you better I would say that you sounded like an unashamed social climber.’
Her mother pursed her lips.
‘I shall remind you that I am the daughter of a viscount and your father is the brother of one. When you have those sorts of family connections you are already at the top of the social ladder, my darling.’
Violet gave her gloves and silk skirts one last inspection.
‘As such I know the intricacies of the
ton
and how best to ensure that my daughter gets invited to all the select parties and balls in the forthcoming season. I might have been away for twenty-odd years, but let me assure you, the rules have not changed one iota. Millie, you are either in with the right people or you are out and believe me the walls of the
ton
are thick and heavily fortified.’
‘I was only jesting,’ Millie sighed, as her mother turned and headed up the front steps to the door.
‘I wasn’t,’ Violet coolly replied.
‘Oh Millie, you shouldn’t have,’ Lucy exclaimed as she accepted the silk-wrapped gift. When she took the scarf away and saw the little red book, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
‘Mama, it’s a book about Genghis Khan, and it has such beautiful drawings. Look at this one: you can see how that man’s head has come clean off.’
Violet shook her head slowly. ‘I am so sorry, Caroline, I did not realise Millicent had selected that particular book to give to your daughter. Please let me take it back and I shall choose something more suitable.’ She held out her hand, but Lucy hugged the book tightly to her chest and glared at her.
The Duchess of Strathmore laughed. ‘Violet, my dear, you have no idea how alike these two are. I don’t think you will be getting that book back any time soon.’
Millie shot Lucy a victorious look. She knew exactly the kind of book Lucy liked. If she had given her a book of poems, Lucy would have accepted it graciously and then more than likely pitched it out the window at the first opportunity.
‘There are some even more gruesome pictures in it toward the back, but they may be best viewed later,’ Millie offered.
On one of the few port stops they had made on the long sea voyage from India, Millie had dragged Charles to a local town square and found a dingy bookshop that sold all manner of strange publications. While she had busied herself with dead Mongolian warlords, Charles had managed to find some pictorial publications with undressed women in them. Millie had noted that he made a point of hiding those particular books when they were back on board the ship and would not let her read any of them. Her generous brother had even paid for all of her many purchases in the town that day. All she had to do in return was not mention the existence of the naked-lady books to either of their parents.
She smiled when she thought of how sheltered Charles had thought she was. The day when she finally mentioned to him that she owned not one but two copies of the
Kama Sutra
, and had done so since she was sixteen, was one worth remembering.
‘I was hoping that my two eldest boys would be here this afternoon; Alex at least promised to call in and pay his respects. Unfortunately, I suspect he and David were out with friends last night and have forgotten the time. Alex often makes it over on a Wednesday for Lucy’s dance lesson in the late afternoon,’ said the duchess, as she handed Violet a cup of tea. Violet smiled at her, and the two women settled down to catch up on twenty years of
ton
gossip.
Lucy gave Millie a look of resigned disgust. Then she leaned over and caught her mother’s eye.
‘Would it be all right if
‘If there is one friendship I would wish very much for you to carefully nurture and cultivate, it is this one,’ her mother whispered, as she stepped forward to brush something invisible off Millie’s coat.
Millie’s eyes lit up with delight.
‘Why, Mama, if I didn’t know you better I would say that you sounded like an unashamed social climber.’
Her mother pursed her lips.
‘I shall remind you that I am the daughter of a viscount and your father is the brother of one. When you have those sorts of family connections you are already at the top of the social ladder, my darling.’
Violet gave her gloves and silk skirts one last inspection.
‘As such I know the intricacies of the
ton
and how best to ensure that my daughter gets invited to all the select parties and balls in the forthcoming season. I might have been away for twenty-odd years, but let me assure you, the rules have not changed one iota. Millie, you are either in with the right people or you are out and believe me the walls of the
ton
are thick and heavily fortified.’
‘I was only jesting,’ Millie sighed, as her mother turned and headed up the front steps to the door.
‘I wasn’t,’ Violet coolly replied.
‘Oh Millie, you shouldn’t have,’ Lucy exclaimed as she accepted the silk-wrapped gift. When she took the scarf away and saw the little red book, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
‘Mama, it’s a book about Genghis Khan, and it has such beautiful drawings. Look at this one: you can see how that man’s head has come clean off.’
Violet shook her head slowly. ‘I am so sorry, Caroline, I did not realise Millicent had selected that particular book to give to your daughter. Please let me take it back and I shall choose something more suitable.’ She held out her hand, but Lucy hugged the book tightly to her chest and glared at her.
The Duchess of Strathmore laughed. ‘Violet, my dear, you have no idea how alike these two are. I don’t think you will be getting that book back any time soon.’
Millie shot Lucy a victorious look. She knew exactly the kind of book Lucy liked. If she had given her a book of poems, Lucy would have accepted it graciously and then more than likely pitched it out the window at the first opportunity.
‘There are some even more gruesome pictures in it toward the back, but they may be best viewed later,’ Millie offered.
On one of the few port stops they had made on the long sea voyage from India, Millie had dragged Charles to a local town square and found a dingy bookshop that sold all manner of strange publications. While she had busied herself with dead Mongolian warlords, Charles had managed to find some pictorial publications with undressed women in them. Millie had noted that he made a point of hiding those particular books when they were back on board the ship and would not let her read any of them. Her generous brother had even paid for all of her many purchases in the town that day. All she had to do in return was not mention the existence of the naked-lady books to either of their parents.
She smiled when she thought of how sheltered Charles had thought she was. The day when she finally mentioned to him that she owned not one but two copies of the
Kama Sutra
, and had done so since she was sixteen, was one worth remembering.
‘I was hoping that my two eldest boys would be here this afternoon; Alex at least promised to call in and pay his respects. Unfortunately, I suspect he and David were out with friends last night and have forgotten the time. Alex often makes it over on a Wednesday for Lucy’s dance lesson in the late afternoon,’ said the duchess, as she handed Violet a cup of tea. Violet smiled at her, and the two women settled down to catch up on twenty years of
ton
gossip.
Lucy gave Millie a look of resigned disgust. Then she leaned over and caught her mother’s eye.
‘Would it be all right if
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